135-475: The Sunbeam Rapier is an automobile produced by Rootes Group from 1955 until 1976, in two different generations, the "Series" cars (which underwent several revisions) and the later (1967–76) fastback shape, part of the " Arrow " range. The first generation Rapier was the first of the " Audax " range of light cars produced by the Rootes Group , in this instance as part of their Sunbeam marque. Announced at
270-816: A Royal Air Force heavy bomber, the Handley Page Halifax . These were built at a shadow factory at Speke Airport near Liverpool and at Blythe Bridge in Staffordshire from 1941 to 1943. Rootes also manufactured military vehicles, based on the Humber and Commer. Rootes had a rare lapse of business judgement shortly after World War II. When he visited the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg to evaluate it for war reparations, he opined that it – and
405-537: A Sulzer Brothers concept. This was the Commer TS3 2-stroke 3-cylinder engine, with 2 opposed inward facing pistons per cylinder, which drove the crankshaft through bell cranks. The 3.25 litre engine developed 90 hp (67 kW), equivalent to contemporary 4-stroke diesel engines of more than twice the capacity. The engine was used in Commer trucks as well as an industrial engine. Production ceased in 1968 after
540-684: A 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 20.2 seconds. Also as a direct result of competition experience, the Series II was fitted with larger front brakes and a recirculating ball steering box instead of the worm and nut box of the Series I. The Series II was discontinued in favour of the Series III in 1959 after 15,151 units (hardtop and convertible) had been built. The Series III was introduced in September 1959. Rootes made subtle changes to
675-540: A 30 per cent interest in their ordinary capital offering current shareholders double the market price and a 50 per cent share in the non-voting preference capital for almost three times market price. The purchase would leave control in British hands. On completion Rootes family holdings would still exceed those of Chrysler. The purchase was completed in October 1964. During 1966 the holdings were increased to 45 per cent of
810-540: A Rapier driven by Peter Harper finished in fifth place in the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally . In total, 7,477 units were produced of this initial version of the Sunbeam Rapier. It was discontinued in 1958 on the introduction of the Series II. The Sunbeam Rapier Series II was announced on 6 February 1958, available in hardtop and convertible forms. Rootes arranged for nine of the new cars to be in Monte Carlo for
945-526: A Volvo version. The Volvo version kept the same package size as the J-type but with the updated 18 element freewheel and stronger splines through the planet carrier. The Gear Vendors U.S. version uses a larger 1.375 outer diameter output shaft for higher capacity and a longer rear case. Over a period of 40 years, Laycock Engineering manufactured over three and a half million overdrive Units, and over one million of these were fitted to Volvo motorcars. In 2008
1080-702: A brand-new plant in the west of Scotland at Linwood . From its offices in Devonshire House , Piccadilly , in London it controlled exports and international distribution for Rootes and other motor manufacturers and its own local distribution and service operations in London , Kent , Birmingham and Manchester . There were assembly plants in nine countries outside the UK. Rootes Group was under-capitalised and unable to survive industrial relations problems and losses from
1215-563: A car sales agency independent from his father's Hawkhurst motor business. Rootes had moved his operations to Maidstone by 1914 and there he contracted to repair aero engines. In 1917 he formed Rootes Limited to buy the Maidstone branch of his father's motor business, founded by his father in 1897, to expand his aircraft engine repair business and the manufacture of aircraft parts. In 1919 the distribution of cars and commercial vehicles resumed and operations extended to London and other part of
1350-490: A certain speed is reached (usually 70+ km/h [40-45 mph or more] depending on the load). When it is off, the automatic transmission shifting is limited to the lower gears. Overdrive should usually be selected when the average speed is above 70 km/h (40-45 mph). The automatic transmission automatically shifts from OD to direct drive when more load is present. When less load is present, it shifts back to OD. Under certain conditions, for example driving uphill, or towing
1485-553: A change which coincided with the introduction of a new computerised chassis numbering system. The Motor road test of April 1964 gave the Series IV Rapier's maximum speed as 91 mph (146 km/h) and its 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time as 17 seconds. When production of the Series IV ceased in 1965, 9700 units had been built. Pending completion of the new Fastback Rapier, Rootes released one more update of
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#17327829581881620-803: A decade. The Imp was finally discontinued in 1976, and the Hunter followed it three years later (although it continued to be produced in Iran). Indeed, componentry for the Iranian version of the car was a successful UK export during the 1980s. Only the Avenger-based Chrysler Sunbeam hatchback, launched in 1977 kept the Rootes lineage alive, although the Alpine name was still in use and later Alpine and Solara special edition models were given
1755-816: A few. Another British company, the former aircraft builder Fairey , built a successful all-mechanical unit for the Land Rover , which is still in production in America today. The first production vehicle to feature the Laycock system was the 1948 Standard Vanguard Saloon. The first unit to be created was the A-type overdrive, which was fitted to many sports cars during the 1950s, and into the late 1960s. Several famous marques used A-type overdrives, including Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Austin-Healey, Jensen, Bristol, AC, Armstrong Siddeley and Triumph's TR sports car range, from
1890-476: A gearbox ratio even higher than this, i.e. the gearbox output shaft rotating faster than the engine. The propeller shaft linking gearbox and rear axle is thus overdriven, and a transmission capable of doing this became termed an "overdrive" transmission. The device for achieving an overdrive transmission was usually a small separate gearbox, attached to the rear of the main gearbox and controlled by its own shift lever. These were often optional on some models of
2025-409: A higher ratio first gear, which means more gears between the first and the last to keep the engine at its most efficient speed. This is part of the reason that modern automobiles tend to have larger numbers of gears in their transmissions. It is also why more than one overdrive gear is seldom seen in a vehicle except in special circumstances i.e. where high (numerical) differential gear is required to get
2160-435: A lower speed. With the early development of cars and the almost universal rear-wheel drive layout, the final drive (i.e. rear axle ) ratio for fast cars was chosen to give the ratio for maximum speed. The gearbox was designed so that, for efficiency, the fastest ratio would be a "direct-drive" or "straight-through" 1:1 ratio, avoiding frictional losses in the gears. Achieving an overdriven ratio for cruising thus required
