Appletree Works, 26 - 30 Glenfield Road
Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 1JL, U.K.
Tel: 01784 - 241466 Fax: 01784 - 250915

Paul Harvey�s expertise as a development engineer means that the Caterham FireBlade has many unique items developed especially for it. Not least amongst these is the dry-sump system, which comes as standard - Paul insisted on this because of the FireBlade engine�s high output of 150bhp/litre combined with the Seven�s ability to produce high lateral g-forces. Without a dry-sump system there would be an increase chance of oil starvation, which is not desirable for an engine that revs to 11,400rpm. This isn�t a problem in the bike since the cornering forces always push the oil down into the sump as the bike leans into corners.

The bespoke dry-sump is machined from lightweight aluminium billet and uses three pumps, the original Honda item for pressure and new twin scavenge pumps, which take oil from both sides of the sump avoiding any problems associated with constant cornering, especially on a long corner. In addition, the dry-sump gives better ground clearance whilst also allowing the engine to be positioned lower in the chassis, improving the cars centre of gravity, and maintaining the traditional Caterham bonnet line.

One of the major issues involved in fitting a bike engine into a car is how to go backwards. Paul is the first engineer to over come this problem with a sensible, practical and long lasting solution. He initially designed and developed the reverser mechanism for use in the Caterham Blackbird, and it proved its reliability by completing several 24-hour races. The �Legends Racing� series have also adopted his reverser for their cars, taking sales to over 140 units, and again demonstrating it�s reliability.

The advantage that Paul�s reverser has over some other mechanisms is that, when it�s not reversing, the drive is �straight through� the mechanism � this vastly reduces power loses through it and also makes mechanical failure most unlikely. The casing is machined from billet aluminium using the latest computer aided manufacturing methods and is then anodised in gold, as are all unique Caterham FireBlade machined alloy parts.