A mate of mine had a Standard Beetle. Column gear lever on the right hand side of the wheel. There used to be a wreckers at Marlpit Lane, Coulsdon where I went for a bit for my Humber Hawk. I asked the bloke what all the wooden crates were for at the back of the yard and he said they were all Vanguard engines that he’d bought from the RAF but nobody wore them out. 
ERF-NGC-European:
Froggy55:
Buzzer:
BuzzerDidn’t the Bantam have a Villiers engine? Anyway, these “strokers” were not real BSAs for me.
The Bantam did have a ‘stroker’ - it was a Commer TS3; and after 1952 Perkins lumps were available!
Karrier made it.
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Interesting! Moreover, the Karrier cab looks like the Commer’s and at the time (I was in my teens), I had decided they were Commers too!
Franglais:
Ray Smyth:
Buzzer:
BuzzerI recall being informed that the 125cc BSA Bantam engine was originally from Germany,
perhaps it was discovered toward the end of WW2, or just after.Cheers, Ray Smyth.
A 1930`s DKW design it seems.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DKW_RT_125My first bike was `66 Bantam D10, 175cc but still a 3 speed box. It survived (16 year old) me “repairing and modifying” it extensively.
Thanks to all contributions concerning the BSA Bantam engine!
Froggy55:
ERF-NGC-European:
Froggy55:
Buzzer:
BuzzerDidn’t the Bantam have a Villiers engine? Anyway, these “strokers” were not real BSAs for me.
The Bantam did have a ‘stroker’ - it was a Commer TS3; and after 1952 Perkins lumps were available!
0
Interesting! Moreover, the Karrier cab looks like the Commer’s and at the time (I was in my teens), I had decided they were Commers too!
Yes indeed. Karrier passed (via Humber) into the Rootes Group in the mid-'30s as an acquisition of Commer which was already a recent Routes Group member.
The Karrier with the TS3 must have been a pokey little lorry but a bit noisy on town work.
Buzzer:
Buzzer
Pic 2. My brother had one of these with the 1.5 BMC diesel and a Borg Warner 5 automatic box. It was ex-bakery and obviously designed for around the streets deliveries. I am not sure how many were produced in this spec but it was a totally gutless wonder!
Dipster:
Buzzer:
BuzzerPic 2. My brother had one of these with the 1.5 BMC diesel and a Borg Warner 5 automatic box. It was ex-bakery and obviously designed for around the streets deliveries. I am not sure how many were produced in this spec but it was a totally gutless wonder!
We serviced several with the auto box (although most were manual) and they were reliable enough. It was a very smooth running engine and also a popular fitment for the Cambridge and Oxford taxi versions. They also made a marine version.
Pete.
peterm:
A mate of mine had a Standard Beetle. Column gear lever on the right hand side of the wheel. There used to be a wreckers at Marlpit Lane, Coulsdon where I went for a bit for my Humber Hawk. I asked the bloke what all the wooden crates were for at the back of the yard and he said they were all Vanguard engines that he’d bought from the RAF but nobody wore them out.
The 1,991cc Standard engine, bored out to make 2,138cc also went into the Triumph TR4, I think. Head, cams, etc reworked, but the same origins and bottom end.
windrush:
Dipster:
Buzzer:
BuzzerPic 2. My brother had one of these with the 1.5 BMC diesel and a Borg Warner 5 automatic box. It was ex-bakery and obviously designed for around the streets deliveries. I am not sure how many were produced in this spec but it was a totally gutless wonder!
We serviced several with the auto box (although most were manual) and they were reliable enough. It was a very smooth running engine and also a popular fitment for the Cambridge and Oxford taxi versions. They also made a marine version.
Pete.
I just realised I said it had a Borg warner 5 'box. I meant 35. My keyboard is having a thing with 3s and Xs. Built-in obsolescence in action?
Lawrence Dunbar:
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That’s a long old body on that with a hell of a hangover.