R C Shelley collection

Clerget 4v 50HP engine

Good afternoon,
I represent a NGO looking for more technical information about 1909 Clerget 4v, 4strike, 45HP engine that seems to be inside R C Shelley Collection.
We intended to buy or rebuild a Clerget 4V 45HP engine in order to make a fully functional replica of an aircraft that was powered by that engine, back in 1910.
Would you please help us to contact the owner of the collection:
I really appreciate a positive answer.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Sorin Dinea
NGO Henri Coanda Association
www.jet100.com
[email]henricoanda.contact@gmail.com[/email]

My father and I spent a lot of time searching for and collecting rare aero engines, circa late 1960s to late 1980s. We very much enjoyed walking about our aviation parts business, museum and collector aircraft and parts, each morning, with most of the vintage engines on display, around our “shop.”
We had over 175 pre-WWII aero engines; 48 were WWI and earlier; and 19 were either the only ones built, or the only known survivor, of their type.Includeed several versions of Anzani, Aeronca, Alfa Romeo, Cirrus, (many types & eras of) Curtiss, Gipsey, Gnomes Heath, Hirth, Hispano-Suizas, Jacobs, Kinners, Liberty,Menasco, 8 cyl, radial, diesel Humboldt-Duetz, Renaults, Salmsons, Sturtevants, Velie, Walter, Wright etc etc. Had several BRAND NEW Clergets. Also had a number of WWII and later engines, such as a massive 24 cylinder Allison, and a couple of firewall forward (including all cowling, mounts & props) Argus AS411s etc.
We corresponded with fellow-collector R,C, Shelley, a number of times, trying to trade for the elusive Napier Lion, (as one of the highest priorities of engines we wished to acquire) but no luck. Lots of tales behind all those treasure hunts. Here is a photo of our shop, with just the Main engine grouping. Many others, including one of my favorites, a 1909 British Humber, 3 cyl. fan engine, in beautiful condition, lined the various walls and walkways of our main building. Mr. Shelley had sent us many nice photos of the engines in his collection. As I never throw ANYthing away (much to my wife’s dismay), I still have all letters and correspondence of these collections, back to the late 1960s.

Hi Everybody, the jibe is completely correct and well founded and I am happy to accept it as a compliment, thanks Robin, the Leonides was used “on it’s side” and “looking up” but when we mounted the engine as is, we then found that it was from a Bristol Sycamore.

RPS, thanks for your time on the list, I have more question’s for you, is there any aircraft in existance that had a Lion fitted ? is the Supermarine Southampton fuselage at Hendon the most complete ?

I am trying to ask everybody with an interest in the Lion to look out for original carburettor’s for me, any help will be well recieved.

Andy

Hi Andy, still working, intermittently, on the list spurred on a little by the intention to attend a forthcoming RRHT Coventry Branch lecture about Napier.
Had a rather cofusing reply from the Science Museum – still attempting to decipher :confused: Certain i wrote the same time to RAFMuseum but have no record in my ‘sent’ box so will write again(?).
Your being jibed about running a Leonides on it’s side – I thought that’s what a lot of them were designed to do 😀

Roger Smith.

Hi Stuart, thank you so much for confirming the collection, and your time and interest.
I have been pressure testing water jackets on 2 Lion engine’s over the weekend, one more thing on the big list ticked off.

Please keep in touch.

Andy

Hi Andy

Robin wants to know when you will have it running. He reckons if you can get a Leonides to run on its side then this should be a walk in the park!

As an aside, Desmond St Cyrien was another collector of aero-engines around that time. I don`t know what the collection consisted of, but I believe it was split up after he passed away. I used to have a 4 cylinder Zundapp that had been in his collection, ex captured Zaunkoenig VX190.

Pete

Hi Andy;
Thanks for PM & photos. Could you possibly send me your Regular email address? I have some related questions and some photos to send to you that may not fit this thread.
You can also contact my direct email by going to my website link at the bottom of this post. (Also LOTS of rare vintage aero engine images on that website)
Joe

There were several people around in the 1960’s & 70’s who had engine collections.
Roger Smith.

My father and I spent a lot of time searching for and collecting rare aero engines, circa late 1960s to late 1980s. We very much enjoyed walking about our aviation parts business, museum and collector aircraft and parts, each morning, with most of the vintage engines on display, around our “shop.”
We had over 175 pre-WWII aero engines; 48 were WWI and earlier; and 19 were either the only ones built, or the only known survivor, of their type.Includeed several versions of Anzani, Aeronca, Alfa Romeo, Cirrus, (many types & eras of) Curtiss, Gipsey, Gnomes Heath, Hirth, Hispano-Suizas, Jacobs, Kinners, Liberty,Menasco, 8 cyl, radial, diesel Humboldt-Duetz, Renaults, Salmsons, Sturtevants, Velie, Walter, Wright etc etc. Had several BRAND NEW Clergets. Also had a number of WWII and later engines, such as a massive 24 cylinder Allison, and a couple of firewall forward (including all cowling, mounts & props) Argus AS411s etc.
We corresponded with fellow-collector R,C, Shelley, a number of times, trying to trade for the elusive Napier Lion, (as one of the highest priorities of engines we wished to acquire) but no luck. Lots of tales behind all those treasure hunts. Here is a photo of our shop, with just the Main engine grouping. Many others, including one of my favorites, a 1909 British Humber, 3 cyl. fan engine, in beautiful condition, lined the various walls and walkways of our main building. Mr. Shelley had sent us many nice photos of the engines in his collection. As I never throw ANYthing away (much to my wife’s dismay), I still have all letters and correspondence of these collections, back to the late 1960s.

Hi Stuart, thank you so much for confirming the collection, and your time and interest.
I have been pressure testing water jackets on 2 Lion engine’s over the weekend, one more thing on the big list ticked off.

Please keep in touch.

Andy

Having spoken to the chap in question, it appears that Michael Shelley does have a Napier Lion in his collection; I am in the process of trying to arrange a visit, and will let you know, if this comes about.

Hi Roger, I am trying to find out a little more regarding the R C Shelley collection as I have recently found documentation giving me the type of plane my Lion was fitted in, the same as the collections engine.

How is the Lion list going on ?

Andy

I expect Mr R.P.Smith will enlighten you!

Sorry, I knew of R.C.Shelley but don’t recall ever meeting him. Stuart, Shelley and Billericay seem to gel together so it may well be the same. There were several people around in the 1960’s & 70’s who had engine collections.

I am still working on the list of surviving (in the UK) Napier Lions/Sea Lions.

Roger Smith.

Hi Stuart, thanks for the information, that is the first lead I have had, would it be possible to make further enquiries please.

Andy

Is this the same Shelley, as the one from Billericay (high St), the son of which (Michael), still has a collection of engines; a friend of mine knows him well.

I expect Mr R.P.Smith will enlighten you!

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1218580