An anecdote about the design of the linkage for the type 352 gearbox and later, the 365.
My contact at Torrington from 45 years or so ago was Malcolm Stewart.
He was summoned to Hethel to help design the system. Evidently, he and one of the designers spent a couple of weeks trying to devise a linkage. It could not be the same as the soon-to-be superseded 336.
They were struggling.
Malcolm told me that he and the designer were at a desk when they were joined by Colin Chapman.
It was explained to Chapman what they were trying to do. Chapman said, "Let me have a look at your drawings".
He quickly scanned over them and then stated, "Right, you need a system that starts at the gear lever and ends at the gearbox's selector shaft. Something like this."
He sketched a design.
"There", said Chapman, "We need a jointed system for ease of use. Use tubes; they are light. Only two are required. A front tube connected to a rear tube by a universal-joint. The rear tube needs a coupling onto the selector shaft with the same type of uj. Oh, and put a support for the centre joint. A rose joint should do it, with a bracket bolted onto the bellhousing. Malcolm. your steering joints should do the trick. Get this drawn up."
And with that, Chapman proceeded on his way.
It had taken him only a few minutes to consider the problem and sketch out a solution. And do what Malcolm and the engineer had been wrestling with for weeks.
Malcolm told me he had heard that Chapman was a brilliant designer but was dumbfounded by just how good he was.
