Godiva Fire Pumps was an offshoot from Coventry Climax , directed by Charles Pelham Lee , son of Leonard Pelham Lee .
76-561: The building of fire pumps was initially developed as a division of the Coventry Climax engine company in the late 1930s – the company primarily made engines for motor cars, but during WW1 had produced engines to drive generators to power searchlights. In 1963 Jaguar took ownership of Coventry Climax, and in 1966 Jaguar merged with British Motor Corporation , which via further mergers became British Motor Holdings then merged with Leyland to form British Leyland in 1968. Now part of
152-402: A Coventry Climax 10.8 hp 4-cylinder engine, the same horsepower rating as the 66 mm bore F type. The engines were available either separate or in unit construction with a three speed gearbox. Also displayed at the 1923 Olympia Motor Show was a 1,005 cc twin cylinder 2-stroke engine. The bore was 80 mm and the stroke 85 mm. The main engine of interest at the 1923 show was
228-467: A capacity of 1,000 imp gal/min (4,500 L/min) per minute (900 imp gal/min (4,100 L/min) on 4×4 versions). Normal fire hoses could be used either from the main pump, which had four outlets, or from normal fire hydrants for which an assortment of connecting branches were carried. In addition, the machines carried a small Coventry Climax 350 imp gal/min (1,600 L/min) pump, with its own petrol engine , which could also draw water from
304-597: A dry sump system. Carburetion was by two twin-choke Weber DCO side-draft carburettors. It started life as a 1,475 cc Formula Two engine by enlarging the 2.95 in bore of the FPE to 3.2 in with the slightly increased 2.8 in (71 mm) stroke, and was gradually enlarged for use in Formula One . A 1,964 cc (3.4" x 3.3") version took Stirling Moss and Maurice Trintignant to Cooper 's first two Grand Prix victories against 2.5 L opposition in 1958. After
380-631: A huge group under British Leyland, British Leyland completed the transfer of Coventry Climax into their special products division in December 1971. At this point Leonard Lee stepped down as chairman of Coventry Climax and left the business which his father had created in 1903. When he left he took with him the Godiva Fire Pump business, and merged it with his Iso-Speedic Company of Warwick (manufacturers of electric vehicles, fork lift chains, and engine speed regulators) – with both businesses held by
456-494: A major shareholder of Lansing Bagnall at the time, formed the company, independent of his other interests for the purpose of acquiring Coventry Climax. In 1986 Coventry Climax went into receivership and was acquired by Cronin Tubular . In 1990, a further change of ownership came with the engine business being sold to Horstman Defence Systems of Bath, Somerset , thus breaking the link with Coventry. Kalmar Industries acquired
532-408: A modern vehicle, and poorer stability due to a lack of baffle partitions in the water tank. Some were later modified by the installation of flashing blue lamps and two-tone warning sirens, and alterations to the rear lamps, to bring them into line with then current practice on "regular" emergency appliances. Mechanically, they were designed to be robust and easy to maintain. The Green Goddess carried
608-617: A new engine for the three-litre formula. The company was purchased by Jaguar Cars in 1963, which itself merged with the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1966 to form British Motor Holdings (BMH). In May 1964, the Royal Automobile Club presented the Dewar Trophy , which is given at the recommendation of RAC's Technical and Engineering Committee for the most outstanding British achievement in
684-784: A new group called BL Commercial Vehicles (BLCV) under managing director David Abell . In the early 1970s, the fire pump business was sold back into private ownership, and the Godiva Fire Pumps company was formed in Warwick . In 1977 Coventry Climax acquired the Warrington forklift truck business of Rubery Owen Conveyancer , renaming it Climax Conveyancer . In 1982 BL sold off the Coventry Climax forklift truck business back into private ownership to Coventry Climax Holdings Limited. Sir Emmanuel Kaye , also chairman and
760-503: A race-winning, works Maserati F1 engine he had on loan into Coventry Climax, where it produced 225 bhp running on the same dynamometer upon which the FPE had made 264 bhp after some development. Ultimately, development on the engine was abandoned in favour of focusing on the FPF engine, which was already proven competitive in 1.5L form with side-draft Weber carburetors in the F2 races, and
