The Piston with a Hole
Donation protected
My story started a few years ago when I was looking through some old family snaps and I came across pictures of a workshop and a motor cycle, I asked my dad about the photos, surprisingly he didn’t have much information, only that the workshop belonged to his great grandfather and that the family had produced what he believed to be the world’s first two stoke motorcycle engine. I was blown away that someone in the family had done that, and… that my father didn’t know much about it. This sparked my curiosity; I had to find out more about the Wardill Motorcycle and Engine.
During the early 1920s, James Wardill and his brother Henry Earnest, of Carshalton Surrey, had the idea for a new of two stroke motorcycle engine, it would use an annular non firing outer piston to compress the gasses, before being ignited within the inner firing piston, both connected by a common crank this would have the effect of a supercharger. A number of variations of the engine were built over the next few years, it was initially bench tested before being fitted into a donor Grigg motorcycle frame and later into a bespoke Wardill Motorcycle frame.
“Everybody told us the annular-piston idea wouldn’t work, Even the patent agent Edward Evans thought that an outer piston carried on two eccentrics would twist. But it worked very well indeed, and so we formed a Private Limited company to get some financial Backing.”
James Wardill
The engine itself had annular charging chamber of 417cc. this discharged into the 346cc cylinder, affording a boost of 12 to 14lb. the engine ran at about 5,000 rpm, two models were due to be produced, a standard model with a top speed of about 55 mph and a sports model with a separate oil-tank, larger exhaust pipes and an aluminum cylinder head was anticipated to have much greater speed possibilities. The petrol consumption was around 65 mpg, this was a very conservative estimate.
Patents
In 1921 and 1925 Patents were accepted for ‘Improvements Relating to the Internal Combustion Engine’ to Henry and Henry Earnest Wardill.
London to Exeter Trial
In 1923 when the engine was fitted in the Grigg frame it successfully completed the London to Exeter Trial.
Above, Jack Harrison on the Prototype Wardill Motorcycle complete with Patented Wardill Engine taken after the success full completion of the 1923 London to Exeter Trial
A visitor from America
In 1927 Prior and Bethell two American investors came over from America offering to buy the American production rights for the engine, they were invited to go and see the bike perform at Brooklands where it was entered in the Brooklands One Hour Trial, the bike, ridden by a Brooklands Jockey ACT Sharp the weather was atrociously wet and Sharp crashed on the first lap, after the crash Prior and Bethell lost interest.
So far in my search for information I’ve;
· Traced and met long lost distant relatives.
· Found a love for all things related to vintage and pre-war motorcycles.
· Trawled trough the internet to find as much information as I can on the individual parts that make up the Wardill Motorcycle.
· Visited the Brooklands museum, where I was invited into the archives to search for any information that was Wardill motorcycle related.
· Talked to anyone and everyone who would listen and who could help me.
· I have even paid a visit to the Antiques Roadshow in an attempt to be featured on the TV to see if I could find one of the original bikes! (unfortunately I didn’t make the cut)
· Started to collect as many “The Motorcycle” and “Motorcycling” that feature articles on the Wardill motorcycle and engine.
A very talented friend of mine produced this epic 3d Simulation of the engine that demonstrates how the inner and outer piston work with together.
The frame of the production Motorcycle used Chater-Lea lugs, Brampton forks, an Albion 3 speed gearbox, Terry saddle; it was also fitted with half width drum brake wheels and an extremely desirable Bonniksen Speedo!
My progress
I have managed to find a few pictures of the bike, I had one printed in 1:1 scale, using the 26” wheels as a guide(I found this info out at Brooklands) I’ve made good progress on the frame (see picture below). I had a set of Chatter-lea lugs made by a keen and very skilled engineer. I had a stroke of luck sourcing Brampton forks by contacting a fellow vintage motorcycle enthusiast who had restored a similar framed bike, luckily he had some spare forks he was willing to let me have as he knew my project was a worthy one (it took two months of negotiations). My three speed Albion gearbox was a lucky find on EBay. I managed to find the correct period wheel hubs by scouring many swap meets.
But the engine is a big job!
Where it all Started, Just a 1:1 print and a dream!
15 months later..
Why do I want to do it?
This is a good question; I guess from a personal point of view, I want to keep the story of what my family achieved alive, and to ensure it doesn’t get forgotten. But from a technical point of view I would really like to know how the engine performed and to hear it fire into life. I know the idea worked as it was successfully in so many trials, but there is no one alive today that knows how it sounded, or how well it performed. I have spoken to many people from all over the world including some very well respected members of the vintage motor cycle community and they are all very keen to see my project is finished.
About me and my Go Fund Request
I’m a family man with a wife and two young children; I’ve funded the project so far by selling anything I can from a spare bike parts to my mother’s old (vintage) jeans. But this can only get me so far, I am looking for additional funding to get the engine itself manufactured.
I have spoken to a few companies about building the engine, one quoting £100,000! But luckily I have also had another quote for a more palatable £10,000 as much as this is a saving over the £100,000 quote I would still need to sell a lot of vintage jeans to get me there!!
I’m looking for £11,000 to pay for the engine and also to cover the cost of a Best and Lloyd Oil pump
Wardill Motorcycles - Instagram
Organizer
Mark Wardill
Organizer
