The Chamberlain 8 contesting a Light Car Club of Australia sprint meeting at Pakenham, 55 km northeast of Melbourne in the late 1940s.
There are lengthy articles about this revolutionary car here: https://primotipo.com/2015/07/24/chamberlain-8-by-john-medley-and-mark-bisset/ and here: https://primotipo.com/2022/11/05/chamberlain-indian/
Yes, it is two-stroke smoke!
The Chamberlain at rest between runs, Mount Tarrengower, in April 1947 perhaps. See here for more on this great, challenging venue: https://primotipo.com/2020/08/21/mount-tarrengower-2/
This pair of shots are of Jim Hawker at the 16th Rob Roy in June 1948 above, and the 10th Rob Roy meeting below, in 1946.
Peeling out during a run at the Vintage Sports Car Club speed trials on June 16, 1947.
Spaceframe chassis, independent suspension front and rear, front wheel drive, and a complex four cylinder 1.1-litre, stepped bore, eight-piston, vertically opposed, supercharged two-stroke, twin-plug engine amongst its pre-war bag of tricks.
Credits…
George Thomas via the State Library of Victoria
Finito…
primotipo... 
Hi Mark, do you know if that is The Harry Hawker, of Hawker Aircraft fame?
Cheers,Rob.
Rob,
My slip-the-tongue, it’s Jim Hawker, not Harry.
There was a family connection though, THE Harry Hawker was Bob Chamberlain’s Uncle. I don’t have my copy of the Chamberlain book to hand to check exactly where Jim Hawker fitted into the mix.
Mark
Thanks. As I’m a warbird nut(due my Dad’s RAAF war service) and motor sport fan I was intruiged! Not enough Aussies are aware of Harry being an Aussie that went on to build that oh so famous brand of Birds! Most famously,the Hurricane,that WAS the backbone of the RAF in the Battle of Britain. Love your work,mate.
Might I reaffirm (to myself and to other writers) that the Chamberlain 8 was not an “8”, but a four cylinder eight piston two stroke, the other “4 cylinders” being part of the inlet system?
I found McEvoy’s original seminal article on this engine design in either “Motor” or “the Autocar” long long ago, but no longer have a record of this. Worth searching? Indeed.
Thanks John,
I’ve corrected it, back to your original article; a complex four cylinder 1.1-litre, stepped bore, eight-piston, vertically opposed, supercharged two-stroke, twin-plug engine…
Simple really!
regards,
Mark