836-410: A range of equipment from standard hose and branches, through a selection of nozzles to provide different flows and jet patterns, to Light Portable Pumps and Ceiling Arresters. They all carried a 33.5 feet (10.2 m) extension ladder , together with at least one scaling ladder. Some carried additional equipment, such as hook ladders , radios, large bolt cutters , etc. The Sigmund F.N.5 main pump has
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#1732787523866912-435: A river or other source, again feeding normal fire hoses, and which provided a separate and self-contained fire fighting capability. A 400 imp gal (1,800 L) water tank (300 imp gal or 1,400 L on 4×4) was installed, which fed small diameter hoses on each side of the vehicle to give an immediate "first aid" capacity to fight a fire while the main hoses were connected and brought into use. A stirrup pump
988-642: A single ladder , and were relatively slow with a maximum speed of around 65 mph (105 km/h), a comfortable cruising speed of 45 mph (70 km/h), and they were sensitive on corners. But one advantage that some Green Goddesses enjoyed over most modern fire appliances was their four-wheel drive. Fuel consumption was between 8 and 10 mpg ‑imp (35 and 28 L/100 km; 7 and 8 mpg ‑US ), depending on driving style and quantity of water carried. They also have less water capacity at 400 imperial gallons (1,800 litres) in 4×2 form – 300 imp gal (1,400 L) on 4×4 versions – than
1064-422: A trailer as a mobile fire fighting appliance this was to be a great success. The economic problems of the 1930s hit the business hard, and Leonard Pelham Lee , who had taken over from his father, created a separate division of the company for the fire pumps. While the motor car engine business suffered during the recession, the mobile fire pump division of Coventry Climax became a great success, particularly during
1140-431: A water pump and an oil filter, whereas the 4 cylinder engine relied on thermosyphon alone and no oil filter. The FW 38 hp 1,020 cc straight-four SOHC was designed by Hassan and Mundy as the motive unit for a portable service fire pump which was supplied to the government under three contracts totaling over 150,000 units. This engine was revolutionary in its lightness, with a bare weight of 180 pounds, combined with
1216-532: A young Colin Chapman , Lee concluded that success in competition could lead to more customers for the company, and so the team designed the FWA, a F eather W eight engine for A utomobiles. The first Coventry Climax racing engine appeared at the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans in the front of one of two Kieft 1100 sports racers, but both cars (one with an MG engine) failed to finish the race due to problems unrelated to
1292-489: Is quoted as producing more than 300 bhp , and a corporate decision was made not to release FPE to Kieft in light of the lack of proper fuel injection, leaving the Kieft F1 project, as well as other prospective users, HWM and Connaught , high and dry. There were reports to the effect that the engine was not run because of fears about the rumoured power of other 2.5L GP engines, but shortly after, John Cooper brought
1368-575: The Auxiliary Fire Service . The "Coventry Climax trailer pump" was described as being capable of delivering 250–300 imperial gallons per minute (1,100–1,400 L/min). "A complete, self-contained unit, with a powerful petrol-driven engine, it is towed behind a lorry and will be on patrol through the streets in the event of an air raid". In January 1940 they claimed they were the "World's largest producer of trailer fire engines" with over 6000 ordered by H.M.Government. As well as supplying
1444-684: The British Armed Forces during fire-fighters’ strikes (1977 and 2002 ). These green-painted vehicles were built between 1953 and 1956 for the AFS. The design was based on a Bedford RL series British military truck. The Auxiliary Fire Service was established as part of civil defence preparations after World War II , and subsequent events such as the Soviet Union detonating an atomic bomb made their presence supporting civilians as part of Britain's civil defence an important role. It
