Arab Motors

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Arab 2 liter (1927)

The Arab was a British high-performance car, which by Reid Railton in Letchworth Garden City ( Hertfordshire was built) 1926-1928.

The car was created after discussions between JG Parry-Thomas , designer at Leyland Motors , Reid Railton, his assistant, and Henry Spurrier , CEO of Leyland Motors. Leyland had made 50 four-cylinder engine blocks to be used in delivery trucks, but the project did not progress. The three discussed what should be done with the engines, and it was agreed to build a 2.0 liter sports car. A prototype was created using an Enfield-Allday chassis and was used in Brooklands at the 1924 Easter Meeting . The machine had an overhead camshaft with the same unusual valve leaf springs that Parry-Thomas had installed on the Leyland Eight . The engine power was transferred to the rear wheels via a Moss four-speed gearbox and an ENV conical worm rear axle. It was one of the first British automobiles to have an electric fuel pump. Production began in 1926 in the Letchworth factory in two versions, a sports model with a low frame and a touring model with a high frame. There were bodies with two or four seats on the high frame for £ 525, - and probably only two-seaters on the low frame for £ 550, -.

Parry-Thomas died in March 1927 trying to break the land vehicle speed record with his Babs car . With his death, Railton lost interest in Arab; the Letchworth factory was closed after completing just six or seven vehicles. The remaining components were bought up by Thomson & Taylor , a racing car manufacturer in Brooklands. A few vehicles were built from the remaining parts. The two-seater with high frame was good for 128 km / h and the Super Sports is said to have run 144 km / h. A chassis with a high frame was equipped with a supercharged engine and is said to have reached 168 km / h.

Two vehicles still exist today, both with a low frame.

Technical specifications

engine

  • Four-cylinder block engine with water cooling, displacement 1,960 cm³
  • Crankshaft with two main bearings
  • Bore: 70 mm, stroke: 127 mm
  • Single overhead camshaft and valve leaf springs, forced closing
  • Single Claudel Hobson carburetor
  • 65 hp (48 kW) at 4000 min -1

transmission

  • Moss 4-course

landing gear

  • Wheelbase 2,250 mm, track 1,300 mm, total length 3,900 mm
  • Semi-elliptical leaf springs on the front and back
  • Brakes on all four wheels (Perrot system)