Melling Hellcat

[Rochester TVR]

Does anyone know if any customer cars were ever made?

Been digging around but cant find any information on it after 2008. In this video, AM seems very confident of its production and that it will even enter into LeMans 24hr.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JanH38rtiuA

The stats vary depending what site you look at but generally they say; 1200+bhp, ~1100kg, 0-60 2.6secs, 200+mph, 6.0ltr V10 Quad Turbo!!!

Does anyone have any experience or information of this monster, it seems to be even more illusive than the Speed 12.

[JonRB]

Rochester TVR said:

AM seems very confident

One thing Melling never lacked for was confidence and optimistic Press Releases

[V8 GRF]

It never happened, not unsurprisingly, which is a shame.

I saw the car under development but it never really got further than the chassis and initial styling. The car seen running round the track was a mock-up.

He had a V10 machined from billet but again I don't think it any further.

[grumbledoak]

I had thought he'd built one. Then some personal circumstances changed his priorities. If that one was just a mock up then that's kind of sadder still.

Oh, and it's "elusive". :wags PH spelling bat:

Edited by grumbledoak on Sunday 9th January 11:17

[Rochester TVR]

Was the engine based on one of the varients used in the Speed 12?

What was the reason it never got beyond prototype stage? Funding I assume?

[Rochester TVR]

grumbledoak said:

Oh, and it's "elusive". :wags PH spelling bat:

Thanks, I thought it was correct aswell. Any help to improve my spilling is good for me

Edited by Rochester TVR on Sunday 9th January 11:26

[rigga]

You can go see a speed 12 as its generally on view if not always for sale ...


And thats the difference with the Wildcat.

[tubbystu]

V8 GRF said:

What a fabulous piece of machine work.

But it would never have worked would it ? How can you assemble it ?

Pipe dream or exhibition display piece ?

[plasticman]

Why could it not be assembled ?

[Gazzab]

Rochester TVR said:

Was the engine based on one of the varients used in the Speed 12?

What was the reason it never got beyond prototype stage? Funding I assume?

The speed 12 was two speed sixes welded together. I think this is probably an AJP with extra cylinders?

[V8 GRF]

Gazzab said:

Rochester TVR said:

Was the engine based on one of the varients used in the Speed 12?

What was the reason it never got beyond prototype stage? Funding I assume?

The speed 12 was two speed sixes welded together. I think this is probably an AJP with extra cylinders?

Not strictly correct as the block on the Speed12 is fabricated, this is based the 'original' design, a modular set of AJP engines being Straight 6, V8, V10 and V12.

IIRC the original designation of the car that became the Speed12 was intend to be a V10?

tubbystu said:

What a fabulous piece of machine work.

But it would never have worked would it ? How can you assemble it ?

Pipe dream or exhibition display piece ?

If you look all the parts are beautifully machined pieces that bolt together sectionally, in fact the housing on the end of the crank contains the alternator, cracking packaging.

Edited by V8 GRF on Sunday 9th January 17:20

[zooooom]

There were some picture posted on here about 18 months 2years of that engine assembled along with details of the car and its packaging, apparently it was very impressive.
As an aside what is Al Melling doing now?? Not heard any news about him for a while.
Last thing I read he had moved his engineering company to Portugal and had a recent bereavement in the family.
We need more eccentric engineering geniuses like him around.

Edited by zooooom on Sunday 9th January 21:36

[G1ABB]

Gazzab said:

Rochester TVR said:

Was the engine based on one of the varients used in the Speed 12?

What was the reason it never got beyond prototype stage? Funding I assume?

The speed 12 was two speed sixes welded together. I think this is probably an AJP with extra cylinders?

The speed 12 is nothing like two speed 6's welded together. That is very much an old wives tale/PR. I only say this as I've seen the engine in the flesh.

[Gazzab]

I understood that it was referred to as "basically two TVR AJP6 straight-6 engines mated on a single crankshaft". But you have seen it and are I assume creating your own or something similiar , so you know best.

[taz turbo]

zooooom said:

As an aside what is Al Melling doing now?? Not heard any news about him for a while.
Last thing I read he had moved his engineering company to Portugal and had a recent bereavement in the family.
We need more eccentric engineering geniuses like him around.

The bereavement was the man himself, last year IIRC.

Regards,

Chris.

[Omerta]

Er no, it was his wife who died.

[taz turbo]

Omerta said:

Er no, it was his wife who died.

Ooops SORRY!

[Gazzab]

I must have had a mail from a ghost!!

[JR]

Gazzab said:

I understood that it was referred to as "basically two TVR AJP6 straight-6 engines mated on a single crankshaft".

Yes, but that's not what you said first time around. Similar to saying that a Sagaris is a Tamora with a the body thrown away and a new body put on and a few mechanical changes - true but it's not done that way. The AJP12 is the master block so to speak with all of the others carved out of it. The S6 was intended to be a V6 at design stage but someone who was keen on the Alvis and Aston tradition from either side of the war wanted a straight 6. The Speed 12 was always meant to be a 12, not a 10.
The Hellcat engine was a new engine only based on the AJP in the same way that every designer's engines are based on his previous experience.

[Gazzab]

Feels like an interview for a technical role! Welded, mated....whatever; I understood it to be based on two S6s brought together with some engineering etc etc