Akela affairs

Sir,

I very much enjoyed Counting the Akelas (March) and here are one or two points I would like to make. The cylinder heads were held by four studs, not eight. On the ioe Vitesse and KIM engines they were equally spaced around the barrels; on Akelas they were more widely spaced front to back. Forked rods with roller bearings were used on Akelas, bronze bushes on ioe. Basil Davenport used single rods on Spider – I think they were Norton and this meant a wider crankcase as the cylinders had to be offset. The dummy radiator shell top was cast, the side and bottom rails were sheet alloy.

Some years ago I took Lawrence Cushman up the Test Hill at one of the Brooklands Reunions, and afterwards he lent me his notebook. I copied all the GN information before returning it. KIM has a triple diffuser updraught Zenith carb, but all Akelas had horizontal Solex 40mm M types. At Boulogne, 28.8.23, Mr Godfrey’s Akela (engine no 3093) broke its cambox bevels and Capt Nash’s Mowgli (engine no 309) broke the fuel-pipe nipple. Pickett’s engine was 3092. All ran on 50/50 petrol/benzine and Dunlop Block-Tread tyres seccotined in beads. No security bolts, no trouble.

I am, yours, Etc

E A Stafford East; Chesham Bois, Bucks

(I was misled over the number of studs securing Akela heads by a contemporary press report. We look forward to seeing Mr Stafford East’s Akela-GN out again this season WB)