2295-401: A move into car manufacture, which was achieved in 1929 by the purchase of controlling interests in first Hillman followed by Humber and Commer . Hillman and Commer were made wholly owned subsidiaries of Humber Limited and the Rootes brothers' holding eventually became 60 percent of the Humber ordinary shares. The Rootes brothers could now show their ability to manufacture handsome cars with
2430-451: A new dash, still in walnut veneer, but with the glove box raised into the dash itself allowed the inclusion of a proper storage shelf on each side of the car. Instrumentation and controls were much as before except that the heater switches and ashtray were now housed in a console in front of the gear lever. To aid driver comfort, an adjustable steering column was fitted along with new front seats which allowed more fore and aft adjustment and for
2565-549: A new water heated inlet manifold. The result of these changes was a power increase of 5 bhp to 78 bhp (58 kW) at 5400 rpm. Gearbox changes included higher second, third and top gear ratios, and a reduced angle of gear lever movement to make for shorter lever travel and snappier changes. New front disc brakes significantly improved the Rapier's braking capability and widened its front track to give greater stability and improved road-holding. A saloon with overdrive
2700-428: A range of two-tone colour schemes typical of the period, it had a steering column gear change, Two-tone Kangaroo leather trim and a Laycock de Normanville overdrive as standard fittings. Vinyl trim was an option in the UK and standard in certain export territories. Rapier bodies were built by Pressed Steel , shipped to Thrupp & Maberly in north London where they were painted and trimmed, then shipped again to
2835-531: A reasonably successful start in 1963–65, the Imp did not sell well. Lost production caused by frequent strike action at Linwood and escalating warranty claims left Rootes no money to develop other models. During the 1950s, Rootes's promotion included a strategy of participation in major UK and European car rallies. Stirling Moss and Sheila van Damm were their top drivers, and the Sunbeam-Talbot 90 's win in
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#17327829581882970-441: A single transaxle . There is no longer a propeller shaft and so one meaning of "overdrive" can no longer be applied. However the fundamental meaning, that of an overall ratio higher than the ratio for maximum speed, still applies: higher gears, with greater ratios than 1:1, are described as "overdrive gears". The power needed to propel a car at any given set of conditions and speed is straightforward to calculate, based primarily on
3105-837: A strong sales appeal. There was a resurgence in domestic and export demand for pedal bicycles, and in February 1932 Raleigh acquired all the Humber cycles trade marks. Manufacture was transferred to Raleigh's Nottingham works. Rootes Limited was renamed Rootes Securities Limited in 1933. During the Depression more businesses were picked up as they came available: Karrier (1934), Sunbeam (1934), Clement Talbot (1934) and British Light Steel Pressings (1937) were all bought and made subsidiaries of Humber Limited. London's Mayfair coachbuilders and Rolls-Royce and Daimler dealers Thrupp & Maberly had been bought in 1926 their royal warrant always proudly displayed. A new Rootes Limited
3240-680: A total of 30,000 units sold in its 12-year lifespan—were both relatively successful in New Zealand. Hunter production continued there and in Ireland until 1979, and it was built in Iran by Iran Khodro as the Paykan for many years more. Unfortunately, with its problems in the US, Chrysler did not have the capital to invest in refreshing their entire product range, and sales of the older designs stagnated in
3375-527: A trailer, the transmission may "hunt" between OD and the next highest gear, shifting back and forth. In this case, switching it off can help the transmission to "decide". It may also be advantageous to switch it off if engine braking is desired, for example when driving downhill. The vehicle's owner's manual will often contain information and suitable procedures regarding such situations, for each given vehicle. Virtually all vehicles (cars and trucks) have overdrive today whether manual transmission or automatic. In
3510-513: A variety of models, including 1968–1980 MGBs , the MGC , the Ford Zephyr , early Reliant Scimitars , TVRs, and Gilberns . The J-type overdrive was introduced in the late 1960s, and was adapted to fit Volvo, Triumph, Vauxhall/Opel, American Motors and Chrysler motorcars, and Ford Transit vans. The P-type overdrive marked the last updates and was manufactured in a Gear Vendors U.S. version and
3645-417: Is achieved through the gearbox ratios, or by an unusually high final drive. Generally speaking, overdrive is the highest gear in the transmission. Overdrive allows the engine to operate at a lower RPM for a given road speed. This allows the vehicle to achieve better fuel efficiency, and often quieter operation on the highway. When it is switched on, an automatic transmission can shift into overdrive mode after
3780-473: Is also unfavorable for engine life. Additionally, the sound of an engine is strongly related to the RPM, so running at lower RPM is generally quieter. If one runs the same RPM transmission exercise outlined above for maximum speed, but instead sets the "maximum speed" to that of highway cruising, the output is a higher gear ratio that provides ideal fuel mileage. In an era when cars were not able to travel very fast,
3915-411: Is ambiguous. The most fundamental meaning is that of an overall gear ratio between engine and wheels, such that the car is over-geared , and cannot reach its potential top speed, i.e. the car could travel faster if it were in a lower gear, with the engine turning at higher RPM. The power produced by an engine increases with the engine's RPM to a maximum, then falls away. The point of maximum power
4050-401: Is somewhat lower than the absolute maximum engine speed to which it is limited, the " redline ". A car's speed is limited by the power required to drive it against air resistance, which increases with speed. At the maximum possible speed, the engine is running at its point of maximum power, or power peak , and the car is traveling at the speed where air resistance equals that maximum power. There
4185-453: Is therefore one specific gear ratio at which the car can achieve its maximum speed: the one that matches that engine speed with that travel speed. At travel speeds below this maximum, there is a range of gear ratios that can match engine power to air resistance, and the most fuel efficient is the one that results in the lowest engine speed. Therefore, a car needs one gearing to reach maximum speed but another to reach maximum fuel efficiency at
Sunbeam Rapier - Misplaced Pages Continue
4320-487: The Beetle – had no value. Tilling-Stevens with its subsidiary Vulcan Motors , both old-established and well-known commercial vehicle and bus manufacturers, was bought in the second half of 1950. A new acquisition in 1956 was Singer Motors . Rootes' Singers, badge-engineered Hillmans, were aimed at slightly more upmarket small car buyers. Following the war, Rootes also sponsored satellite manufacturing operations around
4455-673: The Dodge Colt as its subcompact, sourced from Mitsubishi in Japan. The Colt proved a popular and reliable car, hastening the Cricket's demise. However, Chrysler Fevre Argentina commenced manufacturing the Hillman Avenger-based Dodge 1500, and this car continued in production until 1990. During its last 10 years of production it was badged as a Volkswagen after that firm acquired Chrysler's Argentine business. There
