Steve and Jim Hay of Hay Manufacturing in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, researched the Wrights' engine designs for decades, and though the original drawings are long gone, they were able to faithfully reproduce the 1903 engine. The handbuilt engine, pieced together using authentic materials, would then power the absolutely authentic 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction built by The Wright Experience of Warrenton, Virginia.
Ford, which is a sponsor of The Wright Experience, helped by allowing the Hays to use one of its engine dynos to tune the Wright repro and offered some high-tech analysis. Multiple sensors were installed on the Wright engine while it was on the dyno to provide torque, speed, and temperature information. In-cylinder pressure transducers were also used to explore activity in the combustion chambers.
The Wright engine, which used four cylinders with 4-inch bores and a 4-inch stroke in an aluminum block, peaked at 17 hp on Ford's dyno. That's a rounding error for today's engines, but a remarkable achievement for a 180-pound engine in 1903.
As this is written, the December 17th re-creation of the Wright flight is still more than a month away. This is just cool. More information is available at www.countdowntokittyhawk.org.
All-Wheel-Drive GTO?[Photos 116-0402.SCUP 12A through 12N on disc]The Australian-built Holden Monaro coupe is the base upon which the '04 Pontiac GTO is built, and starting in June the Monaro will be sold in a new all-wheel-drive version in its home country.
Called the HSV Coupe 4, most of the car is familiar to anyone following the current GTO saga. But added to it is "HSV Quad Drive," a full-time all-wheel-drive system pumping 38 percent of the available torque to the front wheels and 62 percent to the back. According to Holden, that additional traction allowed one Coupe 4 to rip from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in just 6.6 seconds-on a gravel road. Power for the Coupe 4 comes from a 362hp version of the LS-1, 5.7L V-8, and the only transmission offered is the 4L60E four-speed automatic.
Does this mean an all-wheel drive GTO is inevitable? No, only that it's possible.
Sidebar - Jeff - 4The Edelbrock ArmyEdelbrock is certainly a major force in the performance aftermarket, but they're not quite at that point where they need an army. At least not yet. The real deal is the company sent a collection of Edelbrock hats and T-shirts to a unit over in Iraq commanded by Army Major Victor Bakkila who is related to Vic Edelbrock Sr.'s wife Nancy. "The guys are enjoying them very much," the major wrote Edelbrock. "As a matter of fact, on a recent mission, a few got into trouble for wearing their Edelbrock hats instead of their helmets!"
"We just wanted to show our support for them," Vic Edelbrock said. "I hope they all come back soon, safe and sound."
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0403 H/Goodyear Goes Wrangling[Photos 116-0403.SCUP 4 on disc]Is your mind free of obscure, useless knowledge? Then let us clutter it up! It's important that you know that Goodyear will brand the race tires it fits to vehicles in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as "Wranglers" instead of "Eagles" during 2004.
"In reality, the tires are the same as those used under the Eagle name, with the only difference being the sidewall nameplate," explained Stu Grant, Goodyear's general manager of global race tires. "We will be using the same Goodyear tires for the Craftsman Truck Series as we will for the Nextel Cup Series and the Busch Series next year when they race at the same track on any given weekend."
Goodyear's race tire warehouse in Concord, North Carolina, will convert tires from Wranglers to Eagles (or vice versa) for Craftsman, Busch, or Nextel teams.