Well done Mark! I certainly thought it looked interesting and had it been sitting in front of me at something like the Sodbury sort-out, I'm sure I would have been tempted. As far as I know the Vici carb would date to the early 1920's and I look forward to hearing other details such as the make of the mag.
Well, curiosity (or stupidity) got the better of me and I just bought this:
It must be OK because the description says it has the original HT lead and spark plug :)
I should pick it up in the next week or so. In the mean time, if anyone has any inspiration please let me know - OTOH if you know it to be a cobbled together heap of junk, I'd rather you kept it to yourself! :)
If I find out anything useful when I get it, I'll let you know. Alternatively, if it turns out to be the most expensive piece of scrap iron/ally ever, I may just quietly crawl back under my stone :)
Regards
Mark
That was you was it Mark? Glad it went to a home where we'll hear of it again. I am very curious - was going to bid for it until it went over £100 and I do try to stay away from wet engines these days.
Keep us informed, won't you? ;o))
Regards,
Kim Siddorn
Will do. I'll post some pictures as soon as I can.
Mark
as Nick suggests the make of magneto may be a big clue and my bet is on French. ttfn Roland
Your failing memory! I *know* I have seen refs to the Vici carb in connection with a British engine (poss ABC) - but can I find it?
I agree, the mag. does look a bit 'foreign'. Do you think a French manufacturer would have used a British carb? OTOH, although the Vici Carburettor Co. were apparently based in London (along with Vici Manufacturing Co, Vici Motor Co. etc), where they actually a British company? It is possible that Vici themselves made the engine?
I looked through the National Archive and could not find the Vici Carburettor Co listed although I did find the other Vici company references.
Questions, questions so many questions.
Mark
My failing memory says that Vici were also French. ttfn Roland
I had a quick look through the abridged patents to see if Vici came up as a name anywhere, but nothing at all under carburettors and nothing elsewhere either. Need a person's name methinks to go further.
Peter
-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email Address: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web Pages for Engine Preservation:
Sound as though they should be Latin.
Cheers Tim
Have you never heard of Vici France :-) Roland
Vici means conquered, I believe - as in veni, vedi ....
Regards,
Kim Siddorn
"Nick H" wrote (snip):-
Found it! Pursuing the half remembered ABC connection, I came across the 'Dignus' engine (with VICI carb) in the SEM indices. This appeared in 'identity and assistance' Feb 1983 and was identified as a modified ABC Scootamota engine a couple of months later. One reply said that this engine had been described in a 1924 issue of Model Engineer and was intended for the war office to drive portable lighting sets and wireless equipment. All this is of no moment to Mark as his engine is clearly not the same, but it does at least confirm that the VICI carb was around in the early-mid 1920's. Many smaller carb producers were swallowed up when Amac (Aston motor accessories) became Amal (Amalgamated carburettors).
Well done! It's a good start. Thanks
Mark
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