Fourth six 3 saic products of the British automotive ated dozens of parts suppliers. Still it was industry. The results were often perhaps with a unique ingeniousness that Kimber a bit more stylish, but none the less prosa­ was able to produce cars of a completely ic. unique character. Kimberʹs team, two at the start at Alfred While his MG operation anticipated, Lane to 200 at Abingdon, were doing foreshadowed, or fathered if you wish, something different. These were cars that, chassis design that was to become charac­ well, we could use the tired phrase a teristic of post war British engineering, it whole greater than the some of its parts, was the engines that were to bring the To say that MGʹs pre war history was a car. Weaving together a supply network proved Kimber to be an astute industrial laurels. The unexpected and often out confusion of model configuration and des­ capable of providing him the bits needed analyst. One who knew what he wanted sized reputation of the firm. ignation would be to overstate the obvi­ to manage a fully functional automobile to deliver on road and track, had built Engines are the heart of an automotive ous. Period press reference to MG as a assembly operation. Often on timelines so relations within the Morris group of auto­ company. It is here that, for me, the mys­ purely sportscar company seemed to have industrially unrealistic that it added to, if motive companies to have them config­ tery lies. When I took this project on I more to do with the fact that Kimber & not created, the historic confusion over ured, and a talented team to conceive knew less of the engine configuration and Morris were doing it for sport. The com­ cars rolling out of Abingdon with a profu­ them on one end and fit them together on origin than of the achievements. The vic­ pany as it grew from the Morris Garage sion of octagons. the other. Kimber did have the financial tories in hill climb and in road race, the service depot at Longwall Street to Alfred In the beginning it was off­the­line backing of the man who was responsible class speed records of Eyston. Class Lane to a couple of bays at the Bainton Morris cars, seen as assembled parts that for 42% of all car sales in the UK in the records that reshaped the definition of Road Morris radiator factory to the Pavlov were delivered to Kimberʹs garage. early twenties. The man who owned MG light car performance. The stories of leather works, becoming the Limited part­ Bodies were stripped, leaf springs flat­ as a private concern. Bought Britainʹs young blades at the controls of early 1.3 nership of the MG motor car company at tened, steering replaced, cable brake sys­ largest car company, Wolseley, during liter Bugattis embarrassing Kaiser Prize 7 Abingdon, was never really a manufactur­ tems simplified, engines disassembled, financial troubles following the Great war liter Mercedes are legion. Stories of light­ er. Not in the real sense of raw materials ported, polished, balanced. All was with a private check. And whose main weight and specific power pushing aside in, rolling chassis out. reassembled, new bodies fit, generally at concern, Morris Motors, owned and oper­ large displacement power, that defined Kimber had an uncanny ability to moti­ Carbodies of Coventry, interiors of leather vate automotive parts suppliers, within installed. The transformed cars were and beyond the Morris Motors empire, to rolled onto the showrooms of Morris supply and produce parts for his nineteen Garage. twenties conception of the sportsmanʹs Yes, there were others altering the pro­ 38 the evolving character of the voiturette upon aero engine manufacture with And yet another reference to William But Morris was running Wolseley as a pri­ before 1914. Yet here we have MG writing Hispano for their magnificent V8, under Morris requesting the Wolseley engineers vately held concern (much like MG), and stories of sub­one liter cars setting records the product name Viper. The numbers to develop an OHC in­line four engine of not as of yet folded into the Morris near or beyond 100 miles an hour at a produced seem to have been substantial; sub one­liter size, for the Minor, after the Motors fold. Admirable, daring, but time when 80 miles an hour was impres­ four thousand is the number referred to. acquisition in ʹ27. unusual. sive for most any car, of any displace­ This certainly must have resulted in the These two references I did find curious. A search for the designer may uncover ment. Wolseley engineering and production Generally European companies, on the other influences in the decision. Because, My