tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563520593665300464.post860385607389824204..comments2024-03-24T13:00:20.834-05:00Comments on My Royal Enfields: Where in the Isle of Wight? (part II)Jorge Pullinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07465581283254332265noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563520593665300464.post-49052167484177628062016-11-18T09:07:53.092-06:002016-11-18T09:07:53.092-06:00Nigel Shuttleworth posted on the Royal Enfield GB ...Nigel Shuttleworth posted on the Royal Enfield GB Facebook page this:<br /><br />The Friday History Slot. This week its all Greek to me - and probably you too when you've finished reading it! In 1967 when E&HP Smith closed the Redditch factory and was happily disposing of the assets of the Enfield Cycle Co, Greek shipping magnate Giannis Goulandris bought Enfield Industrial Engines Ltd. (formed in 1955) whose products included the Enfield range of air cooled diesel engines such as a horizontally opposed twin cylinder boat engine and a diesel powered generator set which had been in production at Redditch since the beginning of WW2, and moved manufacture to the Somerton Industrial Estate, Newport Road, Cowes on the Isle-of-Wight. There the company produced the E8000CC Thunderbolt battery car, and in 1968 Goulandris formed a second company Enfield Marine Ltd to make the Enfield Z drive inboard/outboard powerboat propulsion unit. At a second facility, Ranelagh Boatyard, Fishbourne Quay on Wootton Creek, Cowes, Enfield Marine produced the Don Shead designed Avenger class aluminium hulled powerboats, the best known of which Miss Enfield 2 won the 1970 Cowes-Torquay race in the hands of Tommy Sopwith. Components for the electric E8000CC cars were manufactured at the Neorion factory on the Greek Island of Syros and assembled on the Isle-of-Wight. It boasted a top speed of 50 and a range of 40 miles on lead acid batteries. About 100 Thunderbolts were made in various forms and most were supplied to the Electricity Council, and three were ordered by Ronald Reagan, State Governor or California! In addition, the company also made several prototype petrol engined cars: the Enfield C9 4x4 Safari based on Range Rover running car and the C10 Chicago based on a Jeep chassis. It is known that two C10's survive, one in Salonika Museum and another in private hands and a C9 with Isle-of-Wight plates is still seen at various rallies on the Island. In 1977 Goulandris transferred production of the electric car back to Syros and closed the Somerton factory. The Z drive system was sold to Perkins Diesel and then on to Bob Knowles Plant Services Ltd of Leicester which still continues to manufacture the marine propulsion units to the original design to this day. Enfield Industrial Engines Ltd and Enfield Marine Ltd on the Isle of Wight were finally dissolved on 5th. April 2016.<br />Thanks to Jorge Pullin http://myroyalenfields.blogspot.co.uk for most of the background information and Chris Shields of Chertsey Marine Ltd for the image of the Enfield Z driveJorge Pullinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07465581283254332265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563520593665300464.post-31391649470384253552013-08-02T07:53:21.542-05:002013-08-02T07:53:21.542-05:00Simply amazing. Whatever else it lacked, Enfield n...Simply amazing. Whatever else it lacked, Enfield never seems to have lacked creative people.David Blascohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506975186222681171noreply@blogger.com