Behind the Wheel: 1928 Chamberlain 8

The Chamberlain 8 (or 'the Beetle' as it was known in its early life for its stunning insect-like body) has many claims to fame: it's possibly the first space-frame chassis vehicle in the world, one of the earliest front-wheel-drive racecars, and has one of the longest racing careers in Australian motorsports. It's one of the many 'Australian Specials', the one-off racecars built locally from an assortment of parts for competition in the era, but it is probably the only one that was built entirely from the ground up.
The two young engineer brothers who built it, Bill and Bob Chamberlain, became known later in life for their successful tractor manufacturing company. This youthful creation, however, perfectly captures the spirit of ingenuity and excitement about technology that typified the 1920s and 30s.
Take a look behind the wheel of the Chamberlain 8, at its intricate opposing-8-piston 4-cylinder engine and - if you're pressed for time - make sure you at least watch the last minute, with some recently unearthed footage of testing in 1928/9, kindly supplied by Mike Trickett.

[@BazzMann48]

Very interesting. Technology has come a long way. It's interesting to see how they "turned corners", it would be called hooning these days. I think there's a little bit of that in all of us..

[@prl.5108]

A shame about the wide rims and tyres. Why were they changed?