4590-555: The English company Laycock Engineering (later GKN Laycock), at its Little London Road site in Sheffield . The system devised by de Normanville was adopted and manufactured by Laycock after his chance meeting with a Laycock Products Engineer. De Normanville overdrives were found in vehicles manufactured by Standard-Triumph , who were first, followed by Ford , BMC and British Leyland , Jaguar , Rootes Group and Volvo to name only
4725-510: The Hillman Hunter which, fitted with a single Stromberg 150CD carburettor, developed 74 hp (55 kW) at 5500 rpm. Transmission options included overdrive on cars with a manual gearbox or a Borg-Warner automatic transmission . The Alpine, though well equipped, was less sporty in style than the Rapier. It had a wooden dashboard with fewer instruments, instead of the Rapier's cowled plastic one, and wood instead of metal on
4860-596: The London Motor Show in October 1955, it preceded its Hillman Minx and Singer Gazelle counterparts which were not introduced until 1956. A four-seat, two-door hardtop coupé – designated Series I with the introduction of the Series II in 1958 – it was different from the Sunbeam Mark III , the car it would eventually replace. Although designed "in house" by the Rootes Group, it
4995-726: The Paykan went into local production, which continued until 2004. It remains a common sight throughout the Middle East , especially as a taxi. The closure of Linwood in 1981 spelled the end (in Europe at least) for the Avenger. Chrysler had retained the rights to the car, and continued its production in Argentina . The demise of Linwood also meant the demise of the Talbot Sunbeam after just four years in production. Its successor
5130-440: The transmission unit. It can either couple the input driveshaft directly to the output shaft (or propeller shaft ) (1:1), or increase the output speed so that it turns faster than the input shaft (1:1 + n ). Thus the output shaft may be "overdriven" relative to the input shaft. In newer transmissions, the overdrive speed(s) are typically as a result of combinations of planetary/epicyclic gearsets which are integrated in
5265-477: The 1955 Monte Carlo Rally was the most significant victory. In 1968, Rootes entered a factory team in the London-Sydney Marathon . Driving a Hillman Hunter , Andrew Cowan gained what was regarded as a surprise victory against stiff competition from other factory teams with bigger budgets. William Rootes' particular business skills were in marketing. Rootes brothers' manufacturing business
5400-521: The 1963 introduction of a new aluminium-engined small car, the Hillman Imp . By mutual agreement, from mid-1964, Rootes Motors was taken over in stages by Chrysler , which bought control from the Rootes family in 1967. By the end of 1978 the last of the various elements of Chrysler UK had been sold to Peugeot and Renault . Rootes was founded in Hawkhurst , Kent , in 1913 by William Rootes as
5535-702: The Alpine and Sunbeam, there was the saloon derivative of the Alpine, the Talbot Solara (launched in early 1980 after Chrysler sold its European operations to Peugeot ), and Chrysler/Simca Horizon . The Alpine and Horizon were both voted European Car of the Year on their launch, and the Horizon was the basis for the US Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni , which were very successful for Chrysler and continued in production in various guises for more than
Sunbeam Rapier - Misplaced Pages Continue
5670-588: The Chrysler takeover. Hillman when purchased had been making large cars. They introduced a straight-eight soon after Hillman became a subsidiary, but it was withdrawn as the Depression deepened. Their 2-1/2 and 3-litre cars were re-styled in the mid-1930s and renamed Humber Snipe and their small Minx was made the mainstay bread and butter member of the Rootes range. Sunbeam continued its sports appeal but downsizing postwar to small to medium-sized cars. Humber made
5805-584: The French arm Simca was renamed Chrysler France at the same time), and subsequently disappeared from the public sphere. The various Rootes marques were progressively phased out during the 1970s. Only Hillman was left by 1977, when it, too, was shelved in favour of the Chrysler name. The Commer name was also phased out in the 1970s; the van and truck models mostly assuming the Dodge nameplate by 1976. In Iacocca—an Autobiography , former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca
5940-492: The Midlands, and the company incurred costs transporting half-finished engine castings from Linwood to be machined at Ryton and returned to Linwood once they had been assembled. Completed Imps returned south to Ryton, resulting in a 600-mile (970 km) round trip. The Imp itself was underdeveloped, and the build quality and reliability problems, coupled with buyer apathy towards the design were reflected in poor sales. After
6075-419: The RPM of the wheels has changed very little. Clearly this condition calls for a different gear ratio. If one is not supplied, the engine is forced to run at a higher RPM than optimal. As the engine requires more power to overcome internal friction at higher RPM, this means more fuel is used simply to keep the engine running at this speed. Every cycle of the engine leads to wear, so keeping the engine at higher RPM
6210-690: The Rapier was 103 mph (166 km/h) and it could reach 60 mph (97 km/h) from rest in 12.8 seconds. In the United States, the Rapier was marketed as the Sunbeam Alpine GT . The Sunbeam Alpine Fastback, introduced in October 1969, was essentially a Rapier with a simplified specification, developed to fill a gap in the Arrow range above the Singer Vogue . It used the same 1,725 cc (105.3 cu in) engine as
6345-474: The Rapier, and a new front bumper using the same shape and profile as the rest of the Light Car range. At the back, a new full width number plate plinth appeared with a new Light Car range bumper. To give a more open look from the side, the frames were removed from the side windows. Finally, small badges fitted at the bottom of each front wing and on the boot lid proclaimed each car to be a "Series IV". Inside,
6480-548: The Rootes Group changed its focus. The proposed 'Series IV' became the Mark I Humber Sceptre and the old Series IIIA Rapier was redesigned, hopefully to give it a new lease of life as a touring saloon rather than a sports coupé. The most obvious difference was the change to 13-inch (330 mm) road wheels in common with the rest of Rootes' light car range. This meant that the stainless steel wheel trims of earlier Rapiers were replaced by Rootes corporate hub caps and rim finishers. At
6615-716: The Rootes assembly plant at Ryton-on-Dunsmore near Coventry where the engines, transmission and running gear were fitted. This complex situation persisted until late 1963 when the Series IV was introduced. The Rapier's 1,390 cc (85 cu in) engine was essentially the same as that fitted to the Hillman Minx but with a raised compression ratio (8:1 instead of 7:1), a Zenith DIF 36 carburettor and revised inlet and exhaust manifolds. In this form it developed 62.5 bhp (47 kW) at 5000 rpm. A column change, 4-speed transmission with overdrive on third and top