1520-509: The Index of Thermal Efficiency once during the 24 Hours of Le Mans . The FW series engines in modified forms also powered Lotus Eleven cars which took three class wins at Le Mans and one Index of Performance win. In 1966–67, Fisher-Pierce of America imported an 85 hp version of the FWB with twin-carburetors to be mounted vertically in their outboard marine unit. This boat engine came out to
1596-783: The Tasman Formula and the Australian National Formula , both of which had a maximum engine capacity of 2.5 litres. Notes: Green Goddess The Green Goddess is the colloquial name for the RLHZ Self Propelled Pump manufactured by Bedford Vehicles , a fire engine used originally by the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS), and latterly held in reserve by the Home Office until 2004, and available when required to deal with exceptional events, including being operated by
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#17327875238661672-593: The Winter of Discontent (late 1978 and early 1979), where once again the Green Goddesses were drafted in to cover; it is largely forgotten by many as it occurred at a time when a significant percentage of public sector workers were on strike. The role of Green Goddesses was superseded by new contingency arrangements. The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 gave the government the power to instruct fire and rescue authorities to make their own vehicles available in
1748-586: The 'popular Coventry Climax engines' as the six-cylindered L6 and the four-cylindered B4 – the latter being of 'especially modern design with wet liners'. Examples of vehicles using the engines include the 1932 Karrier Bantam refuse truck, and the 1935 Gilford Motors CF176 coach. Going into the war, Coventry Climax used their marine diesel experience to further develop and build the Armstrong Whitworth supercharged H30 multifuel engine for military use. This has been fitted as an auxiliary engine in
1824-413: The 1920s and 1930s, the company supplied engines to many companies manufacturing light cars such as Abbey , AJS , Albatross , Ashton-Evans , Bayliss-Thomas , Clyno , Crossley , Crouch , GWK , Marendaz , Morgan , Triumph , Swift , Standard , and Waverley Cars of London. In the early 1930s, the company also supplied engines for buses, and in 1935 supplied the 'L' engine to David Brown tractors for
1900-494: The 550 Model A, being a collaborative venture with Ferguson. In the 1920s, the company moved to Friars Road, Coventry, and in the late 1930s, they also acquired the former Riley premises on Widdrington Road, Coventry. With the closure of Swift in 1931, the company was left with a stock of engines that were converted to drive electric generators, a field in which they had experience from building WW1 searchlight generators. They also started to make engine driven pumps, and mounted on
1976-545: The British Chieftain and Challenger battle tanks and Rapier anti-aircraft missile systems. In the late 1940s, the company shifted away from automobile engines and into other markets, including marine diesels, and forklift trucks – plus continuing to make their very successful fire pumps . In 1946, the ET199 forklift was announced, which the company claimed was the first British-produced forklift truck. The ET199
2052-519: The FPE during the 10 years, and the car, one spare chassis, and the FPE parts were sold in a lot at Bonhams Chichester auction on 15 September 2012 for £185,000. The FPF was a double overhead cam all-aluminium four-cylinder that was essentially half of the above FPE V8 engine, which was designed as a pure racing engine from the outset. Designed in 1955 and becoming available in 1956, it had gear-driven camshafts, steel alloy cylinder sleeves, and individual oil scavenge as well as pressure feed pumps for
2128-460: The FPF engine followed. Stirling Moss scored the company's first Formula One victory in Argentina in 1958, using a 2-litre version of the engine. In general terms, however, the engines were not powerful enough to compete with the 2.5-litre machinery, and it was not until the 2.5-litre version of the FPF arrived in 1959 that Jack Brabham was able to win the world championship in a Cooper-Climax. At
