Car Geekery

I'm not a gear-head. Never have been. Someone starts talking about swapping rings and ratios and my eyes glaze over, I start nodding, looking for an exit, or trying to change the topic. That said, I developed more of a taste for cars when I was selling them.

And this little piece from BRM really gets me going...

Starting from cold entails letting the engine spin with the ignition off to get the vital fluids circulating (64 litres of coolant, 57 of lubricant for the engine, 16 for the gearbox). Then flick the twin magneto switches (ex-Lancaster) and push the starter button (ex-Spitfire).

A V-12 aircraft-based motor turning 660bhp, that requires a step-up gearbox to get the power to the wheels in a usable form? Estimated top speed of 160mph - because there's a rev limiter on the motor that keeps it under 2,000rpm? Body work and appointments that scream "mid-1900s luxury"?

Yeah, I dig that.