Here’s a special treat. This wonderful film short gives us a rare look inside a classic British engine, the 1971 Jaguar V12, with two of Britain’s greatest engine men: Walter Hassan and Harry Mundy. Don’t miss this!
This is a special piece of British motor history. This short video walks us through the design and development of the fascinating Jaguar V12 engine (1971-1997). Better yet, serving as our tour guides are the two men chiefly responsible for the project, Harry Mundy and Walter Hassan.
Both these men had long, distinguished careers in the British motor industry, racing in particular. Hassan started at Bentley at age 15 and made key contributions at ERA, Coventry Climax, and Jaguar. His friend and associate Mundy worked for Alvis, ERA, Morris, BRM, and Climax before he arrived at Jaguar, and he also served as technical editor at The AutoCar magazine.
In the film, Hassan and Mundy share a number of intriguing insights about the Jaguar V12’s design details, from bearing sizes to combustion chamber design. But beyond that, it’s simply a thrill to watch and listen as these two greats talk engines.
As an added bonus, the host and narrator of this little film is Raymond Baxter, the great BBC presenter and broadcaster, who also happened to be a skilled rally driver and keen automotive enthusiast. MCG feels privileged in sharing this video clip. Please enjoy it.
Harry Mundy also designed the Lotus Twin Cam head. Colin Chapman offered him his choice of 1,000 pounds as a fee or a 1 pound per head royalty. Mundy wasn’t sure that Lotus would survive so he took the up front money, but later regretted it after Lotus made about 40,000 Twin Cams.
Absolutely wonderful. It’s one thing to read about these guys but to see them and hear them speak really brings life to the names. The interview seemed a bit formal and stuffy yet there were hints – the twinkle in Harry’s eye especially – that all three would have had a good laugh once the cameras stopped rolling. Thank you Mac, fantastic stuff.
That’s exactly why it’s posted — closest thing to seeing these men in the flesh.
Raymond Baxter wasn’t just a sportsman and broadcaster. He flew Spitfires for the RAF in the Mediterranean and European theatres between 1943 and 1945.