2204-658: The FW together. The following design aspects are credited to these two people, except the last two items, in which Peter Windsor Smith played a considerable role in place of Mundy, who left the firm in 1955 and returned in 1963. At the Olympia Motor Show in 1923, Coventry Climax listed four F-type 4-cylinder water cooled engines. All had 100 mm stroke, and the bores were 59 (1,094 cc displacement), 63 (1,247 cc), 66 (1,368 cc) and 69 mm (1,496 cc). The GWK car had featured in Coventry Climax adverts from late 1920 with
2280-551: The FWA named the 744 cc FWC, as used by Dan Gurney early in his career in US club racing. The objective of this engine was for Lotus to campaign for the 750 cc Le Mans Index of Performance prize in 1957, three engines were made for this purpose, and it won the prize in a Lotus Eleven driven by Cliff Allison and Keith Hall. Lotus also campaigned the FWC at Le Mans in 1958. The FWE powered Lotus Elites won their class six times and
2356-463: The FWA stroke for a displacement of 1,216 cc. In exchange for a 1,000 unit purchase agreement signed by Chapman , it was specifically designed with forged steel crank for the Lotus Elite but became a favourite with a number of sports car racing firms for its racing durability and high power-to-weight ratio. Other FW variants included a short-stroke (1.78 inches) steel crank version of
Godiva Fire Pumps - Misplaced Pages Continue
2432-500: The Fire Service and the AFS, hundreds had been supplied to foreign governments and major companies. Two models were listed, the smaller 120/220GPM model claimed 140 imperial gallons per minute (640 L/min) at 100 psi (690 kPa) with a ten-foot (three-metre) lift, the larger model was the 500GPM claiming 520 imp gal/min (2,400 L/min) at 100 psi (690 kPa) with a 10 ft (3 m) lift. In addition to
2508-569: The Godiva business up for sale, and later that year it was sold and merged with the US Company, Hale Products . In 1994 both were taken over by IDEX Corporation . Godiva pumps continue to be made in Warwick, England. The fire pump was developed by Coventry Climax in the late 1930s, and was referred to as the Coventry Climax fire pump, the name Godiva appears in 1940, and may have its origins in
2584-506: The OC was made with a capacity of 1,122 cc as a straight-four using a bore of 63 mm and stroke of 90 mm with overhead inlet and side exhaust valves, producing 34 bhp (25 kW). It was introduced in the early 1930s and also built under licence by Triumph . The OC engine had morphed into the MC engine by 1933. It looked virtually identical, but there were internal differences. It
2660-742: The Pelham Lee Group. Adverts from 1973/1974 indicate that Godiva Fire Pumps were considered a division of the Iso-Speedic Company. In 1979 Pelham Lee Holdings Ltd were acquired by Booker McConnell for £1.9 million. Under Booker, Godiva Fire Pumps came under Sigmund Pulsometer Pumps Ltd (SPP) – who within a 9-month period also acquired Europump Services Ltd of Bristol and 76% share in Robot Pumpen NV of Holland. In April 1988 Braithwaite Holding Company acquired SPP (and hence Godiva Fire Pumps) for £31 million. In 1989 they put
2736-552: The Royal Navy following the Falklands War. Godiva Fire Pumps continued to provide parts for the Coventry Climax forklift truck at a factory on the northern outskirts of Leamington Spa . Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British manufacturer of forklift trucks , fire pumps, racing engines, and other speciality engines. The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer , but two years later, following
2812-474: The UK. They provided additional water delivery and firefighting capability at times when the regular fire brigades had a major incident to contain. The ability to relay large quantities of water over considerable distances was invaluable in some more remote locations, or where the incident required more water than local water systems could provide. Most UK boroughs had an Auxiliary Fire Service detachment housed alongside
2888-520: The amount of water specified in the previous outline, with half the weight. This was designated the FW for "Feather Weight". The engine was displayed at the Motor Show in London and attracted attention from the motor racing fraternity for its very high " horsepower per pound of weight ". With strong persuasions at the show, including those by Cyril Kieft (who had Stirling Moss as an F3 driver) and
