Miguel Sánchez
In the history of motorsport there are times when everything seems to go faster. Times with changes of course and paradigm in which technology seems to be out of control. In this sense, right now we are experiencing one of them. Passing at hurried paces from the combustion engine to the electric one with the provision of certain minerals as a backdrop. Something much deeper than what was experienced during the eighties with the massive application of the turbocharger. Also to the stylistic change that emerged between the sixties and seventies. This being the case, if we want to analyze a process so radically similar to the one given today we have to go back at least a century.
A time when mass production was born with the Model T. But also mechanical changes such as the decrease in displacement. A particularly inescapable turning point in the field of racing, prioritizing compression and efficiency over endlessly increasing cubic capacity. A line of work in which, during the interwar period, Amherst Villiers worked supercharged at Bentley blower or Vittorio Jano designing his Alfa Romeo P3. However, we can find many more examples of that transition. In fact, sometimes there can be the paradox of seeing two of them on the same track.
Exactly what we were able to observe last May at the Montlhéry racetrack. Rolling in their batches of veterans both the FIAT S76 and the Amilcar C6. Two sports cars obedient to completely different concepts. The first with a cylinder capacity greater than 28 liters and the second with only 1,1. Obviously designed for disparate purposes. Although at the same time illustrative about the same era, about the same evolution. That of reducing the displacement and the size of the engines.
MONTLHÉRY, WHERE THE MOST VETERANS MEET
With their huge banked curves, the pre-World War II racetracks are the perfect place for any reunion with veteran sports cars. In this way, the French of Montlhéry usually welcomes regular meetings where a good number of centennial vehicles are cited. The one reflected in the photographs that illustrate this text was produced last May, exhibiting everything from simple autocycles to machines created by and for top speed.
Thus, one of the most visible participants was The Beast of Turin. However, perhaps we should saylistened to" instead of "visible”, since the huge engine of this FIAT S76 with almost 300CV it gives off a truly overwhelming sound. Not surprisingly, this car designed to break international speed records is an imposing design weighing about 1.650 kilos, capable of delivering its maximum power at just 1.900 revolutions per minute.
One of the most representative competition classics for the time in which beaches like Pendine, Ostend or Saltburn regularly hosted speed races with machines like this or the BABS by John Parry-Thomas. All this climbing higher and higher in terms of displacement, with huge engines placed on crossbar chassis designed to run in a straight line. Something that, incredible as it may seem, was also copied by some models made to run on curvy paths.
And it is that, in those years -the FIAT S76 is from 1910- many engineers only contemplated the increase in displacement if they wanted to go faster. Obviously this began to give problems of all kinds. From voracious consumption -with the consequent refueling problem- to a weight responsible for creating compromising inertia both when turning and when braking. For this reason, some thought of reducing the size of the mechanics, prioritizing issues such as supercharging or the compression ratio. And yes, they were right.
Proof of this is the suitability of models such as the Amilcar C6. Launched in 1926, this sports car perfectly symbolizes that process to reduce, be lighter and gain maneuverability. At this point, both the C6 and the Bugatti Type 37A were outperforming more powerful sports cars on the track.
In this way, the importance of weight in relation to horsepower was put on the table, increased here thanks to the action of a volumetric compressor driven by the crankshaft itself. A technology taken from metallurgy and its blast furnaces, put here at the service of feeding the six cylinders of the Amilcar and its little more than a liter of displacement.
All this to reach a maximum speed of 170 kilometers per hour. Obviously much less than that achieved by models like The Beast of Turin, yes. Although not so much if we take into account its displacement about 25 times smaller. Also, the size and weight of the Amilcar C6 made it an extremely effective model on twisty tracks. With all this, and despite being models with divergent purposes, it is impossible not to see the product of a mechanical transition that opted to reduce instead of increasing endlessly. In short, stories that you can only see live thanks to events such as those held at the Montlhéry racetrack.
Photographs: Unai Ona
