Hewland is a British engineering company, founded in 1957 by Mike Hewland, which specialises in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland currently employ 130 people at their Maidenhead facility and have diversified into a variety of markets being particularly successful in electric vehicle transmission supply.
Hewland are currently supplying into
Formula 1
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
,
Formula E
Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 in Paris by FIA president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who is ...
,
DTM
DTM may refer to:
Sport
* Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000
* Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995
Computing
* Deterministic T ...
, LMP,
RallyCross, Prototype and GT Sportscar.
History
Mike Hewland ran a small engineering business at
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...
in the UK with the speciality in gear cutting. In 1959, Bob Gibson-Jarvie, the Chief Mechanic of
UDT Laystall
British Racing Partnership (BRP) was a racing team, and latterly constructor, from the United Kingdom. It was established by Alfred Moss and Ken Gregory – Stirling Moss's father and former manager, respectively – in 1957 to run cars for Stir ...
racing team running
Cooper
Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to:
* Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels
Arts and entertainment
* Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads
* Cooper (video game character), in ...
F2 cars, sought help from Hewland as gearbox troubles were experienced. The result of this request came out as six successful gearboxes being designed and built in 1959, and Hewland was in the gearbox business.
The first
transaxle
A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions.
Engine and drive at the ...
product, the Hewland Mk.I of 1960, was a minor modification of the Volkswagen Beetle 4 speed transaxle used upside-down with custom made differential housing side plates for the midship engine
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola (fo ...
Mk.III (John Young tuned Ford 105E 997cc pushrod) built for the new Formula Junior rules (1 litre engine with minimum weight 360 kg, or 1.1 litre with minimum 400 kg) in 1961. Hewland Mk.II was a similar 4 speed transaxle with more modifications for
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer.
History
Pre WW1
The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocat ...
engined
Elva
Elva may refer to:
Places
*Elva, Estonia, town in Tartu County, Estonia
*Elva Parish, municipality in Estonia
*Elva (river), a river in Estonia
*Elva, Illinois, unincorporated community in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States
*Elva, Manitoba, u ...
Mk.VI 1.1 litre sports racer in 1961.
Hewland Mk.III of 1962 became the first product for the public, which used the magnesium alloy case of the Beetle transaxle to house 5 pairs of bespoke straight-cut constant mesh spur gears with dog rings operated by custom-made brass shift forks. Gear selector shaft was located in the nose housing, unmodified as in the Beetle set up, facing rear-ward at the tail end of the box in the front-side-back position on a midship engine racing cars. The elimination of synchromesh parts provided the space for an additional pair of gears for the 5th speed.
This Mk.III became very popular for small displacement formula cars and racing sports cars, and was the basis on which all the later products were built.
![Lotus 32 gearbox detail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Lotus_32_gearbox_detail.jpg)
Mk.IV had the tail casing made by Hewland, with the selector rod located in the right side lower position, facing forward. This made the shifter linkage design easier on the part of chassis manufacturers. Together with its high torque version Mk.V, Mk.IV became a big seller, putting Hewland on a growing track.
Mk.VI of 1965 was an improved version of Mk.IV, which established Hewland as the dominant volume production transaxle manufacturer in the small displacement midship-engine racing car market, helped by the de facto standard usage in the newly born
Formula Ford
Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...
series. Although Formula Ford engines displaced 1.6-litre, the capacity was not a problem as the 1.5-litre rating was for higher power racing engines as opposed to the single carburetor, production cam and compression ratio regulation of the formula.
The advantages of the series were:
* Dog-ring gear selection made it extremely quick shifting.
* The structure that enabled changing of gear ratios on the 2nd through 5th speeds possible without removing the transaxle from the vehicle, or detaching it from the engine.
* Upside-down usage enabled the dry sump racing engines to be mounted low on the chassis.
* The 3rd, 4th and the 5th gears had the same thickness and drive/driven axis distance, thus were interchangeable.
* Magnesium alloy Volkswagen case made it strong and very light weight.
Hewland was claimed to be the first company that made racing car gearboxes,
however, a transaxle housed in an aluminium alloy case for racing purpose in midship-engine configuration had been designed by
Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was an Austrian-German automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche AG. He is best known for creating the first gasoline–electric hybrid vehicle (Lohner–Porsche), the Volkswag ...
and built by
Horch
Horch () was a car brand manufacturer, founded in Germany by August Horch & Cie at the beginning of the 20th century.
It is one of the predecessors of the present day Audi company, which itself resulted from the merger of Auto Union Aktienges ...
in 1933 as a part of
Auto Union Type A
Auto may refer to:
* An automaton
* An automobile
* An autonomous car
* An automatic transmission
* An auto rickshaw
* Short for automatic
* Auto (art), a form of Portuguese dramatic play
* ''Auto'' (film), 2007 Tamil comedy film
* Auto (play), ...
.
Valerio Colotti Valerio Colotti (19 April 1925 – 19 January 2008) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for his early work with Ferrari and Maserati chassis and transmission systems.
Born in Modena, Colotti joined Ferrari in 1948, working under Aurelio Lam ...
had been producing gearboxes for racing purposes before 1959, and his transaxle for midship-engine racing cars debuted on 10 May 1959 at
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...
on
Behra-Porsche
Behra-Porsche was a Formula One constructor which entered four World Championship Grands Prix across the 1959 and 1960 seasons. The constructor started - and finished - two races, both in the 1960 season, but scored no championship points in the pr ...
. Colotti 5 speed T.32 transaxle, which weighed less than 35 kg, was in use by
Rob Walker in 1960.