6750-633: The Rootes family now with new partner Prudential who had taken up all of the offered £1,000,000 of ordinary shares. External shareholders continued to hold a large proportion of Humber Limited. The preference shares issued to the public by Humber remained listed. In addition there were external shareholdings in the Rootes Acceptances vehicle exporting business and in Automobile Products of India . At this time employees totalled 17,000. Rootes owned, on average, about 80 per cent of
6885-463: The Series II though, was its more powerful engine. Referred to as the Rallymaster, it had an increased capacity of 1,494 cc (91.2 cu in). The capacity increase combined with a higher compression ratio of 8.5:1 and larger inlet and exhaust valves to raise the power output to 73 bhp (54 kW) at 5,200 rpm. Autocar quoted the top speed as 91 mph (146 km/h) with
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#17327829581887020-539: The Series III benefited from the design of the Sunbeam Alpine sports car with which it shared its engine. Although the engine's displacement was still 1,494 cc (91.2 cu in), it was fitted with a new eight-port aluminium cylinder head with an increased compression ratio and redesigned valves, and used a new, sportier camshaft. The twin Zenith carburettors from the Series II remained but were mounted on
7155-594: The Series IIIA in April 1961. In 1961 the Series IIIA was announced with the Series II Sunbeam Alpine 1,592 cc (97.1 cu in) engine. Externally and internally the Series IIIA was identical to the Series III. The improvements were directed solely at improving the durability of the car. To this end, engine capacity was increased and a stiffer crankshaft fitted. To increase reliability,
7290-413: The Series IIIA included many detail changes such as an increased diameter front anti-roll bar which greatly improved roadholding, a redesigned clutch bell housing , a revised clutch assembly with nine pressure springs instead of six and a redesigned air cleaner assembly. Inside the car a fresh-air heater, hitherto available only at extra cost, became a standard fitting. All of these changes combined to make
7425-418: The Series IIIA subtly different from its predecessor and to give the Sunbeam Rapier a new lease of life in the showroom. Maximum speed for the Series IIIA was lower than the Series III at 90 mph (140 km/h). It also took longer than the Series III to get to 60 mph (97 km/h) (19.3 seconds) but its engine was far more durable. In mid 1963, the Series IIIA convertible was discontinued but
7560-534: The Series V Rapier the engine developed 91 hp (68 kW) at 5,500 rpm. To further update the car, they changed its polarity from positive to negative earth and fitted an alternator in place of the dynamo. They also devised a new twin pipe exhaust system so that the new engine could breathe more easily. The effect of these changes was to increase the Rapier's maximum speed to 95 mph (153 km/h) and reduce its time from rest to 60 mph (97 km/h) to 14.1 seconds. However, for all its improvements,
7695-454: The Series V just did not sell. By the time it was discontinued in June 1967, only 3,759 units had been built, making it the rarest of all the "Series" Sunbeam Rapiers. By 1967 Rootes' " Arrow " range was ready. As well as the Hillman Hunter , the range also included a new generation of Sunbeam Rapiers, with fastback coupé bodies and a sporty image. Like the earlier Series I to Series V models, it
7830-443: The Sunbeam Rapier. In September 1965 they introduced the Series V version which looked exactly like the Series IV inside and out except for badges on wings and boot which now said "1725", revealing a re-developed engine. Rootes redesigned the Rapier's four-cylinder engine to increase the capacity, with a new five main bearing crankshaft, making the unit stronger and smoother. This engine would be developed for many subsequent models. In
7965-692: The TR2 through to the end of the 1972 model year of the TR6. In 1959, the Laycock Engineering Company introduced the D-type overdrive, which was fitted to a variety of motor cars including Volvo 120 and 1800s , Sunbeam Alpines and Rapiers , Triumph Spitfires , and also 1962–1967 MGBs (those with 3-synchro transmissions). From 1967 the LH-type overdrive was introduced, and this featured in
8100-411: The U.S. company Gear Vendors, Inc. of El Cajon, California purchased all the overdrive assets of GKN to continue production of the U.S. version and all spares for J and P types worldwide. The system features an oil pressure operated device attached to the back of the standard gearbox operating on the gearbox output shaft. Through a system of oil pressure, solenoids and pistons, the overdrive would drop
8235-593: The US was impeded by an inability to offer cars for sale during part of 1968, as the Rootes cars could not comply with exhaust emission requirements. In the early 1970s, with the rise of interest in sub-compact cars, Chrysler offered the Hillman Avenger in North America as the Plymouth Cricket . This attempt was aborted after only two years. At the same time, Chrysler's Dodge Division offered
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#17327829581888370-437: The additional advantage that it could be offered as an easily installed option. With the use of front-wheel drive layouts, the gearbox and final drive are combined into a single transaxle. There is no longer a drive shaft between them and so the notion of "direct drive" is inapplicable. Although "overdrive" is still referred to, this is now mostly a marketing term to refer to any extra-high ratio for efficient cruising, whether it
8505-478: The automotive aftermarket you can also retrofit overdrive to existing early transmissions. Overdrive was widely used in European automobiles with manual transmission in the 60s and 70s to improve mileage and sport driving as a bolt-on option but it became increasingly more common for later transmissions to have this gear built in. If a vehicle is equipped with a bolt-on overdrive (e.g.: GKN or Gear Vendors) as opposed to having an overdrive built in one will typically have
8640-450: The axle), and tire size. The rotation speed problem comes into effect when the differential gearing is a high ratio and an overdrive is used to compensate. This may create unpleasant vibrations at high speeds and possible destruction of the driveshaft due to the centripetal forces or uneven balance. The driveshaft is usually a hollow metal tube that requires balancing to reduce vibration and contains no internal bracing. The higher speeds on
8775-434: The basis that they offered a level of superiority in design and finish. Studebaker stylist Raymond Loewy was a design consultant to Rootes; evidence of his influence is most readily seen in the 1956 Audax range of cars, which included the contemporary Hillman Minx , a model also produced under licence by Isuzu of Japan as the Isuzu Hillman Minx . Rootes introduced a novel supercharged diesel engine in 1954, based on
8910-426: The benefit to fuel economy. Overdrive is included in both automatic and manual transmissions as an extra gear (or two in some cases). When using overdrive gearing, the car's engine speed drops, reducing wear and normally saving fuel. Since 1981 U.S. corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) legislation, virtually all domestic vehicles have included overdrive to save fuel. One should refer to the car's owner's manual for
9045-416: The capital of its subsidiaries. The manufacturing subsidiaries were held through partly owned Humber Limited. Manufacture was carried out in three factories in Coventry with more at Luton, Cricklewood and Acton. There was a wholly owned assembly plant in Australia and similar facilities owned with associates in Argentina, Republic of Ireland and India. From Devonshire House in Piccadilly the original business,