2964-489: The automotive field, to Leonard Pelham Lee. The citation reads: "Awarded to Coventry Climax Engines Ltd. for the design, development, and production of engines which have brought British cars to the forefront in the field of Grand Prix racing." The history of this trophy dates back to 1906. The last time the Dewar Trophy was awarded before 1964, the recipient was Alec Issigonis for British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1959 on
3040-475: The departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry , and renamed as Coventry-Simplex by H. Pelham Lee , a former Daimler employee, who saw a need for competition in the nascent piston engine market. An early user was GWK , who produced over 1,000 light cars with Coventry-Simplex two-cylinder engines between 1911 and 1915. Just before the First World War , a Coventry-Simplex engine
3116-890: The design and production of the ADO15 Mini . BMH merged with the Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968 to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation, which was then nationalised in 1975 as British Leyland (BL). Coventry Climax became part of the British Leyland Special Products Division, alongside Alvis , Aveling-Barford , and others. At the end of 1978, BL brought together Coventry Climax Limited, Leyland Vehicles Limited (trucks, buses, and tractors), Alvis Limited (military vehicles), and Self-Changing Gears Limited (heavy-duty transmissions) into
Godiva Fire Pumps - Misplaced Pages Continue
3192-544: The dynamometer at Chrysler 's Kew facility. Remnants of other FPE parts were much later found by the then-owner of 1954 Kieft F1 chassis, Gordon and Martyn Chapman, in an air-raid cellar in the abandoned building which used to belong to Bill Lacey (of Power Engines Ltd., a Coventry Climax specialist) near the main entrance of Silverstone Circuit , including 3 blocks, 2 cranks, 16 cylinder heads, 20-some cam covers (carriers?), two card boxes full of timing gears and camshafts, which all belonged to "Doc Murfield" who had purchased
3268-456: The engines. The FWA became popular in sportscar racing and was followed by the Mark II and then by the FWB, which had a capacity of nearly 1.5-litres. The new Formula Two regulations suited the 1.5-litre engine, and it quickly became the engine to have in F2 racing. By 1957, the first Climax engines began to appear in Formula One in the back of Cooper chassis. Initially, these were FWBs, but
3344-608: The entire stock of parts was sold to Andrew Getley in the mid-1960s. When the Formula One regulation changed to 3 Litres for 1966, Mr. Getley permitted Paul Emery to rebuild one FPE to 3 Litre format and fit it into a one-off Shannon steel monocoque chassis to make the Shannon F1 car named SH1 driven by Trevor Taylor at 1966 British Grand Prix . Bored out to 3 Litres and Tecalemit Jackson fuel injection installed, this Emery-built FPE produced 312 bhp on
3420-670: The event of future industrial action. New Incident Response Units introduced after the September 11, 2001 attacks offered high-power pumping ability among a range of other contingency functions. 35 units were bought by Irish Auxiliary Fire Service and allocated to corporation and county council fire services. 25 were bought new in 1961–1964 and ten more ex-British Government vehicles were bought second hand in 1971. Two more ex-British units were purchased by Dublin Civil Defence in 2005. One unit has been put into operation due to
3496-873: The forest fires of the Uruguayan southern summer 2023, and works daily on the east coast, specifically in the Volunteer Fire Department, in the José Ignacio Spa. In 2008, the United Kingdom donated for second time, units to the National Directorate of Firefighters of Uruguay to fight Forest Fires. In March 2004, the British Government announced that it was conducting a test sale of forty of its remaining fleet of more than nine hundred vehicles, and that it
3572-525: The forklift truck interests of Coventry Climax in 1985. The company traded as "Kalmar Climax" for a few years but is now trading as Kalmar Industries Ltd. The 'Coventry Climax logo trademark is the property of Canadian Peter Schömer, based in Chichester . Within the complicated corporate lineage, the reputation of Coventry Climax as a top-rate engine designer-builder is largely credited to Walter Hassan and Harry Mundy , who designed and developed
3648-411: The intention to use the fuel injection system made by Skinners Union (SU). However, this fuel injection system, designed for aeroplane engines, was found not to have the means to enrich the mixture for acceleration, which is not suitable for automobile use. FPE initially showed 240 bhp using Weber carburettors, but the press at the time reported the rumoured fuel-injected Mercedes 2.5L GP engine
