Pelland Engineering
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Pelland Engineering was a British engineering company that produced kit cars and made an attempt on the world land-speed record for steam cars.
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[edit] The Pelland Sports
On his return from Australia, Peter Pellandine set up Pelland Engineering at Thetford, Norfolk. In 1979, he began to manufacture kit cars developed from his Pellandini steam car. The two seat Pelland Sports used the Volkswagen Beetle drivetrain but mounted backwards to create a mid-engined configuration. This was intended to enhance the dynamic characteristics of the car. The bodyshell was a GRP monocoque with VW front torsion bar suspension but Pellandine's own design traverse-leaf arrangement at the rear. It was essentially a roadster but a gullwing hardtop was available.
The design was sold to Ryder Cars of Coventry in 1980 who marketed it as the Rembrandt.
Listair subtly updated the styling in the late 1980s and sold it as the Dash. They also offered the option of an Alfa Romeo Alfasud engine.
Dash Sportscars of Chesterwood, Hereford then took on the project in 1990.
Around 1996/7 the project was sold to Richard Bell of West Sussex.
The Dash demo car and molds were passed on to Mel Hubberd of Manx Buggies (www.manxbuggies.co.uk), the original Pelland molds and company went to Dana Point California when Richard moved there in 2003.
[edit] The Pelland Steamer
The Pelland Sports formed the basis of the Pelland Mk II Steam Car. It was a project Pellandine had originally started in Australia with funding from the Australian government. It had a three-cylinder double acting engine in a 'broad-arrow' configuration. This was mounted in a tubular steel chassis, with a Kevlar body giving a gross weight of just 1,050 lb. Uncomplicated and robust, the steam engine was claimed to give trouble-free, efficient performance. It had huge torque (1,100 ft·lbf) at zero engine revs, and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 8 seconds.
Pelladine's intention was to break the world land-speed record for steam cars which stood at 127.66 mph. He made a number of attempts to set a record, but was repeatedly thwarted by technical problems. The last attempt was in 1991. Subsequently sold at Christie's, this historic car can be viewed at the Lakeland Motor Museum at Holker Hall, Cark-in-Cartmel, Cumbria.
[edit] The Pelland Sports Mk II
Peter Pellandine marketed an all-new version of his Pelland Sports in 1989. It also used a GRP monocoque but with bespoke double wishbone suspension and a mid-mounted Alfa Romeo Alfasud powertrain. It was available in both roadster and coupe versions with traditional style doors, rather than the gullwings of earlier projects. The car's roadholding was described as superb by "Kitcars International" magazine.
[edit] References
- Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885 to present - G N Georgano (1982)
- The Kitcars International Guide to Kit Cars and Their Values 1964 to 1991 - Haydn Davies and Ian Hyne (1991)
