B ENGINEERING ( I ) 2001-?

Source for image not mine -is www.supercars.net/gallery/129612/1268/573000.jpg
B ENGINEERING ( I )2001-?


Edonis car Designed by Marc de Champs (F)

created by ex bugatti staff headed by Jean -Marc Borel the man who was formally present of Bugatti holdings international owes its orgins to 1991 Bugatti 110S but modernised and improved

I have 2 references both when a car is driven - No doubt lot more out there since

Preview, Profile of the firm and driving impression "The Edonist"
See: 14th Feb 2001 Autocar (GB) Pages 54-55;57;59 Volume 227 Issue 5421 this car was registered and may have been the pre-production proto Reg MO 2951 ( I )words by Peter Robinson

Test comparsion vs 1992-1992 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport; the offspring ;tech specs for edonis v12 60v twin turbo mid 3760cc 6spm car reg XOP2 3564
See: April 2005 EVO (GB) Page 78-85 Issue #78 feature by John Barker

b+b AUTO EXCLUSIVE SERVICES ( D ) 1978 -

b+b AUTO EXCLUSIVE SERVICES ( D ) 1978 -Still going today doing Mods on Audis and VWs

A german styling house that modified and custom built cars for the very wealthy particular Arab Clients and produced a number of their customs to be display at varrious European Car Shows they seemed to have had their peak in early 1980s, They did produce a number of stand a lone cars particularly the very Mercedes-Benz C111 influenced car with Mercedes-Benz Blessing called the CW311 later to be produced on a limited basis as ISDERA (D)although since 1980s I have not seen one My guess their clients were again the Arabs and perhaps the Sultan of Bruneii has one or two?

So What References do I have?
PREVIEW of some of the CARS and profile of the company 1980
See March 1980 Modern Motor (Australia) Page 56-59 See January 1981 Modern Motor (Australia) Page 78-80
See January 1981 Wheels (Australia) Page 122

Some of the cars
MERCEDES BENZ CW 311 later to go into limited production as the
ISDERA (D)
a preview and driving impression was done by German Language Automotive magazine weekly Auto Motor und Sport (D)in 1978 Issue 4 (but I have not documented it myself) However For those of us who want English
See: Jnuary 1979 Road & Track (US)Page 28-34

PORSCHE 928 TARGA version was produced
See: Feb-April 1980 Sports Car Quartley (Australia) Page 48-49 Volume 41 Issue 1 a feature by European correspondent ;by Jerry Sloniger (who may have also had same article in Autocar as he free lance for them too .)
PORSCHE 911 TURBO TARGA a preview feature by Richard Laurence
See: November-December 1982 Alternative Cars (GB) Page 22-24

PORSCHE 911 TURBO TARGA 86 that was former Geneva Show car of 1986 turned up for sale by a dealer in the UK -Details:- 11000 miles; white with black and white int bb 1 off ;Fine Car Specialists - unit 2 Rutland st ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE LANS 0I6 6GTX
See: June 1996 Classic & Sportscar (GB) Page 261 Volume 15 Issue 3

VW GOLF CABRIO b+b (quite a few were made)
Preview of one in a US magazine
See: October 1980 Motor Trend (US) Page 70

Today they continue to offers mods on sports Audis and Volkswagens their latest is the Audi TTS Coupe and VW Scirocco

Source -image not mine from

http://fancytuning.com/2009/03/bb-vw-scirocco/
whom also give a brief history of the firm

ALEXIS (GB) 1959-70s

ALEXIS (GB) 1959-70s

RACING CARS MANUFACTURERS, made in the West Midlands

British Racing Car Manufacturers where there is not a lot of information about the manufacturer by the Automotive press at the time and even currently - There needs to be one

Although its possible Autosport UK may have done feature on the company and its cars (Autosport I have not had the pleasure of documenting their issues -although I have covered all Autocar and MOtor over the period that the company was around and found very little indeed!) the main depositly for Autosport Magazines in this country in New Zealand where I am from is 800 miles away here in Invercargill in the South Island Library (I am from the North)and besides if you do see them at auction - They tend to fetch up to $25 NZ for early issues on kiwi auction site Trademe.

Well What Have I got?
Brief Business Profile of the company
See: September 1971 Motorsport (GB) Page 898

BRIEF HISTORY of the Formula Junior Race cars given in a letter to Editor
See March 1985 Motorsport (GB) Page 292 given by Brief History' from Duncan Rabagliati ;Wimbdon UK


Cars that turned up for sale
a rare 1500GT Coupe 1960 (they usually made single seat race cars) turned up for sale in the Classifieds of magazine in 1982 fibreglass hand made car (a 1 off?) reg 1960 for 1100 pounds sterling car was registration 5653 NX and vender was from Stourbridge 6909; GB
See January 1982 Thoroughbred & Classic Cars (GB)Page 94 Volume 9 Issue 4

