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POWERTRAIN


Plenty of variety in the CNC AWS workshop


post-war, with origins in a fire pump engine, the Climax was the power source for the Lotus Elite sports cars. Founder Christopher Tolman’s mantra is “non-invasive improvement” and the company has developed a wide range of improvements for the Elite as well as single seaters and road and rally cars to make them more reliable, offer better performance and deliver an overall better driving experience. “For years, it was just accepted that


they were fragile or had nuances such as regularly leaking oil,” says Tolman. “Our background in contemporary motorsport led us to think that our knowledge could be applied to a far wider range of cars. We could see that engineering a correct solution now would result in a better long-term solution for the customer.” According to Tolman, some gains


were simple improvements such as developing brackets with a radius, like on the dynamo fixing for the Lotus Elite. “We got them to line up properly, eradicated the pre-load with new materials also playing a part; we now use clear zinc plating for corrosion resistance so it looks good and will not corrode.”


20 www.engineerlive.com As an experienced engine builder,


Tolman will also look to materials to extract performance without compromising on reliability. “Today’s gasket material, which is a huge step up from the period tin is one example, and another is that we use rolled threads on engine fasteners. This not only changes the mechanical properties of the material by work- hardening it, resulting in increased wear and fatigue resistance, but this also delivers enhanced shear and tensile strength as well as a smoother thread for assembly. As engineers we’ve learned so much in the past 50 years with more experience of thermal expansion, heat management, coatings and other materials. An engineering-led approach can make the difference between a car running smoothly all weekend or being packed up on the trailer early with a disappointed customer.” Both engineers agree that


machining improvements have resulted in significant advancements, leading to both creating in-house machine shops. “Minimising clearances of parts, such as in the drivetrain, can make a huge difference,” adds


Strachan. “Eliminating leaks that could lead to a failure is a good example and engine-wise, the closer tolerances we can now achieve enable the motors to run harder and yield more power.” For Strachan, additive


manufacturing offers a solution for obsolete parts that are no longer easy to produce. “For certain trim or body parts we would have spent hours trawling eBay for parts that we only needed to comply with the rules such as internal trim parts or brackets that don’t add any performance. It also saves cost – an original front bumper for an RS500 could be thousands of pounds. The ability to make one using rapid tooling or AM means original parts can be saved for road cars and replica components can be used on the race cars where they are more likely to get damaged.” With historic motorsport showing


no sign of slowing down, both on- and off-track, both businesses agree that the sector has a bright future and for every generation there is sure to be a race car that can benefit from improvements that today’s and tomorrow’s engineering offers. ●


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