3724-622: The interim 2,207 cc (3.5" x 3.5") version, a larger block was cast to result in 2,467 cc (3.7" x 3.5") in 1958, and then to a full-sized 2,497 cc (3.7" x 90 mm ) in 1960. Jack Brabham won the World Championship of Drivers in both 1959 and 1960 driving FPF powered Coopers. The FPF with a larger block (to accommodate larger bores) was then adapted to the new 1.5-litre Formula One of 1961 as 1,499.8 cc (82 mm x 71 mm) FPF Mk.II and won three World Championship Grand Prix races in that year. In addition, capacity
3800-617: The large numbers bought by the Ministry of Defence during WW2, the fire pumps were also exported to the United States and used to fight forest fires . One of the most unusual spin-offs from post war fire pump development were race car engines. After the war the Government asked Coventry Climax to develop a portable self-contained pump unit capable of delivering 350 gallons per minute. The new power unit designed for this pump unit
3876-421: The late 1930s and this continued during the war. Another diversification was into commercial vehicle engines. This started in 1929 with the launch of a large (5.8 litre) six-cylinder side-valve petrol engine intended for buses and trucks, and was followed in 1931 by a six-cylindered 6.8 litre petrol engine of inlet over exhaust ( IOE ) design, and a 4-cylinder engine in 1932. In 1934 Commercial Motor referred to
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#17327875238663952-458: The later type twin spark plug heads in the stock, was run in the original 1954 Kieft -Climax V8 Grand Prix chassis with downdraft Weber 40IDF carburetors when they were finally mated, and the construction finished on 21 September 2002 at VSCC Silverstone Meeting, and this car was campaigned in VSCC events for the next 10 years. Four sets of period-correct Weber 40DCNL carburetors were installed on
4028-440: The maintenance-free valve adjustment using shims under an overhead camshaft. In 1953 it was adapted for automotive racing as the 1,098 cc FWA retaining the cast crank three main bearing construction of the FW but with a distributor ignition in place of a magneto, a different camshaft, and a higher, 9.8:1 compression ratio. With a bore of 2.85 inches and a stroke of 2.625 inches, it produced 71 hp (53 kW) and
4104-442: The market as Bearcat 85. Commission Sportive Internationale announced in 1952 that 2.5L naturally aspirated engines would be a part of Formula One regulation starting 1954. Walter Hassan and especially Harry Mundy having their roots deeply in the racing field, started discussions and preliminary designs of a 2.5L 8 Cylinder GP engine in 1952 without a formal directive from the father and son Pelham Lees . Because this project
4180-482: The most successful. There were a total of 22 Grand Prix victories before 1966 with crossplane , flat-plane , two- and four-valve versions of the FWMV. When the new, 3-litre, formula was introduced, Coventry Climax decided not to build engines for the new formula and withdrew from racing after the unsuccessful FWMW project, with the exception of the new 2-Litre version of the FWMV. Also, in the early 1960s, Coventry Climax
4256-463: The new 6-cylinder 1,753 cc CX engine. This had 61 mm bore and 100 mm stroke, and was rated at 13.8 hp. The same six-cylinder engine appeared in the Waverley car at the 1925 Olympia motor show. The engine size had increased to 1,991 cc (65 mm bore, 16 hp rating), with overhead valves and Lanchester style vibration damper, it was coupled to a 4-speed Meadows gearbox. At first,
4332-530: The parts from Andrew Getley in 1968-69 and had entrusted them to Bill Lacey. These parts were assembled into two engines under the ownership of Gordon Chapman and then under Bill Morris, who bought the engine parts and the Kieft chassis after Gordon Chapman's death. One engine was sold by Chapman to the then-owner of Shannon SH1, and this FPE is said to be in Austria together with Shannon SH1. Another using two of
4408-469: The post war period the pumps found a role in the cold war civil defence preparations, with the portable Godiva pump units being carried in vehicles called " The Green Goddess ". These were pump vehicles extensively used by the auxiliary fire service during the cold war and called upon to relieve the firemen's strikes in the 1970s and 1980s. The portable pumps later became diesel powered, and trailer mounted versions were also available. A new development in 1971
