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1928 Chamberlain 8 race car

Details

ProvenancePurchased by the National Motor Museum in December 2017. Previously owned by the Chamblerain brothers.SignificanceTHE CHAMBERLAIN 8 c1929 and 1935
“We didn’t buy an engine and gearbox and alter them round, or put an Amilcar axle in a MG chassis. We designed and built it all”. Bob Chamberlain.
Most people involved in the history of Australian motor racing during the last 95 years would concur that there has never been another racing car quite like the Chamberlain 8. It’s a baffling wonderment and a certain example of the old saying: “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Is this piece of automotive mastery at best an incongruous piece of machinery that never quite worked, or is it the most originally conceived masterpiece of automotive engineering ever seen? Most importantly, this work of mechanical genius that was conceived in 1928, and the creation of its astonishing engine in 1935, holds the distinction of being the only racing car completely designed and built in Australia without the use of components from other makes.
Alan Hawker “Bob” Chamberlain was a young engineer from Melbourne, a brilliant shining light amidst the gloom of the Great Depression and he conceived the plans for his own car in a nation that had a limited car manufacturing industry. Necessity was the mother of invention as everything considered crucial was 12,000 miles away which imposed a lengthy wait. Automotive parts were prohibitively expensive in Australia and anything ordered from overseas took weeks to arrive by sea.
The most astounding impact of this extraordinary piece of engineering history coming into existence, is that not one but eight areas of mechanical innovation contribute to the uniqueness of the Chamberlain 8.
At this point, it should be clarified that the number 8 used in the Chamberlain’s model identification refers to the number of pistons rather than the cylinders or other points of its mechanical innovation. What is astonishing is that even one of the following ground-breaking engineering achievements, let alone all of them, took place during such an early period of automotive development in Australia! These ground-breaking features included:
· A four-cylinder supercharged two stroke engine with stepped bores, vertically opposed eight pistons and two crankshafts, one of which runs through the skirts of the top pistons;
· An engine which runs up to 8000 rpm;
· Twin Ignition with two plugs per cylinder, producing 64,000 sparks per minute (from eight coils) at 8000 engine rpm;
· Front-wheel drive with inboard brakes;
· Four-wheel independent suspension;
· A space frame of small diameter tubes, much of it triangulated;
· An 1100 cubic centimetre 85+ bhp motor;
· The entire car was built in Australia.
Leading Specifications of the Chamberlain 8 Racing Car:
Year of construction: 1928 (car) & 1935 (engine)
Engine: 4 cylinders, 1078cc, two – stroke with two crankshafts & eight opposed pistons,
Carburation: One – Vacturi carburettor with Rootes-type superchargerDescriptionThis is a hand-painted unfired clay house. The house is oblong in shape, stone-coloured, with a brown painted base and cut-out windows. The window frames are wooden and are painted blue. The artwork is entitled 'My House'.Creator (person) Creator (organisation) Acknowledgement Keywordsmotor racingracingSportDate of CreationDate of UsageMaterialunfired clay
Accession NumberHT 2017.0309On DisplayNational Motor Museum

Vehicle Information

YearEngine No1Chassis No1ColourSilverModel8MakeChamberlain

Connections

PlaceBirdwood, South AustraliaCollectionLet’s Get PhysicalNational Motor Museum Collection

Image Credits

Image FilenameHT2017-0309_CI7422.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0

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Image FilenameHT2017-0309_CI7423.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0

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Image FilenameHT2017-0309_CI7421.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0

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Image FilenameHT2017-0309_CI7424.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0

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Image FilenameHT2017-0309_CI7417.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0

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Image FilenameHT2017-0309_CI7420.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0

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Image FilenameHT2017-0309_CI7342.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0

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