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Post World War 2, Vulcan were best known as producers of commercial vehicles, however the Vulcan concern at one time made one or two first-rate sporting models. Probably the best of them was the 1922 sports-tourer, fitted with the ingenious 3562-c.c. (90 x 140-mm.) four-cylinder sleeve-valve Howard engine. This very fine power unit developed well over 82 b.h.p., which gave the satisfactory power-to-weight ratio of 55-h.p. per ton. Semi-elliptic springs were used, the rear being underslung, and a four-speed gearbox was employed.
In the main, the chief attraction about the sleeve-valve Vulcan was its top-gear performance, and contemporary motoring journalists compared the car favourably with large-engined, six-cylinder vehicles. Maximum speed was just under 80 m.p.h., and happiest cruising speed was 50-55 m.p.h. The Howard engine was rather unusual in that it closely resembled an overhead-valve unit, a vertical shaft and internal cams being utilised to drive the sleeves which were situated in the cylinder heads. As there were two inlet and exhaust ports per cylinder, the power unit was much the same as if at least four poppet valves per cylinder were employed. This particular engine appears to have been noticeably free from the smoking which was a marked characteristic of early sleeve-valve cars. |