9180-413: The car's body which individually were insignificant but when combined, considerably altered its appearance. For example, the number of horizontal bars in each of the side grilles was increased from three to four and the boot lid acquired an oblong number plate recess and surround in place of the square one of the earlier cars. The most striking change was the redesigned side flash, now narrower and lower down
9315-426: The case of the Peugeot cars, the Sceptre badging was applied to the bootlid and lower aft part of the front wing. Chrysler had spent much of the 1970s unsuccessfully trying to integrate its Rootes and Simca ranges into one, coherent whole. The traditionally engineered, rear-wheel-drive cars of the British division had limited appeal outside the UK, although the Avenger and Hunter—the first locally assembled car to reach
9450-414: The country. As early as 1924 Rootes had become the largest truck and car distributor in the United Kingdom. They advertised that their showrooms in Devonshire House , Piccadilly could supply new cars priced from £145 to £3,000 manufactured by Rolls-Royce, Daimler, Sunbeam, Austin, Hillman, Fiat or Clyno. A particular effort was put into overseas sales and it became clear the export opportunities warranted
9585-453: The crankshaft incorporated larger diameter connecting rod bearings which called for modifications to the connecting rods and gudgeon pins. Modified oil and water pumps completed the engine changes. As a result, power output increased from 78 bhp (58 kW) to 80.25 bhp (60 kW) at 5,100 rpm and torque increased from 84 lb⋅ft (114 N⋅m) at 3500 rpm to 88.2 lb⋅ft (120 N⋅m) at 3,900 rpm. In addition,
9720-455: The days before automatic transmissions were common, especially in the 1950s, many rear-wheel drive American cars were available with an overdrive option. With substantial improvements developed in Muncie, Indiana , by William B. Barnes for production by its Warner Gear Division, BorgWarner provided the box that was factory-installed between the transmission and a foreshortened driveshaft. Since
9855-529: The development of the Tiger prototype. A 289 cu in (4,736 cm ) model followed in 1967, but few were built as it was considered inappropriate for a Chrysler vehicle to be powered by Ford. Consideration was given to installing a Chrysler V8 in the Tiger, but their engines were larger and heavier than the Ford engines, and the rear-mounted distributor would have required an unaffordable chassis design, given
9990-399: The driveshaft and related parts can cause heat and wear problems if an overdrive and high differential gearing (or even very small tires) are combined, and create unnecessary friction. This is especially important because the differential gears are bathed in heavy oil and seldom provided with any cooling besides air blowing over the housing. The impetus is to minimize overdrive use and provide
10125-479: The early days of cars, as their straight-cut gears were poorly finished, noisy and inefficient. The final drive then took this output and adjusted it in a fixed-ratio transmission arrangement that was much simpler to build. Final drive ratios of 4:1 were common, meaning that the wheels would turn at one fourth the rate they would if directly connected to the engine. In an era when different models of car with different wheel sizes could be accommodated by simply changing
10260-464: The end included badge-engineered models from the Commer range. During the 1960s, Sunbeam's Alpine convertible was moderately successful in the US market. Rootes considered that the Alpine's sales would be improved with a more powerful model. As a result, in 1964 they introduced the Tiger , a V8 derivative powered by a 260 cu in (4,261 cm ) Ford V8 engine. Carroll Shelby was involved in
10395-418: The engine's RPM to a maximum, then falls away. This is known as the point of maximum power . Given a curve describing the overall drag on the vehicle, it is simple to find the speed at which the total drag forces are the same as the maximum power of the engine. This defines the maximum speed the vehicle is able to reach. The rotational speed of the wheels for that given forward speed is simple to calculate, being
10530-436: The engine, and the "final drive" mounted in the rear axle at the rear of the car. The reason for this separation of duties between the front and back of the car was to allow the drive shaft to run at lower torque, by using higher RPM. As power is the product of RPM and torque , running the shaft at higher RPM allowed more power to be transferred at lower torque. Doing so reduced the torque the driveshaft had to carry, and thus
10665-613: The export financing arm, was sold. With the outbreak of World War II , Rootes, like most other British car manufacturers, became involved with the production of armaments. In 1940, under the Government's shadow factory scheme, Rootes built its massive assembly plant in Ryton-on-Dunsmore , near Coventry , initially manufacturing aircraft, one of the first types being the Bristol Blenheim . Production included
10800-472: The face of more modern competition. Also, the production facilities were outmoded, industrial relations problems were persistent, and the products had a poor reputation for quality. In the face of massive losses, and the risk of high unemployment in the surrounding areas if the factories closed, the Ryton and Linwood factories were the subject of frequent government bail-outs. Despite the government assistance,
10935-445: The final drive ratio, it made sense for all transmissions to use direct drive as the highest gear. As noted earlier, however, this would cause the engine to operate at too high an RPM for efficient cruising. Although adding the cruising gear to the main gearbox was possible, it was generally simpler to add a separate two-gear overdrive system to the existing gearbox. This not only meant that it could be tuned for different vehicles, but had
11070-420: The first time, deep pile carpets were fitted as standard in the foot-wells (previous versions had rubber mats). The steering wheel, control knobs and switches were in black plastic instead of beige. The dashboard, instead of being, as in the earlier cars, padded metal and plastic, was covered in burr walnut veneer surmounted by a padded crash roll fitted with black-faced British Jaeger instruments. Mechanically,
11205-409: The first time, included backrest adjustment. In common with the rest of the light car range, the Rapier's front suspension was re-engineered to replace the half king pin on each side of the car with a sealed for life ball joint. All other suspension joints became either sealed for life or were rubber bushed thereby eliminating every grease point on the car. Gearing was adjusted overall to compensate for
11340-429: The former Commer/Dodge/Karrier truck and van factory was run in conjunction with the trucks division of Renault . After the withdrawal of the last Dodge-derived trucks (latterly badged as Renaults) it became an engine production plant for Renault Véhicules Industriels . The first Rootes model to be discontinued under Peugeot's ownership was the Hunter in 1979, and its production tooling subsequently went to Iran , where
