[Fot] automotive design

[John Macartney]

Steve,
As others have commented, the TR wasn't the first car ever to have front disc brakes, though it was 
certainly the first British sports car in the more budget price sector to have them. In that regard, 
it was a bit of one-upmanship against the likes of Austin Healey, MG and Sunbeam Talbot.

I'm surmising here - and I'm sure Paul Richardson would confirm from the extensive records he has 
from his late father, Ken - that TR3 heavy braking with drum brakes on the European Alpine rallies 
of the early 1950's led to serious brake fade and possible boiling of fluid? Although it wasn't a 
TR, my own bug-eye Sprite had terrifyingly inadequate front drum brakes (through fade) when used on 
those same roads. Needless to say, the Sprite wasn't being driven nearly as fast as a TR but the 
lack of effective braking was a good alternative to an effective laxative!

Don't construe this response to indicate that drum brakes per se are ineffective. Rolls Royce and 
Bentley used excellent four shoe front drum brakes for years and I think up to the end of the 
1960's. An uncle had a RR Phantom which I drove on occasions. I recall that stopping about three 
tons of the best English drawing-room from around 80mph in a somewhat urgent situation was both 
impressive and very effective.

Cheers, Jonmac

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven Preiss" <spreiss at verizon.net>
To: <fot at autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 10:56 PM
Subject: [Fot] automotive design


>I am of the understanding that the 1957 TR3 was the first production car in
> the world to come with front disc brakes as standard equipment. Can anyone
> provide the story of how this coup came to pass? It seems so "un-Standard" for
> them to have been ahead of the curve in the application of modern automotive
> design at the time.
>
> Steve P.
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