Hewland
Encyclopedia
Founded by Mike Hewland in 1957, Hewland is a British
engineering company specialising in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland was the first company to manufacture a bespoke racing-car gearbox.
The first product, the Hewland Mk1, was a minor modification of a Volkswagen
box for Lola for their Formula Junior
cars. Within a few years the company moved to manufacturing sideplates and gear clusters, only using the VW main case. These gearboxes became widely used in Formula Junior
and Formula Three
. The first gearbox designed by Hewland was the HD4 in 1963, where the HD stood for Hewland Design.
By removing the synchronizers from the original VW beetle transaxle module, room was created for a 5th forward speed. all gears a straight-cut, constant-mesh type with dog (motorcycle-type) engagement rather than sliding engagement. the driver quickly gets used to the crash type operation since rotating masses are small. in addition to the advantage of the 5th speed with close ratios, the gear ratios may quickly be changed in the field to match the needs of a particular track. any burrs created by bad shifts are polished off during operation by the constant gear rotation. many models of racing cars built in britain and the u.s. since 1962 have used this transmission.
, Hewland were persuaded to design and build the AE75, a 75 bhp aero-engine for Noble's forthcoming ARV Super2
, a novel British 2-seater light aircraft. This engine, an inverted three-cylinder water-cooled two-stroke unit with dual ignition
and a 2.7:1 reduction gearbox, was developed from Hewland's existing two-cylinder microlight engine. The AE75 was very light at 49 kg (108 lb), thereby contributing to the overall lightness of the aircraft, so that the ARV Super2 weighed 40% less than its competitor, the Cessna 152
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
engineering company specialising in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland was the first company to manufacture a bespoke racing-car gearbox.
The first product, the Hewland Mk1, was a minor modification of a Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
box for Lola for their Formula Junior
Formula Junior
Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI . The class was intended to provide an entry level class where you could use inexpensive mechanical components from ordinary automobiles...
cars. Within a few years the company moved to manufacturing sideplates and gear clusters, only using the VW main case. These gearboxes became widely used in Formula Junior
Formula Junior
Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI . The class was intended to provide an entry level class where you could use inexpensive mechanical components from ordinary automobiles...
and Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
. The first gearbox designed by Hewland was the HD4 in 1963, where the HD stood for Hewland Design.
By removing the synchronizers from the original VW beetle transaxle module, room was created for a 5th forward speed. all gears a straight-cut, constant-mesh type with dog (motorcycle-type) engagement rather than sliding engagement. the driver quickly gets used to the crash type operation since rotating masses are small. in addition to the advantage of the 5th speed with close ratios, the gear ratios may quickly be changed in the field to match the needs of a particular track. any burrs created by bad shifts are polished off during operation by the constant gear rotation. many models of racing cars built in britain and the u.s. since 1962 have used this transmission.
ARV Super2
After an approach from Richard NobleRichard Noble
Richard Noble, OBE was the holder of the land speed record between 1983 and 1997, and was the project director of ThrustSSC, the vehicle which holds the current land speed record, set at Black Rock Desert, Nevada in 1997....
, Hewland were persuaded to design and build the AE75, a 75 bhp aero-engine for Noble's forthcoming ARV Super2
ARV Super2
The ARV Super2 is a British two-seat, strut-braced, shoulder wing, light aircraft, designed by Bruce Giddings as an affordable trainer. Around 35 aircraft were produced in the 1980s before the manufacturing companies went into liquidation....
, a novel British 2-seater light aircraft. This engine, an inverted three-cylinder water-cooled two-stroke unit with dual ignition
Dual ignition
Dual Ignition is a system for spark-ignition engines, whereby each cylinder has every critical ignition component duplicated, including spark plugs, magnetos and ignition circuits, rather than the more usual single spark plug or circuit...
and a 2.7:1 reduction gearbox, was developed from Hewland's existing two-cylinder microlight engine. The AE75 was very light at 49 kg (108 lb), thereby contributing to the overall lightness of the aircraft, so that the ARV Super2 weighed 40% less than its competitor, the Cessna 152
Cessna 152
The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed tricycle gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use.-Development:...
.