(Bugatti images)
Eight cylinders, a displacement of two liters, 100 PS and speeds up to 145 km/h – these were the figures of a true sports car for the road 100 years ago. Bugatti rolled out the Type 30 in 1922 as its latest production automobile. In addition to its increased power, the model bristled with many technical innovations. The eight-cylinder engine consisted of two four-cylinder blocks, housing for the overhead camshaft, and a monobloc crankcase which was firmly attached to the frame. A year before, Ettore Bugatti had been planning a three-liter, eight-cylinder engine, incorporating it into the Type 28 prototype of 1921. But Ettore redesigned the engine following a change in the Grand Prix regulations that limited displacement to two liters. The vertical shaft is on the front side of the engine and transfers the crankshaft’s revolutions to the camshaft. This coordinates two overhead intake valves and one larger outlet valve for quick gas exchange – as had already been the case in an airplane engine designed by Ettore Bugatti. The spark plugs were initially fired by magneto dual ignition and subsequently by battery ignition. Two Zenith carburetors supplied the eight-cylinder engine with sufficient air-fuel mixture, and there are two sets of four-exhaust manifolds on the left. Depending on the use scenario and configuration, the engine delivers between 75 and 100 PS. With speeds in the range of 120 to 145 km/h, the Type 30 was one of the fastest production automobiles of its time. The driver activated the four forward gears and one reverse gear with their right hand. Bugatti first installed the new engine in the Type 29 race car (above) with a short wheelbase, where it was able to demonstrate its power, performance and stability in several races. In addition to technology, power output and quality, Ettore Bugatti paid attention to the look of the engine and gave it an angular, clearly structured layout. The eight-cylinder engines still resemble design pieces and are mechanical marvels to this day.

(Chevrolet)
Lost in the haze of the countless press releases about the coming EV Nirvana, enthusiasts need to be reminded about the technical marvel that powers the 2023 Corvette Z06. From its 8,600-rpm redline and full racing-style dry-sump oiling system to meticulously tuned induction and exhaust systems, the all-new 5.5L DOHC naturally aspirated LT6 V-8 is designed to complement all aspects of the Z06’s track-focused performance experience. The key to the LT6’s performance capability is a lightweight, low-inertia rotating assembly rooted in an all-new flat-plane crankshaft that, along with a comparatively short stroke, allows the engine to rev to its maximum range. Seeking engine responsiveness and trackability - two characteristics of naturally aspirated motors - Chevrolet engineers determined that a clean sheet, naturally aspirated powerplant was needed, with the goal of exceeding the power of any naturally aspirated production V-8 engine ever made. A version of the LT6 has powered Corvette Racing's C8.R race cars since 2019, and the rigors of endurance road racing helped engineers refine the engine’s performance and durability. Additional highlights? It reads like a racing engine's design brief: All-new aluminum cylinder block casting with the Small Block engine family’s signature 4.4-inch (111.76 mm) bore spacing; All-new dual-overhead-camshaft cylinder head design with fully CNC-machined combustion chambers and intake ports, supporting a mechanical “finger follower” valvetrain; Dual-coil valve springs to support titanium intake and sodium filled exhaust valves; Forged aluminum pistons and forged titanium connecting rods for low mass and high strength; Distinctive Edge Red camshaft covers; All-new active split intake manifold with twin 87 mm throttle bodies; All-new six-stage dry-sump oiling system with individual crank bay scavenging; Four-into-two-into-one stainless steel exhaust headers; 670HP at 8,400 rpm (GM tested per SAE J1349) and 460 lb-ft (623 Nm) of torque @ 6300 rpm (GM tested per SAE J1349). The LT6 is hand assembled by master engine builders at the Performance Build Center within the Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky. Builders use precision tooling and hand fit pieces of the engine to meet Chevrolet’s exact specifications. Each engine features a plaque on the intake manifold with the signature of the technician who crafted it from start to finish. 

 

Letter from L.A.

By Tom Pease

Beverly Hills. It is funny you should mention driving for pleasure. In my 30-odd years living in LA I have been very lucky in the fact that with few exceptions I have managed to avoid the dreaded commute. I've spent ten years in walk-to-work situations book-ending ten years of either driving or taking the bus downtown, against the prevailing traffic. Now, I have had to, on occasion, do those commute-type drives and I think I would cheerfully move rather than do it on a regular basis. Move, or murder, or self mutilate. Which may be why I chose perhaps the most ridiculous car possible for a main ride: an old BMW Z-3 with a straight six. No, I can't pick you up at the airport. No, I can't stop at Costco and get anything larger than a hot dog. No, I can't have that piece of cheesecake or skip Yoga today if I still want to wedge my well-fed tush in that sport seat. What I can do is enjoy the drive. Like you, it sometimes means getting up at the hours on weekends before most people not going to Mass are up. But it means I get to cruise on roads well known to me and, sometimes even better, ones that aren't. Recently, a wrong turn out of Ojai led me on an hours-long jaunt that seemingly took me over Mount Rainier and left me off on the 5 at the “Grapevine.” Waste of time? Waste of gas? Maybe. Perfect mental-health break? Oh yes. Because sometimes a few gallons of gas, top-down and unplugged is as much of a vacation as a trip to the Bahamas. Without the hassle of going to the airport.

"Take The Long Way Home" by Supertramp, from the album "Breakfast In America" (1979)*. Written by Richard Davies and Roger Hodgson. Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group; Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch a video featuring Roger Hodgson here.

*At the press conference when Breakfast In America was presented, Roger Hodgson explained that this song is about a guy who thinks he's really cool ("So you think you're a romeo, playing a part in a picture show"), but it seems that he's the only one who thinks that. This implies that our hero avoids getting home because when he's on the road he has a few more moments of being alone with his dreams, and in his dreams he's a superstar. Written shortly before Supertramp went in the studio to record the Breakfast In America album, Hodgson said the song was "a last-minute surprise." He added that the song operates on two levels. Said Roger: "Talking about not wanting to go home to the wife, take the long way home to the wife because she treats you like part of the furniture, but there's a deeper level to the song, too. We all want to find our home, find that place in us where we feel at home. Home is in the heart and that is really, when we are in touch with our heart and we're living our life from our heart, then we do feel like we found our home. It was another angle on the question that ran deep inside me, which is, 'Where's my home? Where's peace?' It felt like I was taking a long way to find it." The band refused a $5 million offer from the Greyhound company to use this song in bus commercials. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

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