4484-477: The regular brigade equipment. After 1968, the vehicles were mothballed, but occasionally used by the Armed Forces to provide fire cover in a number of fire strikes, notably in 1977 and 2002 (see 2002-2003 UK firefighter dispute ). They were also deployed to pump water in floods and droughts. They were well maintained in storage, and regularly road tested. There was a less significant strike by firefighters in
4560-658: The same time, the company produced the FWE engine for the Lotus Elite , and this enjoyed considerable success in sports car racing , with a series of class wins at the Le Mans events in the early 1960s. In 1961, there was a new 1.5-litre formula, and the FPF engine was given a new lease on life, although the company began work on a V8 engine, designated the FWMV, and this became competitive in 1962 predominantly in Lotus, Cooper, Brabham, and Lola chassis, with Jim Clark's Lotus outstandingly
4636-499: The steam pump operated by Coventry Fire Brigade named "Godiva". This was the second such engine operated by Coventry Fire Brigade and was christened at a well attended ceremony in 1889 (the first was "Sherborne" made in 1872). It was remembered in the Coventry papers on its 50th anniversary – in 1939. By 1938 large numbers of the Coventry trailer pumps were being purchased by fire brigades, and demonstrated to ARP staff and members of
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#17327875238664712-419: Was a pure racing engine from the beginning, which was in stark contrast to the corporate product history up to FWA, the engine was named FPE for Fire Pump Engine (Eight according to another lore) by the playful minds of Hassan and Mundy. After the corporate blessing was given to the project with the name ' Godiva ', this DOHC, 90-degree, steel crossplane crank V8 engine was built in 1954 for an F1 Kieft with
4788-409: Was also carried, together with a full range of other suitable tools and equipment. The vehicles were normally crewed by an officer in charge, who sat in the front passenger seat, a driver/pump operator, and four fire fighters seated on the crew bench. In the mid 1960s, some Territorial artillery regiments were earmarked for a water pumping role, partly because the six man gun crew matched the numbers on
4864-424: Was approached by Rootes to mass-produce FWMAs for use in a compact family car project called Apex with an all-aluminium alloy overhead cam engine combined with a full- synchromesh aluminium transaxle . This combination was considered very radical at the time, especially the synchromesh on all forward gears, which had been declared 'impossible' by Alec Issigonis of BMC Mini fame. The adoption to mass-production
4940-403: Was designed to carry a 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) load with a 24-inch (610 mm) load centre, and with a 9 ft (2.7 m) lift height. In 1950, Harry Mundy joined Coventry Climax, and a new lightweight all-aluminium overhead camshaft engine was developed in response to the government's ambitious requisition outline asking for a portable fire pump that was capable of pumping double
5016-404: Was first used at Le Mans in 1954 by Kieft Cars . After the FWA was introduced, the FW was renamed to FWP (Pump). The larger bore (3 inches) and longer stroke (3.15 inches) 1,460 cc FWB engine followed; it retained the FWA head but had a forged steel crank and produced a nominal 108 bhp (81 kW). The most significant of the series was the FWE which used the FWB bore size and
5092-538: Was increased to 2,751 cc (96 mm x 95 mm) for the Indianapolis 500 and this larger variant was also utilised for sports car racing, the Intercontinental Formula and Formula Libre racing. It also served as a stopgap in the new 3.0 L Formula One regulation, which went into effect in 1966. The old 2,497 cc FPF gained a new lease of life in 1964 with the introduction of