Lotus Engineering
Lotus Cars Limited is a British automotive company headquartered in Norfolk, England which manufactures sports cars and racing cars noted for their light weight and fine handling characteristics.
Lotus was previously involved in Formula One r ...
made a transaxle for front-engine
Lotus 12
The Lotus 12 was a Formula Two and Formula One racing car.
Design
Colin Chapman's first foray into single-seater racing, the 12 appeared in 1957. It featured a number of important innovations Chapman would use on later models. To better use the ...
in 1957 designed by Richard Ansdale and Harry Mundy, and this gearbox/differential unit was adopted to midship-engine use for
Lotus 18
The Lotus 18 was a race car designed by Colin Chapman for use by Lotus in Formula Junior, Formula Two, and Formula One.
Overview
Lotus 18 was the first mid-engined car built by Lotus and was a marked improvement over Chapman's early and only ...
which debuted on 8 April 1960.
Hewland dominated the racing scenes in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and still is a leading company in racing transmissions with its focus shifted a bit toward custom engineering work for vehicle manufacturers. In addition to the traditional manual transmission products covering almost all the racing and rallying classes, Hewland now offers complete semi-automatic transmission system components, including shift actuators, throttle actuators, compressors, shift position sensors and steering wheel paddle-shift systems.
Transaxle types
The following is the list of the smaller product range housed in Volkswagen case except for LD200.
Transmission capacity is measured by the maximum output torque (not the horsepower), which is the product of the input torque times overall reduction ratio. However, as the output torque is proportional to the input torque with typical gear and differential reduction ratios, and as the input torque (engine output torque) is roughly proportional to the engine displacement, Hewland used to indicate the maximum allowable engine size, and later the maximum input torque measured in Lbs/ft., as the transaxle selection guide.
The following is the list of larger product range up to 1981.
ARV Super2
After an approach from
Richard Noble
Richard James Anthony Noble, OBE (born 6 March 1946) is a Scottish entrepreneur who was holder of the land speed record between 1983 and 1997. He was also the project director of ThrustSSC, the vehicle which holds the current land speed record ...
, Hewland was persuaded to design and build the
AE75, a 75 bhp
aero-engine
An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years many ...
for Noble
ARV Super2
The ARV Super2 (''Air Recreational Vehicle'') is a British two-seat light aircraft with strut-braced shoulder wings and tricycle landing gear. Designed by Bruce Giddings, the Super2 was available either factory-built or as a kit. It was in ...
, a 2-seater light aircraft. This engine, an inverted three-cylinder water-cooled two-stroke unit with
dual ignition
Dual Ignition is a system for spark-ignition engines, whereby critical ignition components, such as spark plugs and magnetos, are duplicated. Dual ignition is most commonly employed on aero engines,Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms ...
and a 2.7:1 reduction gearbox, was developed from Hewland's existing two-cylinder
microlight
Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...
engine. The AE75 was very light at , thereby contributing to the overall lightness of the aircraft, so that the ARV Super2 weighed 40% less than its competitor, the
Cessna 152
The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed- tricycle-gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use. It was based on the earlier Cessna 150 incorporating a number of minor design changes and a slightly ...
.
Track day cars
Hewland has been involved with various
track day
A track day is an organised event in which non-members are allowed to drive or ride around established motor racing circuits, or alternatively (though far less common) on closed or disused airfields. Most race tracks around the world now provide t ...
cars. Most notably the
Caparo T1
The Caparo T1 is a British mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat automobile that was built by Caparo Vehicle Technologies, founded by design director Ben Scott-Geddes, engineering director Graham Halstead, engineers formerly involved in the d ...
and
BAC Mono
Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) is a British car manufacturer that created Mono, a road-legal sports car with only one seat. BAC is based in the city of Liverpool, United Kingdom, Mono cars are exported to 46 countries around the world.
Backgrou ...
,
both of which featured gearboxes designed and manufactured by the company.
Formula E
Hewland have been involved in the
Formula E
Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 in Paris by FIA president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who is ...
racing series since its inauguration, supplying the full grid of competitors with transmissions. Currently Hewland are still a key supplier into this series.
Electric Vehicles
Hewland provided a custom high torque transmission for the World record breaking
Buckeye Bullet
The Buckeye Bullet is a series of four experimental electric cars created by students from Ohio State University ( the Buckeyes) as a joint project with Venturi. The cars were designed to break the land speed record on the Bonneville Speedway, a ...
3 which currently holds the electric land speed record at .
Sleeve valve
In an interview by Charles Fox, in Car&Driver, July 1974, M Hewland discussed his work and that of his head engineer John Logan on a 500 cc, single-cylinder,
sleeve valve
The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in the United States in the Willys-Knight car and light truck. ...
engine, coming from his experience inside a 'Mobile Labor Force' at
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
during WW II, research aimed at Formula 1. Hewland claimed having got 70-73 HP, 47.5 Lb.ft, with a Fuel Economy of .45 lb/HP/Hr in the racing version, and .39 in an economy engine. No further info was released about this Engine Research.
See also
*
ZF Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally ''Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen'', and commonly abbreviated to ZF (ZF = "Zahnradfabrik" = "Cogwheel Factory"), is a German car parts maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south- ...
*
Colotti Trasmissioni Colotti Trasmissioni (Colotti Transmission) is an Italian mechanical engineering firm located in Modena, Italy. It specializes in gears, limited-slip differentials and transmission systems for racing cars.
History 1958-1979
Valerio Colotti, who is ...
External links
*
References
{{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom
Engineering companies of the United Kingdom
Automotive motorsports and performance companies
Automotive transmission makers
Companies based in Berkshire
Technology companies established in 1957
1957 establishments in England
English brands