|
Welcome to the THE H.A.M.B. forums. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! |
|
|||||||
 |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
06-23-2010, 09:33 AM
|
#1 |
|
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 1995
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 13,608
|
Railton Special
 I just finished reading an old MotorTrend article that explored the design of modern race cars. More specifically, they were trying to pick the most beautiful shapes created in the past ten years (I believe the article was published in 1994). Most of... To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here. |
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 09:37 AM
|
#2 |
|
Old School HAMBer
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Central IL
Posts: 2,704
|
Re: Railton Special
Now thats cool and pretty impressive for such an early design
__________________
Life is hard. After all, it kills you.
|
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 09:40 AM
|
#3 |
|
Old School HAMBer
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Latrobe, PA (Mister Rogers' neighborhood)
Posts: 3,440
|
Re: Railton Special
Ryan,
Agreed that the Railton is one of the most gorgeous shapes for a competition vehicle ever. As you described the criteria, would it have been left out due to age? Not to nudge the topic, but I'm curious what was on the list?
__________________
Words of Wisdom from an old master... |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 09:44 AM
|
#4 |
|
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 1995
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 13,608
|
Re: Railton Special
The list was made up mostly of 60's era GP cars, 80's CANAM cars, etc... It did, however, include one of my favorites:
Stutz-Lockhart Special 
__________________
Ryan Cochran "Skating the same line since 1976..." .................................................. .... www.jalopyjournal.com - www.garagejournal.com - www.gearjournal.com - www.fordbarn.com - www.DOGFIGHTmag.com |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 10:06 AM
|
#5 |
|
Old School HAMBer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Enid OK
Posts: 4,836
|
Re: Railton Special
Don't know if that was the first "pumpkin seed" car but if so it paved the way for a lot of others in all the streamliner classes.
__________________
Vagabonds / Oklahoma www.vagabonds.cc http://www.pinheadlounge.com/gvgordon Are fake bull scrotums on Chrysler produced pickup trucks considered "Dodge Balls" |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 10:21 AM
|
#6 |
|
Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 501
|
Re: Railton Special
What an awesome vehicle! Powered by a pretty amazing engine with a long proud history powering aircraft and racing cars.
The Supermarine S.5 was powered by a Napier Lion, and is as stunning an aircraft as the Railton Special is a car!  Thanks for some more great history, Ryan!
__________________
froghawk aka John Goschke |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 11:29 AM
|
#7 |
|
Alliance Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: illinois
Posts: 787
|
Re: Railton Special
Great read! I can only imagine the people watching him run at that speed at the time, hell I'd love to see it now!! What a cool engineered vehicle.
__________________
Automotive and Custom Art www.nategrice.blogspot.com wanted:::32 Plymouth pb garnish moldings/rear fenders My gas station build:: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=163787 |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 11:52 AM
|
#8 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: South Omaha
Posts: 2,308
|
Re: Railton Special
Like to see one with a 100 inch wheelbase.
 What a beautiful car.The Supermarine S.5 is too cool.
__________________
A SOUTH OMAHA TURD
|
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 12:20 PM
|
#9 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Olathe,Kansas
Posts: 1,049
|
Re: Railton Special
Imagine what those guys could have done with the technology we have available today.
|
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 12:26 PM
|
#10 |
|
Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Rochester Hills, Michigan
Posts: 527
|
Re: Railton Special
WOW! Amazing that this is a little known vehicle. Very advanced, IMO, for the era.
Out of curiosity, what diameter are those wheels?!
__________________
Wanted: 32 Plymouth PB Windsheild Stanchions |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 12:29 PM
|
#11 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Perth, Western Australia.
Posts: 2,148
|
Re: Railton Special
They really didn't give a shit about driver safety back then, did they?
 Right at the front, no hint of a roll cage or any kind of collision protection. Imagine the uproar today! Is there any link to this Railton bloke and a Railton car I saw at the Blackhawk Museum outside of SF. From memory it was FWD and had odd looking headlights, c.1929 or thereabouts. |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 12:30 PM
|
#12 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: ct.
Posts: 1,779
|
Re: Railton Special
The thing that gets me is that the gentleman racer was sitting out in front on a lawn chair, with no structure at all. Hurts to think about it.
__________________
www.waterwheelboatcarts.com |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 12:35 PM
|
#13 |
|
Alliance Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 1,150
|
Re: Railton Special
That vehicle is just unreal.
__________________
Stupid friends are worse than smart enemies. R.I.P. Roderick Teague-My Dad 31 Ford Coupe 58 Ford Truck |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 12:36 PM
|
#14 |
|
FNG
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: appleton, wi
Posts: 2
|
Re: Railton Special
There are more photos from the Brooklands Society page. Near the bottom. I picked it out from the Wikipedia page Ryan linked to.
Just do not click on the logo or the mail title, it will take you to a 'site sitter' a page that holds the link and starts a bunch of pop-ups. If you want to see more, and there are a bunch 5000 or so, use the Archive Index Page link I really should not have found this at work over lunch hour... I may not get much done the rest of the day. Jay |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 12:52 PM
|
#15 |
|
Old School HAMBer
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Latrobe, PA (Mister Rogers' neighborhood)
Posts: 3,440
|
Re: Railton Special
There was something magic about the days when designers thought making a car a beautiful shape also made it fast. Until Jim Hall came along and screwed it all up...
 Haha.
__________________
Words of Wisdom from an old master... |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 01:01 PM
|
#16 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Phoenix AZ
Posts: 2,058
|
Re: Railton Special
Thank you Ryan; I knew the name but not the details. Very impressive.
|
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 01:07 PM
|
#17 |
|
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: East River, South Dakota
Posts: 441
|
Re: Railton Special
I had to get a better look at a Napier Lion W12 engine. I'm not sure of the year or version this one is, but it gives you an idea of what they look like.
 3 tons indeed! 
__________________
Last edited by SDhotrod; 06-23-2010 at 01:16 PM. |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 02:53 PM
|
#18 | ||
|
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Media, PA
Posts: 619
|
Re: Railton Special
Quote:
Quote:
Second, it appears to have independent front suspension with double A arms, and am I right that it's also 4 wheel drive with one engine driving each of the axles? If that's what I am seeing, then I can see how the driver wound up shoved way out in front of the rest of the car. There was just no room for him in the middle with those mechanical monsters and the huge tanks (Didja see that frickin' tank back over his left shoulder?!) taking up all the space. I wonder what that thing sounded like blowing past you at full speed. Hell, I wonder what it sounded like inside the cockpit at any speed! One last observation. Isn't it interesting that he's wearing a dress shirt and a tie? And are those pin stripes on his trousers? 
|
||
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 03:09 PM
|
#19 |
|
Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 501
|
Re: Railton Special
I think this has been discussed before on the HAMB but there was also the Napier-Railton racer from the '30s...
Shown airborne at Brooklands. Same driver, John Cobb. 
__________________
froghawk aka John Goschke |
|
|
|
|
06-23-2010, 03:13 PM
|
#20 |
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 1,164
|
Re: Railton Special
Much smaller, but just as pretty, was the MG EX 181 driven by Sir Stirling Moss.
__________________
Jack |
|
|
|
|
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:15 AM.