F2 1969 tuned up for sale in the UK in 2000 -fitted with Hewland Mk8 transmission;ex hill climb racer
See December 2000 Motorsport (GB) Page 114 Volume 77 Issue 12

Russell-Alexis Formula Ford : details: Dealer list +small colour photo; totally rebuild by professionals ; red loads of documents and history no year given 12950p
www.paulmattysportscars.co.uk Dealer Paul Matty Sportscars ; 12 Old Birmingham Rd; Bromsgrove ; Worcestershire B60 1DE Tel 01527 835656 See Sept 2006 Throughbred & Classic Cars (GB) Page 114 Issue 398


Formula Junior ex Paul Hawkins turned up for sale by Dealer who specials in race cars in 2003 for sale by Mike Brotherhood.com for 20,000 pounds in the classifieds

See: June 2003 Classic & Sportscar (GB) Page 218 Volume 22 Issue 4

Photo of Russell-Alexis Formula Ford as used by Jim Russell Training School an American who set up a UK operation in the 1960s
See: April-May 1968 NZ AA Magazine (note AA=Automobile Association) Page 35
and vehicle also turned up in Brief news feature -Part of a feature on Formula Ford car offered by the Motor Racing Stable
See: 21st March 1968 Autocar (GB) Page 59 Volume 128 Issue 3762

Announcement split between Jim Russell and Alexis in 1968 : details - Alex Cars LTD & Jim Russell orgazation whom handled the marketing and distn go their seperate ways;Cars now known as Alexis Cars LTD The Sport Column by G Robson & Martin Lewis
See: 10th October 1968 Page 83 Volume 129 Issue 3791

Trail car discovered 1961-1965 Discovered- in an enclousure in Warwickshire part of cache of vehicles were 2 x Austin 7 specials ; one was JW 8232 - x 750 Motor Club ; 2 other trail cars ; one is certainly a Cannon; other 202 HOF -Alexis trail car -E93A eng 61-64 built by Alexis of Birm words by Michawl Ware & Nick Baldwin
See: July 1986 Thoroughbred & Classic Cars (GB) Page 19 Volume 13 Issue 19

ALEXIS (GB) 1953c

ALEXIS (GB) 1953c

Is NOT same company that would later built a number Race cars but this car is a special built by constructor Brothers IT + DR MacGregor - Car turned in Discovery feature

See -Discovered - Duncan Rabagliati who kept the ALEXIS Racing and Trials register found another company that used same name by finding a photo and article on it but was built by brothers McGregor in the early 1950s.

Quote from text by Duncan Rabagliati
The Autocar in July 1954 did a 2 spread feature on it (but I have reviewed Autocar and I do not remember - Sure its not The Motor? you are talking about) the whole car was built at low cost with idea of competing in rallies reg YNO 354 was no skimby cycle wing special but a well made car ; for reliability the car engine was kept standard but the car was made as light as possible.

When complete it competed in a number of rallies on 1954 and 1955 and was acrually illustrated in Autosport (shown in the magazine) at the start of the Clacron Rally in Sep 1954 (you say 1964 Ed error) driven by its constructors IT & DR MacGregor ; the total cost according to The Autocar was 185 pounds and 5 shillings

Why was it called ALEXIS? According to the McGregors from the name of the bicycles our Great Grandfather had produced in the West of Scotland on 1870. Does it survive? - mostly quoted +bw photo sourced from Autosport
See: April 1991 Thoroughbred & Classic Cars (GB)Page 39 Volume 18 Issue 7

ALEXANDER ENGINEERING (GB)

ALEXANDER ENGINEERING (GB) until 1974 also known as also known as Alexander Engine Co Ltd

There were related to Alexander ALEXANDER TUNING (GB) who offered Tuning kits in Stages 1-3 of many of the bread and butter BMC products of Mini, Mini Cooper and even Morris Minor they also did Kits for Rootes cars and odd Ford

ALEXANDER ENGINEERING (GB) came more in wider public Automotive historian eye in 2004 with discovery of unknown vehicle a very special Turner!

Alexander Engineering Turner
TURNER GT 61 for restoration Club News Russell Filby register of Turner cars has found rare coupe with compet history Reg 6751 RO ; a 1 off ; orig had BMC A series later Climax 1220cc; used by Wing Commander Ken (Mac ) McKenzie until 62; history is fuzzy (you don't say...understatement of the year) car registered 6751 RO although originally 675 IRO
See: October 2004 Practical Classics (GB) Page 15 Issue 11

Same car featured in Discovery mention- Russell Filby spies prize Turner prototype ; dragged from a Shropshire barn to be restored ; thought to proto driven by Wing Commander Ken (Mac) McKenzie ; one and early finaced by Alexander Engineering of Haddenham Buckinghamshire ; orig Cov Climax 1220
See: October 2004 Classic & Sportscar (GB) Page 30 Volume 23 Issue 7

And a Follow up to The Discovery section in Classic & Sportscar -Turner tale still untold - photo car competing; built by Alexander Engineering of Haddenham; ch# 61/429 reg July 5 1961 in Herefordshire as 675 IRO sold in 1962 raced by Peter Smith who with Jim Johnstone raced as Team Speedwell- hist to 63
See: December 2004 Classic & Sportscar (GB) Page 26 Volume 23 Issue 9

To be continued to give references to Those Cars were modified or Have Alexander Kits ..watch this space..






