Pelland Engineering
Encyclopedia
Pelland Engineering was a British engineering company that produced kit car
s and made an attempt on the world land-speed record for steam car
s.
, Peter Pellandine
set up Pelland Engineering at Thetford
, Norfolk
. In 1979, he began to manufacture kit cars developed from his Pellandini
steam car. The two-seater Pelland Sports used the Volkswagen Beetle
drivetrain
but mounted backwards to create a mid-engined configuration. This was intended to enhance the dynamic characteristics of the car. The body shell was a GRP
monocoque
with VW front torsion bar suspension but Pellandine's own design traverse-leaf arrangement at the rear. It was essentially a roadster but a gull-wing
hardtop was available.
The design was sold to Ryder Cars of Coventry
in 1980 who marketed it as the Rembrandt and explored the feasibility of replacing the flat4 VW engine with a midmounted water cooled Ford Kent Crossflow engine. The company was then sold on to Graham Autos based in Tyneside. Very few cars were built by either business and some time later it was sold again to Listair.
Listair subtly updated the styling in the late 1980s and sold it as the Dash. They also offered the option of an Alfa Romeo Alfasud
engine.
Dash Sports Cars of Chesterwood
, Hereford
then took on the project in 1990.
Around 1996/7 the project was sold to Richard Bell who moved from England and took the project with him to Dana Point in Southern California. Bell still owns 3 examples of the cars and continues to research the history of the marque.
Chris Evans based near Inverness, Scotland is the Owner, Secretary & Treasurer of the Pelland Rembrant Register. The club boasts a small membership but as at April 2009 has located 19 surviving examples. Chris, himself, owns five cars of which two are complete runners whilst two of the others are undergoing restoration and the last one is in the final stages of modification prior to it being used as a basis to produce fresh moulds. This latest derivation, (Name to be decided), is a little larger and more practical but retains the character of Peter Pellandine's original creation.
Paul Pellandine built the first two VW powered versions in South Australia and the first UK model in 1979. He still has his now sky blue car in Northern NSW Australia completely restored.
The Dash demo car and moulds were passed on to Mel Hubberd of Manx Buggies in Norfolk, England.
, with a Kevlar
body giving a gross weight of just 1050 lb (476.3 kg). Uncomplicated and robust, the steam engine was claimed to give trouble-free, efficient performance. It had huge torque
(1100 ft·lbf (1,491.4 N·m)) at zero engine revs, and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mi/h in under 8 seconds.
Pelladine's intention was to break the world land-speed record for steam cars which stood at 127.66 mi/h. He made a number of attempts to set a record, but was repeatedly thwarted by technical problems. The last attempt was in 1991. Subsequently sold at Christie's
, this historic car can be viewed at the Lakeland Motor Museum
in Backbarrow
, Cumbria.
Pellandine moved back to Australia in the 1990s where he continued to develop the Steamer. The latest version is the Mark IV.
powertrain. It was available in both roadster and coupé versions with traditional-style doors, rather than the gullwings of earlier projects. The car's roadholding was described as "superb" by Kitcars International magazine.
Kit car
A kit car, also known as a "component car", is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then either assembles into a car themselves, or retains a third party to do part or all of the work on their behalf...
s and made an attempt on the world land-speed record for steam car
Steam car
A steam car is a light car powered by a steam engine.Steam locomotives, steam engines capable of propelling themselves along either road or rails, developed around one hundred years earlier than internal combustion engine cars although their weight restricted them to agricultural and heavy haulage...
s.
The Pelland Sports
On his return from AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Peter Pellandine
Peter Pellandine
Peter Pellandine was an influential car designer and manufacturer in the field of specials/kit cars and steam-powered vehicles in both the UK and Australia.-Biography:Worked for the prestigious British coachbuilders H. J...
set up Pelland Engineering at Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. In 1979, he began to manufacture kit cars developed from his Pellandini
Pellandini Cars
Pellandini Cars was a manufacturer of kit cars during the early 1970s that was located in South Australia.- History :Englishman Peter Pellandine founded Pellandini Cars Ltd in 1970 at Cherry Gardens, South Australia. He first produced a curvy, gull-wing coupe that used a mid-mounted BMC Mini...
steam car. The two-seater Pelland Sports used the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
drivetrain
Powertrain
In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, differentials, and the final drive...
but mounted backwards to create a mid-engined configuration. This was intended to enhance the dynamic characteristics of the car. The body shell was a GRP
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
with VW front torsion bar suspension but Pellandine's own design traverse-leaf arrangement at the rear. It was essentially a roadster but a gull-wing
Gull-wing door
Gull-wing door is an automotive industry term describing car doors that are hinged at the roof rather than the side, as pioneered by the 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL race car and its road-legal version introduced in 1954....
hardtop was available.
