Starting a Trojan

Sir,

In the October issue you enquired if the side-handle starting arrangement on Chris Piercy’s Utility Trojan was a standard feature. I can inform you that it was not. This particular Trojan was previously owned by Tony Carlisle who was very successful with it on previous VSCC trials, as indeed is the present owner. The side starling arrangement was devised by Tony on the same basis as his GN, which was fitted with this form of cranking handle.

The benefit of the side crank is that it turns the engine over compression more than once, which is not the case with the infamous “mechanical seat starter which requires no effort and does not exhaust the battery”. The rear-engined Trojans were fitted with a starter dog on the nearside end of the crankshaft, but a wheel had to be removed to use it. The RE cars also had electric starters and a driver’s starting handle connected to the engine by a wire rope. I wonder of there are any other cars with three separate moans of starting the engine?

Eric Rance, Trojan OC, Ilkley.