IF TeERE’S A CAR that defines the heroic VSCC Edwardian aero-engined special, this is it, looking the part right down to the drainpipe exhausts that, at 4¼in in diameter, could in fact swallow the average drainpipe. And if the engine dominates the story… well, that’s because the engine does rather dominate the whole plot. But its owner of the past seven years describes it as ‘a pussycat’ and has the dri ing pictures from Harewood to prove it.
‘It’ is the Viper, a holy marriage of 1913 Vauxhall chassis and a 1918 Hispano-Suiza V8 displacing almost 12 litres. And no front brakes, naturally.
This is a hugely significant engine because, as built under licence as the E4 by Wright Bros, it was the first properly reliable engine of WW1 – meaning that…
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Octane (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 1, 2015