11475-478: The front, the car was redesigned to make it look more up-to-date. A new bonnet made the front look lower and flatter and the front wings were modified to accept extensions housing alloy side grilles and sidelights with amber turn indicators. The traditional Sunbeam grille, already stylised for the Series II, was further modified to give a lower, more square shape with a pronounced convex profile. New headlamp rims were fitted, in fact Sunbeam Alpine items but chromed for
11610-549: The hardtop soldiered on until October 1963 when it was replaced by the Series IV. When production of the Series IIIA ceased, 17,354 units had been built. Late in 1963, Rootes were set to discontinue the Rapier. It was no longer the mainstay of the competitions department because Rootes had directed its motor sport effort towards the Hillman Imp and the Sunbeam Tiger . In fact a totally new Series IV Rapier had been designed, prototypes built and testing completed, and then
11745-547: The larger luxury passenger vehicles, Snipes and variants, and luxury mid-size cars ending with the compact Sceptre . The intervening break in medium-sized Humbers was filled by the postwar Sunbeams. Commer and Karrier were the commercial vehicle brands. Commer manufactured a full range of vans, trucks, tractors and bus chassis, and some badge-engineered small vehicles from the Hillman range. Karrier represented mainly municipal and special-purpose trucks, vans and buses, though towards
11880-459: The launch of new imports in the early 1970s including the Fiat 127 and Renault 5 , which not only showed that front engined, front wheel drive hatchbacks would become the industry standard format in the entry level market segment, but spearheaded an influx of popular imports. In the late 1960s, Chrysler endeavoured to market the Rootes cars in the US. These efforts proved unsuccessful. Marketing in
12015-481: The limited sales. In 1963, Rootes introduced the Hillman Imp , a compact rear-engined saloon with an innovative all- aluminium OHC engine, based on a Coventry Climax engine design (originally used for a fire pump). It was intended to be a response from Rootes to rival British Motor Corporation 's popular Mini , and a new factory (called the Linwood plant) on the boundary between Paisley and Elderslie, Renfrewshire
12150-469: The manufacturing subsidiaries they would have Humber buy. Overseas representation of British motor manufacturers was not limited to group members. Rootes Motors Limited was the new name assumed 16 November 1949 of holding company Rootes Securities Limited. Substantially the whole of 1917's initial capital had been provided by the two Rootes brothers. Thereafter the business's expansion was financed by retained profits supplemented where necessary, for example
12285-750: The marketing subsidiary, directed operations at five branches in Kent, their North Kensington service department and Birmingham and Manchester branches together with distribution companies overseas sometimes jointly owned. Barely twelve months after listing preference shares the Rootes brothers recognised the effect death duties would have on their holdings and their businesses and the two brothers offered one quarter of Rootes Motors' ordinary shares to current holders of Rootes preference shares. Further issues of preference shares and debenture stock followed in November 1954 and November 1959. Rootes Acceptances Limited,
12420-418: The maximum power point might be near enough to the desired speed that additional gears were not needed. But as more powerful cars appeared, especially during the 1960s, this disparity between the maximum power point and desired speed grew considerably. This meant that cars were often operating far from their most efficient point. As the desire for better fuel economy grew, especially after the 1973 oil crisis ,
12555-411: The need for a "cruising gear" became more pressing. The obvious solution to this problem would be to add more gears to the transmission. Indeed, in modern vehicles this is common. However, due to historical particularities, this was not always practical. In the conventional rear-wheel drive layout , the transmission system normally contained two sections, the "gearbox" or "transmission" mounted behind
12690-418: The old Rootes model names, Minx and Rapier. The rights to the Rapier name remained with the successors of the company, and were eventually resurrected again on a few limited edition Peugeot models. There was also a special Sceptre edition of the 205, 405 and the 605 SRi models. This used a black plastic badge with the chrome effect Sceptre cursive script similar to that on the sideflashes of the '60s saloons. In
12825-543: The option to use the overdrive in more gears than just the top gear. In this case gear changing is still possible in all gears, even with overdrive disconnected. Overdrive simply adds effective ranges to the gears, thus overdrive third and fourth become in effect "third-and-a-half" and a fifth gear. In practice this gives the driver more ratios which are closer together providing greater flexibility particularly in performance cars. An overdrive consists of an electrically or hydraulically operated epicyclic gear train bolted behind
12960-464: The ordinary shares and 65 per cent of the non-voting shares and in January 1967 holdings were increased to about two-thirds of Rootes Motors capital. It was renamed Chrysler UK on 30 June 1970. It has been suggested that the demise of Rootes began with losses due to industrial relations problems at their BLSP plant in London, with knock-on problems down the supply chain. By the mid-1960s, Rootes
13095-425: The overdrive function, if enabled, could be shifted by simply easing up on the accelerator without depressing the clutch pedal , the action was much like a semi-automatic. Also, an electrically operated solenoid would deactivate the unit via a switch under the accelerator pedal providing the equivalent of the kickdown of the automatic. A knob connected to a bowden cable , similar to some emergency brake applications,
13230-409: The press to try at the end of the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally. The traditional Sunbeam radiator grille was reintroduced, albeit shortened and widened and the spaces at its sides were filled with horizontal side grilles. The two-tone lower body colour scheme of the Series I was discontinued in favour of a broad full length flash in the same colour as the roof, but the most obvious change was the appearance on
13365-408: The products they were selling. With the financial support of Prudential Assurance , the two brothers bought some well-known British motor manufacturers, including Hillman , Humber , Singer , Sunbeam , Talbot , Commer and Karrier . At its height in 1960, Rootes had manufacturing plants in the Midlands at Coventry and Birmingham , in southern England at Acton , Luton and Dunstable , and
13500-433: The proper speed to run at overdrive. All engines have a range of peak efficiency and it is possible for the use of overdrive to keep the engine out of this range for all or part of the time of its use if used at inappropriate speeds, thus cutting into any fuel savings from the lower engine speed. Overall drivetrain reduction comes down to three basic factors: transmission gearing (including overdrive), differential gearing (in
13635-537: The purchase of Hillman, by loans from Prudential and the company's bankers principally Midland Bank . On 24 November 1949 shares in Rootes Motors Limited were issued to the public in exchange for £3,025,000. Rootes was now a public company and the new capital repaid the Prudential and Midland Bank loans. The listed shares however were preference shares. The equity capital remained in the hands of
