Disk breaks, five gear and so....Ferrari did come with it early.

I don't know when Ferrari started using disk brakes, but according to Norman Dewis who was the chief test engineer for Jaguar Cars in the 50's, 60's and 70's, Jaguar worked with Dunlop in the early to mid-50's to adapt the disk brake to race cars. Dunlop had aparently created the disk brake during WWII for use on airplanes. In the 50's, Jaguar was heavily involved in racing, winning Le Mans a couple of times, and otherwise tearing up the tracks. They were looking for a more reliable brake system for use on the D-type race cars that were in the works, and in conjunction with Dunlop, they created the first working disk brakes for cars. Norman tells a story that the first time they took the car with disk brakes to a race, the "scrutineers" who checked the cars were not going to let them race because they thought the car had no brakes since they couldn't see the drums. It took some convincing, but they did ultimately race the car. The rest is history, and disk brakes became standard fare on race cars and then found its way over to street cars.

Norman tells this story in his book, and I've heard him personally tell it several times at Jaguar Clubs of North America and Jaguar Cars sponsored events. And I tend to believe him. He was a co-driver in many races with Sterling Moss, who drove for Jaguar before he drove for Ferrari. He was personally involved in the design and development of the XK120, 140, 150 and the XKE (E-type), as well as the C and D-type race cars and XKSS. Norman owned the land speed record in a car for a while which he set in the early 50's. And he was one of the drivers who made the legendary non-stop drive of the two XKE's from England to Switzerland for their introduction in 1961 at the Geneva Auto Show. He's still around in his mid-80s and hope to see him next summer at some of the 50th anniversary events for the Jaguar E-type.

 

I think you mean.....disc brakes.

 

Okay. "Disc" is a usual spelling with regard to brakes, but according to Websters, "disc" and "disk" can be used interchangeably. In fact, kind of laughably, "disc" is defined as "disk" in the version I have on my desk. I do agree that "brakes" are different than "breaks," which is why I spelled them as I did.

 

No offense meant.....to either the thread starter or you. Sometimes I can be a bit pedantic.

Geffen

 

1947 for 5 speed gearbox.

 

I wish Jaguar had been as on top of 5 speeds as they were disc brakes. The old Jags I've owned, including my current '70 XKE, would have really benefited from having that 5th gear.

 

Actually and strangely, Ferrari resisted dics brakes for many years in the late '50s, as they felt they had a proven technology in the giant finned aluminum/steel hybrid drum brakes.

It took Peter Collins fitting the Dunlop disc system onto his personal 250LWB convertible and proving to the Factory the increase in performance for Ferrari to reluctanly change his mind and explore the then new technology.

The same convertible would carry Peter's coffin, in his funeral procession.

I think I have all that right.

So, early 60s on the fitment of disc brakes.

Enzo would reflect the same resistance to a proven strategy, when rear engine designs surfaced in F1 also.....the last to change and adopt them.

Is your name Gary Green???

 

I thought I read somewhere that it was the failure of a drum brake car that killed Dino Ferrari that pushed Enzo to disc brakes.

 

Renault & some Fiat road cars had 4 wheel Disc Brakes in 1962/3.

 

Crosley had 4 wheel disc brakes and an OHC engine in 1949

 

But it seems that nobody cared...