Vintage Thing No.119 - McCandless R2 four wheel drive 500
As the sun sets on the Goodwood paddock I spotted the dull gleam of unpainted alleluiah I'd never heard of this device until I clapped eyes on it last year at the 2011 Goodwood Revival but it seems it's "world famous in Ulster". It's the McCandless four wheel drive 500cc racer and like most good 500cc racers from the early fifties it sports a Manx Norton engine. But in the spirit of pioneering experimentation every wheel was driven. McCandless to me is synonymous with the designer of the Norton Featherbed frame and it was the same Rex McCandless behind that piece of rolling sculpture that produced this little four wheel drive car. Its purpose was to gain first hand experience of how powertrain, steering and suspension would interact when all wheels are driven. Not a great picture but you get the idea In 1951 McCandless met fellow Ulsterman Harry Ferguson and the two embarked on a project to develop a four wheel drive car for the military. Believing ...