OT: 1935 Richardo and a two stoke Spitfire engine

We can thank Sir Harry Recardo for the Model A head design. Although the flat head is not as efficient in pumping air as the overhead design, the combustion chamber design is highly efficient in burning the fuel. Recardo did pioneering work in combustion chamber design in the 1920's leading to the Model A head design.
 
Dad found a copy of his book on an Army library sales table. Still has 50 cents penciled inside the cover. It was on one of the living-room end tables all through my teens and we had many fun discussions over those pages and diagrams. My Uncle Bill designed a Ricardo-style sleeve valve engine in the 1970s but died before he ever cut chips on it.
 
The scream from the exhaust must have been something. I remember how 2 stroke, 4 cylinder 750cc racing motorcycles sounded.
 
IMO, the sound of a Merlin engine demands respect. I imagine to hear the 2 stroke version would have been a whole different level but it was a dead end - the future was jet engines.
I have to hand it to those English engineers - they knew what they were doing. These days, a battery powered drone is the future. Simplicity trumps complexity again!
 
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