JPN MONOCOQUE BY PETER WILLIAMS

Back in 1973 a motorcycle rolled out of a garage in England, it was to be just one of four ever built, and it was going to shake the world of professional motorcycle racing to its core. The bike in question was the John Player Norton Monocoque, it had been designed and built by Peter Williams – a man who was both a motorcycle engineer and a talented racer.

Williams had been given access to the already outdated, pushrod Norton engine of the era. The 750cc parallel twin was woefully slow next to the modern two-stroke bikes that were rising to prominence. He knew that in order to compete at the 1973 Isle of Man he was going to need something genuinely remarkable, so he set out creating a monocoque chassis that held the oil and fuel, an advanced aero-fairing and a perfectly tuned set of suspension – he also made the first foray into cast wheels (rather than the traditional spokes).

Peter Williams went on to win the Isle of Man TT, and he did it at an average speed of 107.27mph – a staggering feat even today. Skip forward in time 40 years and Williams is back at the drafting table preparing to create 25 John Player Norton Motorcycles, each of these bikes will use the classic Norton 750, the bullet-proof monocoque frame and each one will cost far less than the £250,000 originals.

So if you’ve got £65,000 to spare and fancy picking yourself up a piece of motorcycling history, you can visit Peter Williams Motorcycles to place your order. If you don’t have £65,000 to spare, you can hit play on the video below and relive one of the most memorable moments in Isle of Man history.

Full Press Release

40 years ago this week Peter Williams, road race legend and motorcycle development engineer accomplished a unique achievement winning the Isle of Man TT on a motorcycle of his own design. Peter’s engineering designs gave him the advantage on the race track and set the trend for what motorcycles are today. Now exactly four decades later, the highly limited edition Peter Williams Motorcycles’ Replica will celebrate and commemorate Peter’s legendary victory.

Peter Williams Motorcycles is now taking orders for replicas of his 1973 F750 TT-winning John Player Norton. Just 25 of the monocoque-framed Commandos will be built. The original monocoque has passed into biking lore as the machine Williams won the 1973 F750 TT on, lapping at 107.27mph, just off Mike Hailwood’s 1967 outright record on a works Honda. Impressive stuff from an air-cooled, push-rod Commando engine. He was also the highest points scorer in that year’s victorious Transatlantic Trophy team. An innovator throughout his career, Williams can be credited with introducing and establishing the viability of many of the things we now take for granted, including cast wheels, disc brakes and beam frames.

A stainless steel chassis that formed the fuel tank as well as the frame lent the bike its ‘monocoque’ name. The new replicas will follow the layout of the 1973 bikes, however whereas each original monocoque frame took 12 man-weeks to construct, this time CAD design and CNC laser cutters will improve accuracy and hasten the production process. Engines will be built by renowned Norton specialist Mick Hemmings using all new parts, including Peter’s own cam design. The replicas will feature a host of bespoke parts such as cast magnesium wheels and forks, created from the original ‘70s drawings. Where drawings were not available, new parts have been created by referencing and digitising two of the original race bikes.

PWM hope that the first of the monocoque replicas will be ready for production in 2013, the 40th anniversary of Williams’ epic Isle of Man win. Just four originals were built and are now valued in excess of £250,000 apiece, putting Williams’ expected £65,000 price tag for the replicas into perspective.

The JPN project was conceived to raise working capital and as a showcase for investment into Williams’ pet project – a modern motorcycle with a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis. He produced the first prototype in conjunction with Lotus, proving the concept. Development is now underway of a new model for low volume production.

Peter Williams Motorcycles Ltd. comprises the man himself, Greg Taylor of motorcycle engineering firm GTME and Mark Wells & Ian Wride of design consultancy Xenophya Design. Williams said: “Working with the team brought fresh ideas and a different perspective on how to make the whole monocoque chassis motorcycle project a reality. Starting with the replicas of my 1973 TT-winning bike, we will show investors what we are capable of, and present collectors and enthusiasts with a unique opportunity. “With the 40th anniversary of the TT victory, we have the ideal opportunity to bring the JPN replica to market. We already have a number of interested purchasers. The ‘designed for manufacture’ version will be of equal elegance and efficient function of the original JPN monocoque. As soon as we receive firm orders we can press the button and the new bikes can be created.

from SILODROME

THE CLOUDMASTER DC-6

The Cloudmaster is a DC-6 born in June 1958 at Santa Monica, California. She was delivered new to Eagle Airways, the then major British independent airline, which itself was started during the Berlin Airlift 10 years earlier. After modification to the airline’s specifications the aircraft was registered G-APSA and began flying all over the world on commercial and military charters.