5168-893: Was planning to dispose of the remainder. The sale of the fleet was completed, and most of the vehicles were sold to fire brigades in developing countries, mostly in Africa. Some were donated to museums, including the prototype which was placed in the Museum of RAF Firefighting . Others are in the National Emergency Services Museum , Military Museum Scotland , National Museum of Scotland , Kent Firefighting Museum , Leicester Fire Brigade Museum , Yorkshire Air Museum and Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre . Some were purchased by vehicle restoration trusts and some are privately owned. Unlike modern engines they have no radio, no cutting equipment, no power steering and only
5244-419: Was still 1,122 cc, I.O.E., and four cylinders inline, but the camshaft was different, as were the cam followers. The timing marks on the flywheel are now observed from the top of the engine rather than the underside as on the OC. Carburation varied, from the side draught Solex , the down draught SU , to the progressive choke down draught and then a larger side draught SU system on Triumph engines. The engine
5320-481: Was successful, and the project came out to the market as the 875cc Hillman Imp totaling over 400,000 units made by 1976, including the later 998cc version. At Earls Court in 1962, Coventry Climax chairman, Leonard Pelham Lee announced the withdrawal from building Formula 1 engines, stating that the company was losing money and not gaining enough publicity from their involvement. Nonetheless, Coventry Climax remained in Formula One until they were unable to come up with
5396-610: Was such a successful combination of light weight and high power that it formed the basis for a line of race car engines. The portable pump unit created in 1950 was named the "feather weight pump" (FWP). The lightweight aluminium engine of 1,020 cm (62 cu in) featured an overhead camshaft and produced 38 bhp (28 kW). Three years after the FWP came out, the pump engine had been adapted for car racing use. The first racing engines had designations FWA, and were to be an outstanding success. Main article : Coventry Climax In
5472-650: Was the Godiva UMP pump. This was a two-stage unit allowing it to work as high volume low-pressure, or low-volume high pressure.. This was fitted to fire engines, for example the Hestair Dennis R133. The UMP and other Godiva pump types were and are fitted to a wide range of fire appliances including Dennis Carmichael airport fire tender (UFP pump), Mercedes Benz 263A airport fire tender (UMPX pump), Mercedes-Benz Atego 1023/1325, MAN L2000, and Volvo FL6 . Godiva also devised remote fire fighting systems for use by
5548-656: Was thought that a nuclear attack on Britain would cause a large number of fires, which would overwhelm the ordinary fire service, so a large stock of basic fire engines was ordered to form a reserve capacity. They were in continuous use by the AFS, until disbandment in 1968 by the Harold Wilson Government. The Green Goddess machines were not primarily fire engines (AFS members referred to them as "appliances"); they are more correctly titled "self-propelled pumps", with some being two-wheel drive (4×2), and others in four-wheel drive (4×4) form. Their main role
5624-472: Was to pump huge quantities of water from lakes, rivers, canals and other sources into cities hit by a nuclear attack. The machines could be used in a relay system over a number of miles, with Green Goddesses at regular intervals to boost the water pressure. Firefighting was a secondary role. Prior to disbandment, the AFS used the Green Goddess extensively in support of the local fire services throughout
5700-708: Was used by Lionel Martin to power the first Aston Martin car. Ernest Shackleton selected Coventry-Simplex to power the tractors that were to be used in his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914. Hundreds of Coventry-Simplex engines were manufactured during the First World War to be used in generating sets for searchlights . In 1919, Pelham Lee acquired an existing company, Johnson & Smith Ltd, and changed its name to Coventry Climax Engines Ltd with premises at East Street, Coventry. [Board of Trade Certificate, Herbert Collection, Coventry] (Coventry Simplex continued under separate management). Throughout
5776-459: Was water-cooled by thermosyphon with no water pump or fan. A six-cylinder version of the MC engine, the JM, was made with a capacity of 1,476 cc with a 59 mm bore, developing 42 bhp (31 kW). The JMC version had its capacity increased to 1,683 cc by increasing the bore to 63 mm and produced 48 bhp (36 kW). It was different from the 4 cylinder engine in that it had both
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