At Silverstone's British Grand Prix there was also a parade to celebrate the important anniversaries in the history of GKNI Vandervell. Firstly, there was the commemoration of 50 years since the foundation of Vandervell in 1933 as an engine bearing manufacturing com- pany. Secondly, it was 30 years almost to the day (July 18th 1953) since the famous Thinwall recorded the first ever 100 mph lap around Silverstone and, thirdly, it was 25 years since Vandervell won the World Manufacturers' Championship in 1958 with the Vanwall taking 6 Grand Prix victories on the way.
To mark the occasion Vanderveil sponsored the popular sporting
event on Grand Prix day for historic single seater and sports
cars. In addition, there was a demonstration of four notable
Vandervell cars that were driven around the circuit, including our
well-known Type 47D. Stirling Moss reminded the spectators of some
of his greatest racing achievements when he drove a Vanwall he had
raced in 1958 to victories in the Dutch and Portuguese Grand Prix,
plus second place in the French Grand Prix. John Surtees, the only
man to win world titles on both 2 and 4 wheels, drove the only
rear engined Vanwall that was built. He had raced this car in the
1961 Daily Express International Trophy Race at Silverstone,
finishing 5th. This event had, in face, marked the last
competition appearance of a Vanwall. The well-known historic car
restorer, Tony Merrick, demonstrated the 41/2 litre Thinwall
Special. This was the car that recorded the 100.16 mph lap at
Silverstone on 19th July 1953 when it was driven by Guiseppe
Farina, who averaged 96.79 mph during the 17 lap Formula Libre
event which he won.
The most interesting car in the parade from our point of view
was the GKN Lotus 47D which was a special Lotus Europa, built to
demonstrate performance and durability of GKN components in a
one-off exercise by both companies back in the mid Sixties.
The 4.4 litre engine fitted was an enlarged Rover V8 unit producing 294 b.h.p. The car achieved 0-60 mph in 5 seconds and when tested by Autocar magazine in 1975 it achieved the fastest 0-100 mph figure ever recorded by the magazine -11.1 seconds. The car was driven at Silverstone by the Vandervell publicity executive Jon Simpson. All of these cars had recently been completely restored to original specification by the Vandervell Research Engineering Department. GKN Vandervell is still very much involved in all levels of motor racing since their unique lead indium engine bearing is specified by most of the world's competition engine builders. To date, nearly 250 Formula One Grand Prix winners have used Vandervell engine bearings. THE GKN 47D
In the mid 1960's the GKN Group was keen to highlight its considerable engineering capability in the automotive field. Everyone knew that GKN made nuts and bolts but it was not so widely known that GKN could offer customers an immense amount of engineering expertise on engines and transmissions. To highlight this capability a project was under-taken to build a one off high performance road car to stimulate public interest.
A Lotus 47 (the racing version of the Lotus Europa) was chosen as the back bone of the project since like many cars it already contained a high proportion of GKN components. GKN Vandervell with their Grand Prix successes behind them were a natural choice of company to spearhead the work. In its fully developed form the GKN 47D produced 296 b h p from its V8 engine which did (and still does!) make it a high performance road car.
0- 60 mph 5 seconds
0- 100 mph 11.1 seconds
70 mph in first gear.
Maximum speed 163 m p h.
The car was loaned to Autocar Magazine in 1975 who said at that time "the GKN 47D is the fastest accelerating road car we have ever tested and its top speed has only been beaten by a Lamborghini Muira and a Ferrari Daytona".
Power is provided by an enlarged Rover V8 engine, bored and
stroked to 4.4 litres. It is fitted with Engle cams and has the
cylinder heads and ports reshaped, matched and polished to improve
gas flow. Four, 45 IDA Weber carburettors are used although during
development four 2" SU carburettors were fitted for a time. The
exhaust is a special Derrington four branch per bank system.
Components manufactured by GKN for the project are as follows:-
FOR SALESad to relate this famous Lotus 47 is now being offered for sale. The car has recently undergone a thorough mechanical and electrical overhaul by GKN Vandervell engineers. The exterior paintwork is now beginning to show signs of its age and the car would benefit from a respray by its new owner. Enthusiasts may remember the interior is fully trimmed in light coloured connolly hide and has a highly polished wood veneer fascia. The car is to be sold with current MOT but without the registration number GKN 47D which will be retained by GKN. Offers for the car should be put in writing to Mr Bob Walmsley at GKN Vandervell ltd, Norden Road, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 4BG. |