Manuél? Manuél?? (edit: we have winners)

"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
10/09/2014 at 14:25 • Filed to: None

Here we find a cute little gearlever moving around in a cute little exposed gate which by way of a clue is electric. Attached to the pair of these we find a car with three pedals.

The right hand pedal speeds you up.

The middle pedal slows you down.

So, what does the left hand one do? (it's not what you think...)

Edit: I see we have winners.

Yes, it's a preselector, in this case a Wilson one as fitted to an Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire, a luxury British car of the 1950s now often used in the wedding trade.

You select the desired gear whereupon nothing happens until you press and release the left hand pedal (no, not a clutch and using it as such is a fast way to cause expensive problems) and only then is the gear change effected. Designed in the 1930s as an easier alternative to a crash box and the attendant double declutching, made irrelevant with the invention of synchromesh and then made somewhat relevant by fitting either a centrifugal clutch (as in this case) or a fluid coupling. These variations were replaced by conventional automatics. The main users of pre selectors were bus makers who carried on with them until the 1960s.

DISCUSSION (16)

My citroen won't start > Cé hé sin
10/09/2014 at 14:28

Reverse.

505Turbeaux > My citroen won't start
10/09/2014 at 14:29

Cé hé sin > My citroen won't start
10/09/2014 at 14:35

Nope, you're thinking of the Model T.

Cé hé sin > 505Turbeaux
10/09/2014 at 14:35

-1

Bad Idea Hat > Cé hé sin
10/09/2014 at 14:36

DEPLOY FRENCHMAN.

God it looks like such a French idea but...jesus I dunno, it's American though.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Cé hé sin
10/09/2014 at 14:37

Preselector gearbox? You select the upcoming gear using the little lever and once you're ready to shift, press the left pedal.

In fact, it was the preselector 'box that allowed the Daimler scout car to be so useful - 60mph emergency evade, going backwards!

Hermann > Cé hé sin
10/09/2014 at 14:40

You preselect the gear on this lever and it changes engages the gear when you put your foot down. I think.

I remember reading about this last year, but I'm not sure anymore.

Orange_Crusader > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
10/09/2014 at 14:42

Yup, if you pressed it half way it functioned as a clutch as well, so it's 2 pedals in one.

zeontestpilot > Cé hé sin
10/09/2014 at 14:56

Maybe either a clutch or a brake?

LumberJunk > Cé hé sin
10/09/2014 at 15:07

This is a Cord is it not? If I remember correctly, you select the gear you wish to enter next. Then you press in the left clutch pedal, wait and then release it. Then you are in your next gear.

Called a Pre-selector gearbox I believe

These suffered from terrible electronics issues. No surprise !

RallyWrench > Cé hé sin
10/09/2014 at 15:21

Gear change, because it's a preselector.

Cé hé sin > LumberJunk
10/09/2014 at 16:10

Not quite, although Cord used them too. It's a Wilson preselector as used in the UK in small numbers until the 1950s

Cé hé sin > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
10/09/2014 at 16:12

Yes, although the five reverse gears that enabled the Daimler to beat a hasty retreat weren't a fundamental part of the 'box - they could if they wished have fitted a conventional box with multiple reverses.

Cé hé sin > Bad Idea Hat
10/09/2014 at 16:13

Neither in this case but there were French (Cotal) and American (Cord) ones too.

Cé hé sin > zeontestpilot
10/09/2014 at 16:14

Nope, see my edit.

Cé hé sin > Hermann
10/09/2014 at 16:15

Yes, that's it.