lupienj@wal.hp.com (John Lupien) says:
The Vandervell bearings, according to my dim recollection of articles
in auto rags long gone by, were pioneered in racing application on the
VanWall, a very nice "what would be retro now" open-wheeled racer of the
Champ car variety. The Van part of the name was short for Vandervell,
the Wall part I don't seem to have on my rapid-recall stack...
Ah, the Vanwall! Along with the 250F, the most beautiful GP car (body by
Costin) ever built. Dennis Jenkinson's book on its development is worth
seeking out. A slight correction, John - the bearings were pioneered by Tony
Vandervell on a 4.5 litre GP Ferrari known as the "Thinwall Special" - hence
the "wall" in Vanwall (Van from the boss, of course, as you say). When the
formula changed to 2.5 litres unsupercharged, Vandervell decided to make his
own car. This was a fascinating pragmatic counterpoint to the previous
all-British GP car - the V16 1.5 litre s/c BRM - having a Rolls-Royce
4-cylinder military bottom end and effectively four 500 Norton motorcycle
cylinder heads glued together, complete with Amal carbs! While the BRM
failed to win a single important race, the Vanwall won the Championship.
Paul.
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