13770-403: The rear wings of pronounced fins. The interior of the Series II was little changed from that of the Series I, except that a floor gear change replaced the column change, a modification, developed on the works Series I rally cars. To keep costs down, the leather upholstery, standard on the Series I, was discontinued in favour of vinyl and overdrive became an extra cost option. An improvement in
13905-645: The resurrected Talbot badge from 1979. However, the Talbot-badged models declined in popularity over the next few years, with sales dropping from nearly 120,000 on the UK market in 1979 to around 25,000 in 1984, while at the same time the Peugeot brand was gaining ground thanks to the success of the 205. Overdrive (mechanics) Overdrive is the operation of an automobile cruising at sustained speed with reduced engine speed (rpm), leading to better fuel consumption, lower noise, and lower wear. The term
14040-399: The revs on whatever gears it was used on by 22% (.778). For instance, the overdrive system applied to a Triumph TR5 operates on 2nd, 3rd and top gear. When engaged, the overdrive would drop the revs from 3000 by 666 RPM, or from 3500 the drop would be 777 RPM to 2723 net. The advantages this reduced rpm had on fuel consumption was most often quite near 22% decrease during highway driving. In
14175-450: The same car. As popular cars became faster relative to legal limits and fuel costs became more important, particularly after the 1973 oil crisis , the use of five-speed gearboxes became more common in mass-market cars. These had a direct (1:1) fourth gear with an overdrive fifth gear, replacing the need for the separate overdrive gearbox. With the popularity of front wheel drive cars, the separate gearbox and final drive have merged into
14310-489: The second Lord Rootes and became the new chairman of Rootes Motors. On 1 May 1967 Lord Rootes appointed Gilbert Hunt , a Wolverhampton -born business executive, who at the time was managing director of Massey Ferguson in the UK, to be the new managing director of the Rootes Group. Hunt's appointment was made with the support of Chrysler , which was building its holding and control over the business during this period. In June 1964 Rootes Motors announced Chrysler would take
14445-435: The side of the car with the Rapier script on its rear end. The most subtle change, however, was a reduction in thickness of the windscreen pillars and a lowering of the scuttle line to give a 20% increase in windscreen area. Inside the Series III the changes were more evident. Rootes stylists completely redesigned the seats and interior panels and specified that they be trimmed in single colour vinyl with contrasting piping. For
14580-684: The slightly cheaper but similarly bodied, single-carburettor Sunbeam Alpine Fastback introduced in October 1969. Rapier running gear (though not the estate chassis) was also used in the Humber Sceptre MkIII , Hillman GT and Hillman Hunter GT models from the Arrow range. Between 1967 and 1969, the Rapier was built at Ryton-on-Dunsmore , but from 1969 until its demise in 1976, it was built at Rootes' Hillman Imp factory at Linwood in Scotland. In all, 46,204 units were built (including Rapier, H120 and Alpine versions). Maximum speed of
14715-407: The smaller wheels and the front brake discs were reduced in size so that they would fit inside the wheels. A brake servo became standard and the spring and damper settings were adjusted to give a softer ride. A new diaphragm clutch and new clutch master cylinder brought lighter and more progressive clutch operation. The 1,592 cc (97.1 cu in) engine from the Series IIIA was unchanged but
14850-402: The strength and weight required. Although the designer was theoretically free to choose any ratio for the gearbox and final drive, there is one additional consideration which meant that the top gear of most gearboxes was 1:1 or "direct drive". This is chosen for efficiency, as it does not require any gears to transmit power and so reduces the power lost by them. This was particularly important in
14985-614: The time. The Chrysler Alpine (sold in France as the Simca 1307/1308) was introduced in 1975, being produced at the former Rootes plant at Ryton as well as the former Simca plant at Poissy , near Paris . The Chrysler Sunbeam a three-door hatchback based on the Avenger floorpan, was introduced in 1977 as successor to the Hillman Imp. Also, Chrysler UK made a significant contribution to the design of Chrysler's European range. As well as
15120-436: The tire circumference multiplied by the RPM. As the tire RPM at maximum speed is not the same as the engine RPM at that power, a transmission is used with a gear ratio to convert one to the other. At even slightly lower speeds than maximum, the total drag on the vehicle is considerably less, and the engine needs to deliver this greatly reduced amount of power. In this case the RPM of the engine has changed significantly while
15255-465: The total weight and the vehicle's speed. These produce two primary forces slowing the car: rolling resistance and air drag . The former varies roughly with the speed of the vehicle, while the latter varies with the square of the speed. Calculating these from first principles is generally difficult due to a variety of real-world factors, so this is often measured directly in wind tunnels and similar systems. The power produced by an engine increases with
15390-472: The transmission tunnel. There were also different wheel trims, no aluminium sill finishers (nor the polished ones of the H120) and no vinyl trim on its C-pillars. Above all at £1086 in the UK it was significantly (for the time) cheaper than the £1200 Rapier. Maximum speed of the Alpine was 91 mph (146 km/h) and it could reach 60 mph (97 km/h) from rest in 14.6 seconds. The Fastback Alpine
15525-643: The transmission. For example, the ZF 8HP transmission has 8 forward gears, two of which are overdrive (< 1:1) gear ratios. In older vehicles, it is sometimes actuated by a knob or button, often incorporated into the gearshift knob, and does not require operation of the clutch . Newer vehicles have electronic overdrive in which the computer automatically adjusts to the conditions of power need and load. The vast majority of overdrives in European cars were invented and developed by Edgar de Normanville , and manufactured by
15660-407: The twin Zenith carburettors finally gave way to a single twin-choke Solex 32PAIA in the interests of serviceability. The effect of the new carburettor was to increase power to 84 bhp (63 kW; 85 PS) and torque to 91 lb⋅ft (123 N⋅m) at 3,500 rpm. In October 1964, along with the rest of the light car range, the Series IV received the new Rootes all synchromesh gearbox,
15795-481: The weight of problems bearing on Chrysler Europe resulted in its collapse in 1977, leading to the company's 1978 takeover by PSA Peugeot-Citroen . PSA soon wielded the axe over the troubled Linwood factory in Scotland, and exhumed the Talbot marque from the pages of Rootes' history to re-badge the former Chrysler and Simca badged models. Whilst Ryton was saved, PSA took little interest in the heavy commercial vehicles and
15930-569: The world, notably in Australasia ( Rootes Australia ) and the Middle East . The best known example of the latter was the Iranian -built Paykan , based on the Hillman Hunter . In 1950 it acquired Tilling-Stevens , a truck and bus manufacturer based in Maidstone , Kent. Rootes successfully sold a range of cars priced at a slight premium to their major home market competitors, justified on
