RAM D type-any good? Lowdrag...?
Discussion
Well, wearing my ex-Lynx hat I just have to have my three ha'pence but where to start!
Lynx Engineering was the original name of the company, nobody can remember for sure what the other was called but that emerged with the very first D Type replica, the original plan being to construct the replicas under the Engineering name and sell them under the other name. That was abandoned after only a handful had been made and the company then became Lynx Engineering until the mid 80s when Guy left the company and Elgan Howell arrived when it became Lynx Cars. There have been other name changes since, all well documented.
The next topic is ride height and wheels. The correct height is about when the wheel arch and the rim are about level, the difference between 15" and 16" would only be half an inch so this has more to do with suspension set up. Many replicas used E Type parts and they came with splined hubs for wire wheels, these would not accept a proper 16" wheel which was peg drive necessitating a different hub. Our 16" wheels were developed so that we could fit a more original wheel to our own product but also sold well to owners of other replicas and some E Types as well. Why were they so expensive? Each wheel was made up of five components, the rim, the centre bowl, a chafing ring, the presser plate and the pegs with their nuts. The rim was originally an extrusion rolled to a circle and welded together, we spent more than two years trying to make these these but the loads required to roll the extrusion were gigantic, we caged the rolling machine in 4" square tube but whilst that worked it brought other problems into play. Dunlop couldn't tell us how they had made them as all the original chaps had died in the interim! Eventually we went to a very high spec heat treated aluminium alloy casting which was then machined to size and drilled all the way round for the rivets. The centre bowl started as a thick slab of aluminium which was then turned to taper out to the edge, then it went into a 300 ton press to form the shape before being turned again to clean up any wrinkles from the pressing and also to get a straight edge, last step was onto a mill with a dividing head to cut all the holes. The presser plate was a 12 swg spinning and at that time there were only five companies in the UK capable of spinning a piece of steel that thick. The chafing ring and the pegs were all straightforward turning jobs. After that it was just a case of riveting and painting. As a point of interest Dunlop's run out tolerance was 41 thou whereas ours was in single figures. Finally, as previously mentioned, most of these wheels were sold to E type owners and they needed to buy not just the wheels but four hubs as well. If I recall they went on sale in the mid 80s at a cost of £750 per wheel plus a hub on top. I hope that explains why they were expensive!
Back axle location on an original D, IIRC, was by underslung trailing arms to the outer ends of the axle casing and an A frame to the top of the diff. As regards ride quality I would have said there was remarkably little to choose between an original car and a Lynx replica, possibly an original was a little harsher and the Lynx a little suppler. Jaguar made one car with a de Dion rear end which was not successful, many years later one of the factory people said to us that they would have done pretty much what we did if the car had remained in production so they were clearly thinking IRS.
One of the biggest differences between an original and a Lynx, which nobody ever mentions, was the clutch. The original had a multiplate clutch whereas ours used a conventional plate or paddle clutch. The multiplate arrangement was painfully heavy on the knee, almost unbearable for any length of time, it was also quite easy to clog up the internal splines if the clutch was slipped too much.
And finally, values! I always used to say to our customers not to buy a car as an investment as the market is terribly fickle and nobody can predict what will happen next. That still applies today, it is the market that determines the value of a car and the fact that some replicas remain more desirable than others must be for a reason. I will always say, with the benefit of having worked for the company and having the privilege of watching some of the finest artisans anywhere at work, that it is the built in quality which makes Lynx D Types enduringly desirable - but then I am biased!!
Lynx Engineering was the original name of the company, nobody can remember for sure what the other was called but that emerged with the very first D Type replica, the original plan being to construct the replicas under the Engineering name and sell them under the other name. That was abandoned after only a handful had been made and the company then became Lynx Engineering until the mid 80s when Guy left the company and Elgan Howell arrived when it became Lynx Cars. There have been other name changes since, all well documented.
The next topic is ride height and wheels. The correct height is about when the wheel arch and the rim are about level, the difference between 15" and 16" would only be half an inch so this has more to do with suspension set up. Many replicas used E Type parts and they came with splined hubs for wire wheels, these would not accept a proper 16" wheel which was peg drive necessitating a different hub. Our 16" wheels were developed so that we could fit a more original wheel to our own product but also sold well to owners of other replicas and some E Types as well. Why were they so expensive? Each wheel was made up of five components, the rim, the centre bowl, a chafing ring, the presser plate and the pegs with their nuts. The rim was originally an extrusion rolled to a circle and welded together, we spent more than two years trying to make these these but the loads required to roll the extrusion were gigantic, we caged the rolling machine in 4" square tube but whilst that worked it brought other problems into play. Dunlop couldn't tell us how they had made them as all the original chaps had died in the interim! Eventually we went to a very high spec heat treated aluminium alloy casting which was then machined to size and drilled all the way round for the rivets. The centre bowl started as a thick slab of aluminium which was then turned to taper out to the edge, then it went into a 300 ton press to form the shape before being turned again to clean up any wrinkles from the pressing and also to get a straight edge, last step was onto a mill with a dividing head to cut all the holes. The presser plate was a 12 swg spinning and at that time there were only five companies in the UK capable of spinning a piece of steel that thick. The chafing ring and the pegs were all straightforward turning jobs. After that it was just a case of riveting and painting. As a point of interest Dunlop's run out tolerance was 41 thou whereas ours was in single figures. Finally, as previously mentioned, most of these wheels were sold to E type owners and they needed to buy not just the wheels but four hubs as well. If I recall they went on sale in the mid 80s at a cost of £750 per wheel plus a hub on top. I hope that explains why they were expensive!