The design was sold to Ryder Cars of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
in 1980 who marketed it as the Rembrandt and explored the feasibility of replacing the flat4 VW engine with a midmounted water cooled Ford Kent Crossflow engine. The company was then sold on to Graham Autos based in Tyneside. Very few cars were built by either business and some time later it was sold again to Listair.
Listair subtly updated the styling in the late 1980s and sold it as the Dash. They also offered the option of an Alfa Romeo Alfasud
Alfa Romeo Alfasud
The Alfa Romeo Alfasud is a compact car made by Alfa Romeo of Italy from 1971 to 1989. It was considered one of Alfa Romeo's most successful models, sold 893,719 examples from 1972 to 1983 plus 121,434 Sprint versions from 1976 to 1989. A common nickname for the car is ’Sud...
engine.
Dash Sports Cars of Chesterwood
Chesterwood
Chesterwood is a village in Northumberland, in England. It is situated a short distance to the north-west of Haydon Bridge on the North Tyne, west of Hexham.- Governance :Chesterwood is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham....
, Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
then took on the project in 1990.
Around 1996/7 the project was sold to Richard Bell who moved from England and took the project with him to Dana Point in Southern California. Bell still owns 3 examples of the cars and continues to research the history of the marque.
Chris Evans based near Inverness, Scotland is the Owner, Secretary & Treasurer of the Pelland Rembrant Register. The club boasts a small membership but as at April 2009 has located 19 surviving examples. Chris, himself, owns five cars of which two are complete runners whilst two of the others are undergoing restoration and the last one is in the final stages of modification prior to it being used as a basis to produce fresh moulds. This latest derivation, (Name to be decided), is a little larger and more practical but retains the character of Peter Pellandine's original creation.
Paul Pellandine built the first two VW powered versions in South Australia and the first UK model in 1979. He still has his now sky blue car in Northern NSW Australia completely restored.
The Dash demo car and moulds were passed on to Mel Hubberd of Manx Buggies in Norfolk, England.
The Pelland Steamer
The Pelland Sports formed the basis of the first Pelland steam car called "The Steam Cat" This was the same fibreglass monocoque chassis and used a twin-cylinder double-acting compound engine. The car was built to a contract with the South Australian Government in 1974. It currently is at the National Motor museum at Birdwood South Australia. In 1977 the Pelland Mk II Steam Car was built. It was a project Pellandine had originally started in Australia with funding from the Australian government. It had a three-cylinder double-acting engine in a 'broad-arrow' configuration. This was mounted in a tubular steel chassisChassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
, with a Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
body giving a gross weight of just 1050 lb (476.3 kg). Uncomplicated and robust, the steam engine was claimed to give trouble-free, efficient performance. It had huge torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
(1100 ft·lbf (1,491.4 N·m)) at zero engine revs, and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mi/h in under 8 seconds.
Pelladine's intention was to break the world land-speed record for steam cars which stood at 127.66 mi/h. He made a number of attempts to set a record, but was repeatedly thwarted by technical problems. The last attempt was in 1991. Subsequently sold at Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
, this historic car can be viewed at the Lakeland Motor Museum
Lakeland Motor Museum
The Lakeland Motor Museum is a museum now located at Backbarrow, Cumbria, England which houses a collection of classic cars, motorcycles, bicycles, pedal cars and motoring related items and memorabilia and an exhibition dedicated to the land and water speed record activities of Sir Malcolm Campbell...
in Backbarrow
Backbarrow
Backbarrow is a village in the Lake District National Park in England. It lies on the River Leven about 5 miles northeast of Ulverston in the Furness, traditionally and historically part of Lancashire and still part of Lancashire County Palatine, now also in the region of the county of...
, Cumbria.
Pellandine moved back to Australia in the 1990s where he continued to develop the Steamer. The latest version is the Mark IV.
The Pelland Sports Mk II
Peter Pellandine marketed an all-new version of his Pelland Sports in 1989. It also used a GRP monocoque but with bespoke double-wishbone suspension and a mid-mounted Alfa Romeo AlfasudAlfa Romeo Alfasud
The Alfa Romeo Alfasud is a compact car made by Alfa Romeo of Italy from 1971 to 1989. It was considered one of Alfa Romeo's most successful models, sold 893,719 examples from 1972 to 1983 plus 121,434 Sprint versions from 1976 to 1989. A common nickname for the car is ’Sud...
powertrain. It was available in both roadster and coupé versions with traditional-style doors, rather than the gullwings of earlier projects. The car's roadholding was described as "superb" by Kitcars International magazine.
