Lucas Pi in a factory race Mini

[john.r.davies]

Triumph were the first to put fuel injection in a production car, but Lucas Pi was used by Ford in their race Capris, and Maserati too.

But I never knew that BMC used it in their race Minis, until I read "Anatomy of the Works Minis", by Brian Moyan.

 

 

This shows one of the Minis prepared by Cooper on the factories behalf, for Group 5 racing in 1967.

The M/u was driven off an extended cam shaft, by a belt (!).

It's invisible in the pic, but you can see them coming together between the first and second intakes from the left.

The injectors and lines are most familiar!

 

JOhn

Edited June 22, 2016 by john.r.davies

[Alec Pringle]

Maserati were surely the first manufacturers to fit PI, the Mk1 version, onto a small volume production car ? 1960 onwards . . . . .

 

Triumph were, I think, the first to utilise the Mk2 PI on a production car.

 

Racing history goes back to at least the 1956 works Jaguars, and PI development to the early 1940s . . . . .

 

Cooper utilised the PI system in several applications.

 

Cheers

 

Alec

[stuart]

Back in the day there was a MK2 Jaguar around down here with Tecalemet Jackson mechanical injection fitted as a test bed, would go like stink but max 8MPG!

Stuart.

[peejay4A]

Cross flow head on that Mini from the looks of it.

[Bill944T]

INTRODUCTION

 

The petrol injection system, Mark 1, has been outstandingly successful on high performance cars, particularly in the international field. its achievements have been well reported in the national press. The success story started in 1957, when a Jaguar, fitted with Lucas petrol injection won the Le Mans 24-hour event. By 1965 almost every serious contender on the European racing circuits was using Lucas petrol injection. During 1966 and 1967 the first three places in almost every Grand Prix event were held by racing cars, equipped with Lucas injection, Mark 1.

 

The Mark II Petrol Injection system has now been designed for sports cars and high-powered cars. It is suitable for engines developing up to 150 b.h.p., and is engineered to extremely fine limits. Although the Mark II is a simplfied design, compared to the Mark 1, it retains all the essential features, which have been proved on the racing circuits of the world.

 

The above is an extract from a red card covered Lucas booklet of 15 single sided typed numbered pages with reference to Fig1 to 19 that are not included. I've had the booklet so long now I can't remember its origin and I don't recall buying it off eBay. Does anyone have more info on this undated, but definitly late 60's item and the missing figures?

 

Regards

 

Bill

Edited June 22, 2016 by Bill944T

[Graham Robson]

Not only was that PI cylinder head on the Mini-Cooper S cross-flow, but it was eight port too. Development work was carried out by Eddie Maher's little team at the BMC (Morris) Engines branch in Coventry and not - as some stories tell us - by Downton. It was used in racing Cooper Ss, but not 'works' rally cars, from 1967.

 

One or two such engines and their cars still exist, and are known to the Mini Cooper Register.

 

Incidentally, and AFAIK, the 'works' Capri race cars (built in Germany) almost all used Kugelfischer fuel injection (not Lucas), which figures, for all the obvious political reasons ....

 

Hon. Pres.

[DaveN]

I seem to remember some minis having 4 Amal concentric carburettors on a cross flow head too!

[GUY BENNETT]

Gerry Marshall also raced his Firenza's fitted with Lucas Injection.

Edited June 23, 2016 by GUY BENNETT

[Andy Moltu]

Lucas PI popped up on a lot of racer engine in the day.

I knew cross flow heads had been used on Minis but not Lucas PI.

Are any still running?

[john.r.davies]

Andy,

Posting about this on Sideways turned up this Tecalamit Instruction Manual from Alan "oldtuckunder" : http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/tJ_injection_manual.pdf

 

Bill,

I have a copy of that red-covered Lucas manual, which includes all the illustrations and "Workshop Instructions" too. It's a reprint published by the Wheatsheaf Press in Wilmslow: http://www.wheatsheafprint.co.uk/

 

Graham,

No argument! In his Capri reference book, Jeremy Walton describes Lucas being used on the Cosworth version of the 3L Ford V6 Essex engine for Group 2 in 1972.

There are several pics of the installation, and this lovely Terry Collins cut-away drawing.

 

 

Walton says that "It would be a surprise if Cosworth had gone anywhere else for their DFV engine.... and the majority of racing miles were with Lucas" although as you say, "the Germans inevitably later put Kugelfischer on it"

 

John

Edited June 23, 2016 by john.r.davies

[Graham Robson]

OK, to get the story absolutely right, the so-called '1972' Capri engine illustrated by John R.Davies was a 1974, the '3.0-litre' Cosworth version was a 3.4-litre, the road-car engine was pushrod OHV, and the race engine was twin-cam-per-bank, and that usage was purely for racing. A few engines had Lucas, but the Germans rapidly substituted Kugelfischer instead.

 

Hon. Pres.

[k_raven_smith]

The 3.4 was known as a GAA I've overhead about 7 metering units for these and 2 for minis in the last 2 years.

[Bill944T]

Bill,

I have a copy of that red-covered Lucas manual, which includes all the illustrations and "Workshop Instructions" too. It's a reprint published by the Wheatsheaf Press in Wilmslow: http://www.wheatsheafprint.co.uk/

Thank you John. I haven't had a reply to my email (below) sent last Thursday......

Regards

Bill

Hi

 

I gather from a post on the TR6 forum that you may have reprints of the Lucas petrol injection manual.

I have a copy of that red-covered Lucas manual, which includes all the illustrations and "Workshop Instructions" too. It's a reprint published by the Wheatsheaf Press in Wilmslow: http://www.wheatsheafprint.co.uk/

Could you please let me know details and prices?

 

Regards

 

Bill

[trolleybus]

Just thought I would chuck this in.

 

Lucas injection was used on the Cosworth DFV which won more races than any other F1 engine.

[Ragtag]

Triumph were the first to put fuel injection in a production car,

 

Doesn't the 300SL count as a 'Production Car'?

[john.r.davies]

The 300SL Gullwing had DIRECT fuel injection, straight into the combustion chamber, a technology that has only recently reached production cars.

And as only 3258 were ever built, was it a "production" car? Or a hand built 'special'?

At that time, that number was barely enough to achieve 'homologation'.

 

How many TR6s and 2.5 Saloons did Triumph make with Pi?

TR6 - 8370 for the UK market. US cars got carbs

2.5 Pi Mk1 9029

2.5 Pi Mk2 49272

 

Now THAT is a production car!

John

[astontr6]

Hi Bill!

 

I have a copy of the Red Lucas Booklet, mine is dated 1971, it contains 32 pages and is divided into 2 sections. Mine also starts off with the same wording as you describe. I believe that you have only the Part 1 Section? Part 2 covers the Workshop instructions for Triumph Cars. If the Register does not have a copy perhaps I should offer my copy for them to copy, as it would answer many of the questions asked on this Forum.

 

Bruce.