16065-446: Was a striking feature of the company's final decade. Chrysler was also keen to take control of the struggling firm as it wished to have its own wholly independent European subsidiaries like archrivals Ford and General Motors . Chrysler took over Simca of France and Barreiros of Spain at the same time, merging it with Rootes to create Chrysler Europe . In 1970, the Rootes name was replaced by Chrysler United Kingdom (correspondingly
16200-580: Was a two-door pillarless hardtop . The Arrow Rapier – or Fastback , as it came to be known – launched in October 1967, was a four-seat coupé based on the chassis of the Hillman Hunter Estate . Although the Rapier used the tail lamps and rear valance from the Hunter Estate, the rest of its superstructure was unique. The Rapier used the Rootes four-cylinder, five-bearing 1,725 cc (105.3 cu in) engine, which
16335-402: Was also a Brazilian variant until 1980. By the early 1970s, Chrysler Europe was working on the development of two new family car ranges which would be produced at both its British and French plants, and sold under both the Chrysler and Simca marques on the relevant markets - similar to the integration of British and German model ranges which its rivals Ford and General Motors were carrying out at
16470-521: Was also provided to lock out the unit mechanically. Using overdrive with the main 3-speed transmission in 2nd gear was similar in ratio to 3rd gear, and with the main transmission in third, the overall ratio was fractional (i.e., "true overdrive"). This was important in reducing wear, tear, noise, and difficulty in control. Such add-on overdrive boxes were available from the 1930s to the 1970s for cars and light trucks. Today, most petrol and diesel cars and trucks come with an overdrive transmission because of
16605-553: Was best known for solid, dependable, well-engineered middle-market vehicles always of attractive appearance. Well-known Rootes models include the Hillman Minx , its successor the Hillman Hunter , the Humber Super Snipe and the Sunbeam Alpine . William Rootes built the Rootes Group using specific brands for each market niche. Following the death in 1964 of Lord Rootes , his son, William Geoffrey Rootes , became
16740-417: Was built for its assembly. The move to Linwood was forced upon the company by the British government, which had introduced the principle of industrial development certificates (IDCs) to build factories in depressed areas. The Linwood workforce had no experience in motor vehicle assembly and the build quality and reliability of the cars suffered. Another problem was that the component suppliers were still based in
16875-679: Was discontinued in 1975, before the Rapier and H120. Rootes Group The Rootes Group was a British automobile manufacturer and, separately, a major motor distributors and dealers business. From headquarters in the West End of London , the manufacturer was based in the Midlands and the distribution and dealers business in the south of England. In the decade beginning 1928 the Rootes brothers, William and Reginald, made prosperous by their very successful distribution and servicing business, were keen to enter manufacturing for closer control of
17010-522: Was discontinued without a replacement. During its lifetime it formed the basis for the more powerful Sunbeam Rapier H120 , introduced in October 1968 and identifiable by its boot-lid spoiler and polished sill covers: it shared its Holbay Engineering -tuned 110 hp (82 kW; 112 PS) engine (with twin Weber carburettors) with the Hillman Hunter GLS. The Rapier was also the basis for
17145-483: Was disparaging of the Rootes operation, writing that Chrysler should never have bought it. Chrysler UK continued with a range of rear-wheel-drive family cars such as the Hillman Avenger (introduced in 1970) and Hillman Hunter (introduced in 1966), while the Imp — which by now had most of its teething problems ironed out — was largely ignored by the new management. The Imp's commercial chances were not helped by
17280-475: Was included in the price as a standard feature. From October 1956, directly as a result of experience gained in international rallying by Rootes' competition department, the Rapier was fitted with the updated R67 engine on which the Stromberg carburettor was replaced by twin Zenith 36 WIP carburettors on a new inlet manifold. This engine produced 67.5 bhp (50 kW) at 5000 rpm, the effect of which
17415-481: Was incorporated in 1933 to hold the very profitable core business of the Rootes brothers: the motor distribution and servicing functions, and its extension and development of export markets. It had been the largest truck and car distributor in the United Kingdom in 1924 and generated the capital to buy manufacturer Hillman, merge Hillman with manufacturer Humber and give the Rootes brothers control of Humber and
17550-531: Was inspired, via the Raymond Loewy design organisation, by the new-generation Studebaker coupés of 1953. The styling of the Series I Rapier was undertaken by the design firm of Raymond Loewy Associates and showed a great deal of influence of Raymond Loewy 's 1953 Studebaker Starliner and subsequent Hawk (itself an acclaimed design). Announced in October 1955 for the Motor Show and available in
17685-440: Was progressively taken over by Chrysler of the United States, following huge losses amid the commercial failure of the troubled Imp. The company's financial year ran to 31 July, and in the year ended 31 July 1967 Rootes was able to report a pre-tax profit of just £3.8 million. It was the first reported profit since 1964 and compared with a pretax loss of £10.7 million in the year ending in 1966. Lack of funds for new model investment
17820-428: Was tested by British magazine The Motor in 1960 and had a top speed of 91.7 mph (147.6 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of 29.5 miles per imperial gallon (9.6 L/100 km; 24.6 mpg ‑US ) was recorded. The test car cost £1045 including taxes. The Series III, of which 15,368 units were built (hardtop and convertible) gave way to
17955-532: Was the French built Talbot Samba , based on the Peugeot 104 , and which went on sale in the UK in February 1982. By this stage, however, Peugeot was a year away from unveiling its highly acclaimed new 205 supermini, although it was originally planned that Peugeot would launch a Talbot badged supermini on the 205 platform as well as a Citroen some time around the mid-1980s. The Simca-based models (the Horizon, Alpine and Solara) continued to be built at Ryton, using
18090-462: Was tilted slightly to the right to enable a lower bonnet line, in common with the other Arrow models. With its twin Stromberg 150CD carburettors the engine produced 88 hp (66 kW; 89 PS) at 5200 rpm. Overdrive was standard with the manual gearbox, and Borg-Warner automatic transmission was an optional extra. The Fastback Rapier continued almost unchanged until 1976, when it
18225-524: Was to reduce the Rapier's 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time by almost 1 second and increase its top speed by 3 mph (5 km/h). British magazine The Motor tested a Series I twin carburettor saloon in 1957, recording a top speed of 85.7 mph (138 km/h) and acceleration from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 20.9 seconds and a fuel consumption of 30.5 miles per imperial gallon (9.3 L/100 km; 25.4 mpg ‑US ). The test car cost £1043 including taxes of £348. In competition,
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