Topic: Solved - NEH 4747: Sadler Mk1 with Jowett engine

[Carnut]

What's this, powered by what - for 1 point?:

Remember - solving puzzles using 'Google Search by Image' is BANNED on AutoPuzzles!

[Carnut]

Experts?

[el_monty]

Bill Sadler’s Mark I racecar, powered by a Jowett Javelin engine. From around 1954? I'm not sure about the date. Recently featured on a well known site about classic cars, which I believe is the source of the image. I can't quote from that article as it's behind a paywall, but I have found this in another article from two years ago on a canadian website:

"Sadler wanted to build a car specifically for road racing and he wanted to most advanced technology he could find and afford. He purchased a second-hand Jowett Javelin from a used-car dealer in Toronto and drove it to his new shop at Sadler Auto Electric in Hamilton. To start the project, he removed all the parts from the Jowett - the engine, the torsion bars from the suspension and other components.
In the classic manner of the specials builder, he traced out chalk lines on the garage floor to gauge the dimensions he wanted to use. As he knew nothing about welding, he had to hire a local welder but dismissed him after learning how [to do it] himself.

"I would get a scrap piece of metal and weld it up, put it in a vice, and hit it to test the strength. Then, I took the torsion bars from the Javelin and made them transverse and adjustable. Then I took a Morris Minor rack and pinion steering box and adapted it to the front end."

He made a rudimentary body for the car and welded cycle fenders onto the chassis. Then it was off to Watkins Glen again."

[Carnut]

That's the answer I was looking for, yes.

I don't fully understand however, as this car has appeared here twice before, once as part of a group puzzle with the same appearance as my new puzzle and where it was described as a Sadler-Jowett:

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/2011-39/solved-mjw-120-sports-racing-part-1/

and once as its own puzzle, where it had a newer body and was described as having a Triumph TR2 engine:

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/2010-38/solved-neh-744-sadler-mk-1/msg123436/#msg123436


Looking at a recent feature on these cars they say his first car was given a rudimentary body (which I figured was my puzzle picture rather than the much better body in my previous puzzle) and a Triumph TR2 engine...

So both the original article I got my puzzle picture from and the article you quote say the car used the Jowett engine, whilst the new article says it used a TR2 engine.  Maybe it had both of them at varying times..!

[el_monty]

Maybe it had both of them at varying times..!

That is exactly what happened. I will PM to you the link to the canadian article, which says that it first had the Jowett engine, then the TR2 engine, and then a Chevy V8 engine.

[el_monty]

Not that it matters much, but today I found that this car had appeared some years before in Autopuzzles; however, it was a group puzzle:
https://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/2011-39/solved-mjw-120-sports-racing-part-1/