own investigation began with a operations reaching a high standard of Allied side, got in the soup after the first it was a hell of a decision for Kimber and search for the source of this OHC engine manufacturing capability in the Birkigt war because of government war contract the MG reputation. And what were the referred to in books like John Thornleyʹs mold. cancellation and the retooling lead time to influences that resulted in the NB six Maintaining the Breed. For Wolseley to have come out of the serve a disorganized, displaced, disheart­ engine by 1935? I felt certain H. N. It made little sense to me that a small war with an in­line OHC six, as Birkigt ened, yet ironically emergent, middle Charles fingerprints were on this deal, but British ʺgarageʺ operation had developed was producing the H6, makes perfect class. where? And how early in the chain of an engine of such diminutive size, yet so sense. The sixʹs realization in a smaller For a company of the industrial diversi­ events? And within this complex weave of formidable of performance and durability. displacement package targeted to a broad­ ty and scale of Wolseley to get in trouble British suppliers, did Kimber really have Yes, I saw the industrial depth of Morrisʹ er British price point, is also perfectly logi­ over the development of a single cam car the pull to order individual specification operation behind their Oxford sales show­ cal for the UKʹs largest manufacturer. engine seemed unlikely in the extreme. engines on a limited production basis room, but it still made little sense because Yet, so much of Eystonʹs focus on Just the fact that Morris stood up to pur­ from Wolseley? Or from the casting oper­ of Morrisʹ interest in out­Austinʹing record setting was with the sub­one liter chase the firm with a seven hundred and ation that supplied Wolseley? Austin (in price point), and the infamous engine, in displacement from 847 and fifty thousand pound check seemed to laconic performance results of British 750cc to 500 and even 350cc. Where the belie such a conclusion. My first call was to Mike Cook. Mike industrial parsimony. So I went on a hell did this engine come from? This was The latter was surprising to me. For having extended his help in the past search in my library. no little iron lump, evolved from automo­ Morris to request of Wolseley to take their regarding all things British. First clue, MG was ʹgiftedʹ Wolseley tive side valve tradition. It seemed to Silent Six OHC and downsize it to an OHC engines for modification. OK, but I speak of the level of machining and man­ 847cc four­banger for Morris Motors ʺHello, Mike? Scott Callan here. How knew even less about Wolseley. After a ufacturing sophistication achieved by forthcoming subcompact Minor was are you?ʺ few hours, there it was, the shadow of Wolseley aero engine division. unexpected. This seemed industrially ʺGood Scott. Good to hear from you. Mark Birkigt. Wolseley had assumed the There again was research reference to unusual to introduce such complexity of What are you working on?ʺ mantle of major armaments manufacture, Wolseley getting into financial trouble as power to this car market price point in ʺDoing a book on an MG. An NB to be much like Alfa, during the first world war. a result of development costs of an over­ 1927. Long road for an economy of scale. precise. Which brings me to my call. And in an industrial subset had entered head cam for general automotive use. 41 ʺDo you have any pre­war MG material in the archives?ʺ ʺAfraid the archive is focused on the post war period. But what are you look­ ing for?ʺ ʺInformation on the engines. I see they were overhead cams. Trying to find out who designed them and where they were made.ʺ ʺThey didnʹt make their own. Iʹm sure they were sourced within the Morris group at the time. Now that I think of it, they were Wolseleyʹs werenʹt they?ʺ ʺSeem to be. But Iʹve found no reference to who actually designed them. Just try­ ing to give credit where credit is due. And find out more about their development. ʺJust find it curious that an economy car operation like Morrisʹs would go to the expense of designing, developing and tooling up to make a sub­one liter over­ head cam.ʺ ʺDoes seem unusual doesnʹt it. ʺYou know who you should contact, Bill Price. And I think Graham Robinson may have written a book on Wolseley. Heʹs written a book on most everything else.ʺ ʺWait a minute? Graham Robinson? Sounds familiar.ʺ I turned in my chair, gave a quick scan of the book shelf. ʺThought that sounded familiar Mike, Iʹve got his book on Cosworth. ʺProbably tomorrow if you want.