We bought a Citroen light 15 and i was following in a wolsley 6/80 and the Citroen got slower and then backfired and blew out a cloud of black smoke and debris and took off like a scalded cat and i had trouble keeping up with it.​
 
I love these old reminisces ;)
Back in the early 'eighties I was driving a Volvo chemical tanker full throttle on the M4 with the tacho reading 68mph when an army 4 ton Bedford RL (4.95L petrol) loaded to the gunwales with kit-bags, plus a handful of squaddies, past me like I had the hand-brake on. Either the driver was wearing size 11 boots or 'someone' had lifted the governor :eek:
 
I love these old reminisces ;)
Back in the early 'eighties I was driving a Volvo chemical tanker full throttle on the M4 with the tacho reading 68mph when an army 4 ton Bedford RL (4.95L petrol) loaded to the gunwales with kit-bags, plus a handful of squaddies, past me like I had the hand-brake on. Either the driver was wearing size 11 boots or 'someone' had lifted the governor :eek:
We're just showing off that we can still remember something ;):D like when the police mk2 jag gave up chasing a petrol tanker on the M6 when it topped 120mph. They had to prise the drivers fingers off the steering wheel. He was driving an old Commer with the supercharged two stroke diesel engine an oil seal had failed in the supercharger and it was running out of control on the engine oil.he had to knock it out of gear and hold on tight until the engine self destroyed itself.:eek:
 
We're just showing off that we can still remember something ;):D like when the police mk2 jag gave up chasing a petrol tanker on the M6 when it topped 120mph. They had to prise the drivers fingers off the steering wheel. He was driving an old Commer with the supercharged two stroke diesel engine an oil seal had failed in the supercharger and it was running out of control on the engine oil.he had to knock it out of gear and hold on tight until the engine self destroyed itself.:eek:
Two stroke Diesel engine?

Col
 
Two stroke Diesel engine?

Col
Not only 2 stroke, but opposed piston, no cylinder heads! Foden also used 2 stroke diesels at one time. When the M4 was being built, Hoveringham were delivering Ready Mix in 8 wheel trucks running on the completed but not open sections of the road, the drivers were I believe paid per load. Some had tampered with the exhaust, the howl from the pipes as they ran flat out back and forth had to be heard to be believed.
 
Yes not to be confused with two stroke petrol.think the engine was known as the TS2 (120hp ) and the TS3 (150hp)
three-cylinder, six-piston opposed piston engine with rocker drive to a single crankshaft. The Commer TS3 was a diesel engine fitted in Commer trucks built by the Rootes Group in the 1950s and 1960s. It was largely the product of Tilling-Stevens, but was developed by Rootes Group when they bought out Tilling-Stevens.
Piston stroke‎: ‎4 inch (102 mm)
Power output‎: ‎105 brake horsepower (78 kW) at ...
Cylinder bore‎: ‎3 ¼ inch (83 mm)
Oil system‎: ‎Wet sump
 
three-cylinder, six-piston opposed piston engine with rocker drive to a single crankshaft. The Commer TS3 was a diesel engine fitted in Commer trucks built by the Rootes Group in the 1950s and 1960s. It was largely the product of Tilling-Stevens, but was developed by Rootes Group when they bought out Tilling-Stevens.
Piston stroke‎: ‎4 inch (102 mm)
Power output‎: ‎105 brake horsepower (78 kW) at ...
Cylinder bore‎: ‎3 ¼ inch (83 mm)
Oil system‎: ‎Wet sump
That's the one Keith. ;) its never too late to learn Col.
 
If the exhaust blew, they sounded like a Gatling gun, the racket was incredible:eek:.
The bin truck that came down our road was a Commer TS3, you could hear it coming 2 streets away.
Who ever designed the engine must have been on drugs. Six ported horizontally opposed pistonsfitted to rocker arms, the other end was connected to a crankshaft by steel drive straps.there is an animation on youtube i would post a link but I don't know how to.:oops:
 
Who ever designed the engine must have been on drugs. Six ported horizontally opposed pistonsfitted to rocker arms, the other end was connected to a crankshaft by steel drive straps.there is an animation on youtube i would post a link but I don't know how to.:oops:

was it not supercharged s well with the root blower that is used on drag racers now?
 
I remember buying a Humber Hawk that had been a Taxi, way back in 1982. The M53 had just opened so I took it for an Italian tune up,one evening,I was being flashed by every car I overtook, when I checked my mirror there was lumps of glowing carbon swirling out of the exhaust it must have looked like I'd pushed the throttle through the reheat gate. Met its owner/operator later and he told me he'd never done over 30mph:D
In June 1970 I paid £100 in Barnstaple and P/X'D a Singer Chamois for Jeremy Thorpe's black Humber Super Snipe. As I was heading across the 303 back to London I was stopped by a motor cycle cop for speeding. I pointed to the House of Commons sticker on the windscreen and told him gently that the Liberal Party leader required his car in London that very day. He said I could go if I promised to remind the Rt Hon gentleman trio cough up for the tax disc! Phew - no computers those days. It was a stunningly beautiful motor though but drank petrol.
 
Have stripped and rebuilt those engines many many times. Very good motor indeed. But dirty bastards to work on.