Cylinder head specialist Weslake Research and Development is ready to make components for the Gurney Weslake V8 engine.
The company that made the original racing components for the V8 used by many GT40s, some Lola T70s, Cobras and Indy racing cars said it's been having a stock take and has found that it still has all the drawings, technical information most of the equipment and original machinery to make them.
Spokesman Stuart Soutter said: "If there were a demand we would be able to refurbish the equipment to enable its use with modern manufacturing techniques to enable a batch of original components to be manufactured."
About Weslake
Weslake Research and Development was founded by Harry Weslake, a cylinder head specialist who had been instrumental in modifying the side valve Standard engine used in the first SS (later to become Jaguar) Sports Car. He also designed the cylinder head for the overhead valve version of the Morris series A engine that was used in the Morris 1000 and the Mini.
He was involved in the design of every Jaguar engine up to and including the V12 of the early 1970´s. He also designed the Straight-4s engines for the 1958 Vanwall Formula One Grand Prix car, an engine that was using a lot of technology and experience from a single-cylinder Norton motorcycle engine. The Vanwall car went on to win the 1958 F1 constructors cup.
In 1966 Dan Gurney commissioned Weslake Engineering to build an Aubrey Woods designed 3.0 litre V12 Formula One engine for his 1967 Eagle T1G. Their efforts produced a V12 that was smooth and powerful. Gurney won the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, a non-championship event, and the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix with the Eagle-Weslake V12 engine.
According to the company, the main factory now concentrates on specialised aero engine design and development. However, following increasing requests for services covering past projects, especially on the motorsport side, the company's launched a heritage division to cater to those needs.
