Pug 403 V8

Simon

Simon

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Just thinking of the Renault 900 1.7 litre V8 reminded me of the Phil Irving designed Peugeot 403 V8 that was built from two 403 blocks back in the 1960's. Anybody know if the motor still exists??

Simon
 
Simon:
Just thinking of the Renault 900 1.7 litre V8 reminded me of the Phil Irving designed Peugeot 403 V8 that was built from two 403 blocks back in the 1960's. Anybody know if the motor still exists??

Simon
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It was actually designed and owned by Jim Hawker, with advice from his friend and workmate Phil Irving.

Not long ago (5 years?) it was still sitting under the bench in his garage, but I don't know if that still applies. Is he alive?

It was a pretty neat engine. I've got a couple of articles about it. One from 1967, just after he installe it, and another article from Unique Cars from about 5 years ago.

Apparently it could do 100mph in 3rd and 119mph in top.

Dave
 
Ok, I just checked the Unique Cars article. the V8 was sitting in Jim Hawkers workshop when the article was written, but was about to go to museum/meeting place "in the hills outside Melbourne" called "The Motorist". It was due to go on display next to a Chamberlain Eight.

Dave
 
davemcbean:
It was due to go on display next to a Chamberlain Eight.
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Sorry that should have been THE Chamberlain Eight, which was a front wheel drive straight eight powered racing car which Jim helped his cousins (the Chamberlain brothers) build in 1928.

Dave
 
Simon:
Peugeot 403 V8 that was built from two 403 blocks back in the 1960's.
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It was actually two 203 blocks (1290cc) with the crankcases cut off, then bolted to a specially cast alloy crankcase. The crankshaft was a Peugeot one, but the big end journals were machined wider to fit two trimmed down Peugeot conrods on each journal. It used a Chevy V8 distributor.

Dave
 
I have details of the Chamberlain 8 if anyone's interested in finding out about a car that was twenty years in the building and had eight pistons in four cylinders.

The car never ran properly until wartime spark plug technology made materials available to enable the fire to be lit every time reliably.

Noted Peugeot owner, John Cummins, personally handmade several dozen plugs for the car...
 
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