The Company shut down producing engine kits in 1974
according to the website for Mini Mk1 owners for information below:
mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/alexander_e.

"Demise of Alexander
The Demise Of Alexander Engineering. (looks like its from Motor?)

By 1974 the economic depression and the oil crisis had taken it's toll on Alexander Engineering just like it had done on so many other tuning companies.

Their demise was by no means a fast one, in fact Alexander had abandoned modifying cylinder heads back in 1969, but by 1974 they had decided to totally withdraw from the performance tuning market and concentrate on Accessory sales. The company continued in this line of work until it finally closed down in 2001" qv

and the company may be back soon!
"It is rumored that a new incarnation of Alexander engineering will soon be offering a range of classic tuning products again for the first time in 34 years. WATCH THIS SPACE" qv

Source: MK1-performance-conversions.co.uk

ALDON TRANSPORT CO (USA) 1967

ALDON TRANSPORT CO (USA)

Manufactured by Aldon Transport of Massachuetts US

Built a car for the future (We are still waiting for this type of technology!) the so called STARR CAR of 1967: this was a Experimental high speed guided wheel commuter car photo featured in Camera spread regular feature of Autocar
I only got a photo of vehicle part of a photo spread
See : 11Th May 1967 Autocar (GB) Page 23 Volume 126 Issue 3717

No doubt the likes of Popular Mechanics (US), Popular Science (US) and other publications of similar nature may have more details (I only covered Popular Mechanics from 1946-1956, few in early 1960s - but there are gaps

Where is the company today?

Today they are a very large Fortune 500 company and have fingers in many pies
Automotive High Tech / Communications Retail
Financial Hotel/Entertainment/Travel Software Vendors / Consulting
Food & Beverage Insurance Utilities & Transportation
Health care Manufacturing

See: http://www.aldon.com/cust/our-cust/#utilities

Have a look at who their clients are..Really interesting reading (conspiracy types would have a field day!)

ALCYON (F)

ALCYON
They were a small French Car Manufacturing company who built Cycle Cars
For many years it was thought none had surived; however a few have emerged in recent years and restored from just a engine and gearbox most of chassis and body has built from scatch



Source image is not mine but comes from de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobiles_Alcyon
whom also give the history of the firm in German - no doubt a English translation exists

References

2 seat tourer Cycle Car 1925 Restoration
Marcel (violet) Better mousetrap -Wilson McComb is struck dumb well almost by a classic French Car ; History feature on French cycle cars also includes story of restored 1925 version from a box of bits, body built by Tony Hutchings built sporting Torpedo body in plywood as of 1987 car owned by Paul Cooper;Armscote Orchard Close; Welford on Avon; Warwickshire Cv37 8HA and car was Registered EL 1039 and car on display at Wildfowl Trust Museum at Lewes
See: Jan 1987 The Automobile (GB) Page 59-62 Volume 4 Issue 11 - feature by the late Wilson McComb

2 seat tourer Cycle Car 1925 seeks help location of another engine of another car - Paul Cooper whose car was featured in Jan 1987 THe Automobile is looking for another
in section of magazine tHe Automobile - called Spares Seeker owner of one already one featured Jan87 which almost finished its rebuild seeks another rumor of one in the Midlands looking for location or an identical Simca-Violet engine no photo (This area is often Gold for information of who has got and where and more importantly for those with similar cars -Full contact details!)
See: April 1987 The Automobile (GB) Page 9 Volume 5 Issue 2

2 seat tourer Cycle Car Restoration almost finished by Owner Terry Payne - mention of its discovery in Finds & Discoveries - Terry Payne of Wickford in Essex
See June 2004 The Automobile (GB) (as of yet I am yet to document!)
Follow up discovery by Michael Worthington-Williams on progress of the Restoration
See: September 2006 THe Automobile (GB) Page 59 Volume 24 Issue 7
and September 2007 Classic & Sportscar (GB) Page 38 Volume 26 Issue 6

And photo in Photo Discovereies of a cycle car in the past
2-3 seat tourer cycle car -Photo Discoveries in 1919c an Adler is followed by Alcylon in an early motoring competition in Luxembourg (car looks to be carrying 3 people)photo taken around 1919 by Phototheque de Ville de Luxembourg
See September 1992 The Automobile (GB) Page 12 Volume 10 Issue 7

Also I believe Practical Classics in 2000s did a feature concerning one but I only up to Early 1998 (Although I done some 2003-2006)