Back axle location on an original D, IIRC, was by underslung trailing arms to the outer ends of the axle casing and an A frame to the top of the diff. As regards ride quality I would have said there was remarkably little to choose between an original car and a Lynx replica, possibly an original was a little harsher and the Lynx a little suppler. Jaguar made one car with a de Dion rear end which was not successful, many years later one of the factory people said to us that they would have done pretty much what we did if the car had remained in production so they were clearly thinking IRS.
One of the biggest differences between an original and a Lynx, which nobody ever mentions, was the clutch. The original had a multiplate clutch whereas ours used a conventional plate or paddle clutch. The multiplate arrangement was painfully heavy on the knee, almost unbearable for any length of time, it was also quite easy to clog up the internal splines if the clutch was slipped too much.
And finally, values! I always used to say to our customers not to buy a car as an investment as the market is terribly fickle and nobody can predict what will happen next. That still applies today, it is the market that determines the value of a car and the fact that some replicas remain more desirable than others must be for a reason. I will always say, with the benefit of having worked for the company and having the privilege of watching some of the finest artisans anywhere at work, that it is the built in quality which makes Lynx D Types enduringly desirable - but then I am biased!!
Edited by Mike-tf3n0 on Monday 29th November 18:18
Good write-up there Mike! But, just a cautionary warning to anyone who may have some Lynx 16" wheels. I was contacted about ten years ago by Chris Keith-Lucas and asked to take the car back to CKL. They had found that there was a reaction between the alloy rims and the steel rivets and that a gentle tap with a hammer and screwdriver could cause the rivet head to come off. The car went back and all five wheels were re-riveted.
Thank you Tony,
I realised this morning that I have muddled C Type and D Type rear suspension layout and generally misremembered the whole thing! To clarify, the D Type had four trailing links, two each side. The lower links ran from the outer ends of the torsion bar to a bracket below the outer end of the axle casing whilst the upper links ran from a pickup on the rear bulkhead to a bracket above the outer end of the axle casing. There was a central A bracket that ran from the bottom of the rear bulkhead and attached to the diff casing BELOW the centre line.
I went into some detail with the wheels because there seem to be some who think that all replicas are just a plastic body of about the right shape tacked onto the remains of a hacked about donor. I acknowledge that some are indeed like that but the vast majority are not and are genuine, and often very good, attempts to offer fun on wheels to those whose pockets may not run to six figures. At the top of the replica industry however there is some very serious engineering and design work going on and those products deserve recognition for their quality in depth. To consign the entire replica industry to the bin of mediocrity is downright wrong and demonstrates only a lack of knowledge of the subject. Have a good look at an Autocraft Cobra or a Saphir GT40 or a Lynx D type if you need convincing!! As I said before, the best replicas command high prices because they have quality in depth and the people who buy them recognise that!! I have two customers, one now sadly passed on and the other very ill, who have bequeathed their Lynx replicas to their sons, they are now family heirlooms, 'nuff said.
I realised this morning that I have muddled C Type and D Type rear suspension layout and generally misremembered the whole thing! To clarify, the D Type had four trailing links, two each side. The lower links ran from the outer ends of the torsion bar to a bracket below the outer end of the axle casing whilst the upper links ran from a pickup on the rear bulkhead to a bracket above the outer end of the axle casing. There was a central A bracket that ran from the bottom of the rear bulkhead and attached to the diff casing BELOW the centre line.
I went into some detail with the wheels because there seem to be some who think that all replicas are just a plastic body of about the right shape tacked onto the remains of a hacked about donor. I acknowledge that some are indeed like that but the vast majority are not and are genuine, and often very good, attempts to offer fun on wheels to those whose pockets may not run to six figures. At the top of the replica industry however there is some very serious engineering and design work going on and those products deserve recognition for their quality in depth. To consign the entire replica industry to the bin of mediocrity is downright wrong and demonstrates only a lack of knowledge of the subject. Have a good look at an Autocraft Cobra or a Saphir GT40 or a Lynx D type if you need convincing!! As I said before, the best replicas command high prices because they have quality in depth and the people who buy them recognise that!! I have two customers, one now sadly passed on and the other very ill, who have bequeathed their Lynx replicas to their sons, they are now family heirlooms, 'nuff said.
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