Early in her career G-APSA made several trips to Christmas Island at the end of the nuclear test program, then in the early 1960s was often seen in Adelaide, transporting rocket machinery and scientists to Woomera in Australia as part of the British space program (the tests were successful and the Blue Streak rocket later formed the final stage of the first European Arianne rockets which continue to this day).

On government charters the aircraft would often circle the globe in the space of less than two weeks, flying out via Ceylon and back via Hawaii, San Francisco and New York. On passenger trips G-APSA wore the markings of Cunard Eagle, a joint venture with the shipping line that formed her first association with the sea.

G-APSA spent much of the 1970s in the Arabian Peninsula but in 1987, race horse carrier Instone Air Lines bought the aircraft to enhance its fleet and returned her to the UK for a major refit. The new owner was the great grandson of the original Mr Instone, who in 1919 launched the first company in the world to use aircraft as a business.

For almost two decades the aircraft flew commercial cargo charters, carrying everything from racing cars to newspapers, and became a popular act on the airshow circuit. Then, in 2008, she was invited to attend the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation concors at that year’s Goodwood Revival, and on top of becoming by far the largest aircraft ever to land there, was an instant hit with race goers who wanted to know when they could charter her. An idea was born.

Instone got together with experienced DC-6 operators and engineers, several of whom had recently collaborated on the industry defining restoration of the Red Bull DC-6, to launch a project to return G-APSA to luxury passenger operation.

Realising that the concept had more in common with classic yachts than traditional private jet operation, the refurb team commissioned the highly regarded London superyacht studio of Bannenberg & Rowell to create an interior befitting this exceptional aircraft.

The Cloudmaster will accommodate up to 30 passengers in uncommon comfort aboard an aircraft capable of transatlantic operations. Guests will enjoy spectacular views from the large cabin windows, often from the low altitudes that, unlike jet aircraft, G-APSA can access without performance penalty. When more appropriate to do so, she can of course operate in the airways, utilising a supremely comfortable fresh air pressurisation system that is so good it is now the model for the system on the new Boeing 787. (For the techs, this uses dedicated turbines to gently compress ambient atmospheric air, rather than using the dry and sometimes oily bleed air tapped off the jet engines of modern aircraft).

The Cloudmaster’s four Pratt & Whitney “Double Wasp” radial engines each have 18 cylinders, ranged in two rows and fired by a robust dual ignition system. With water injection the engines produce a mighty 2,500 hp, while in the cruise they burn a total of just 1,000 kg of fuel per hour. Astonishingly, the fuel required for a given trip is the same as the smaller cabin Embraer ERJ195 airliner, designed over 50 years later.

Ownership of the Cloudmaster is now available to a maximum of 8 shareholders who together will have unlimited access to the aircraft on at least 300 days each year. They will enjoy the use of this utterly unique aircraft at considerably less than the cost of a comparable business jet, with fixed costs divided among each share. The aircraft will be managed by a team of industry professionals with expertise in all areas of modern aviation, as well as in the special techniques required for the DC-6.

The Cloudmaster, though a true original, benefits from excellent spares back-up and a body of engineers and pilots well versed in her operation and maintenance. Her construction uses current alloys and the design is mature and well understood.

If you’d like to buy a share in the Cloudmaster, you can click the link - www.cloudmaster.aero to visit the website and learn more.

This feature was contributed by Julian Firth.

from SILODROME

Casey Stoner appointed Member of the Order of Australia

Casey Stoner may have retired from motorcycle racing last season at the age of 27, however the two-time former World MotoGP champion continues to receive accolades for his past performances and the former MotoGP superstar has been newly appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia.

For those who don’t know what the Order of Australia is (don’t worry I had to look it up too), it is an “honours system that confers recognition for outstanding achievement and service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group,” and individuals are nominated by other individuals or groups, and Stoner was naturally nominated for his service to motorcycle racing.

Stoner who is currently racing in the Australian Dunlop V8 Supercars Development Series, was already honored by the Phillip Island race circuit who named a corner after him, and he received the Young Australian of the Year award - along with three others -in 2008 after winning his first MotoGP World Championship with Ducati.

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