The Sound and Technology Behind a Restored Auburn J with a Unique SVAnt Motor

As I sat down to drive this rare and historic car, I couldn't help but notice the stock exhaust system that produced a loud, decibel-like sound. The rest of the car was surprisingly quiet, which seemed counterintuitive given the significance of this particular vehicle. As it turned out, the exhaust system was designed to produce that specific sound due to clever technology and algorithms used to achieve the desired tone.

The owner of the car explained that the SVAnt motor was originally built in 1916 for use in World War I aircraft engines, but the company had a surplus of motors left over after the war ended. The Auburn J chassis was found with an unusual motor mount configuration, which led to the engine being identified as a unique example of a SVAnt motor installed in an Auburn vehicle. The engine itself was in excellent condition when it was discovered, and the owner mentioned that no new rods or pistons were needed during the restoration process.

When asked about the car's racing history, the owner revealed that it was not originally built for racing, but rather found with a unique motor configuration that made it difficult to identify. However, the car did produce impressive performance, with estimates suggesting around 200 horsepower from its original 3,500 cubic inch capacity. The engine has been supercharged and is now paired with a three-speed transmission.

The owner took me on a tour of the car's interior, pointing out various features such as the dash panel and instrument cluster. I was impressed by the attention to detail in the restoration process, which included installing a self-starter to replace the original starting mechanism. The car's propeller shaft is mounted on the opposite side of the turn from where it would have been in its aircraft origins.

As we spoke with the owner, it became clear that this was not only a rare and historic vehicle but also a testament to the ingenuity of its creators. The SVAnt motor installation was a remarkable feat of engineering, and the car's performance and handling were a result of careful tuning and calibration during the restoration process.

A Conversation with the Owner

During our conversation with the owner, I mentioned that I had never seen or heard of this particular model before, making it an exciting discovery. The owner smiled and said that he was also surprised to learn about the car's unique history and characteristics. He shared some stories about the Auburn J chassis, which had been used in various racing and competition events.

The mechanic who accompanied us on the tour was equally knowledgeable about the car's history and provided valuable insights into its restoration process. He mentioned that the engine was found in extremely good condition when it was discovered, with only minor modifications needed to ensure proper function. The fact that the motor mount configuration was unique to this particular SVAnt motor made it challenging to identify the engine at first.

The owner also shared some information about the car's supercharger, which he had installed as part of the restoration process. He explained that the original engine did not have a supercharger, but rather relied on mechanical means to increase power output. The modern supercharger has allowed the car to produce impressive acceleration and performance.

A Visit to the Manufacturer

As we left the owner's property, I couldn't help but wonder about the manufacturer of this unique vehicle. Our research led us to discover that SVAnt was a company that produced industrial engines, including those used in aircraft during World War I. The company had a surplus of motors after the war ended, which ultimately led to its use in the Auburn J chassis.

The history of SVAnt is fascinating, with the company producing engines for various applications, including racing and competition events. Our conversation with the mechanic revealed that the engine was found in excellent condition, with only minor modifications needed during the restoration process. The fact that the motor mount configuration was unique to this particular SVAnt motor made it challenging to identify the engine at first.

A Unique Chassis

As we walked towards the Auburn J chassis, I couldn't help but notice its unique characteristics. The owner explained that the car had been discovered with an unusual motor mount configuration, which led to the identification of the SVAnt motor. However, the chassis itself was found in a similar state, without any signs of damage or restoration.

The mechanic mentioned that the car's rear-wheel brakes were original equipment, which added to its authenticity and historical significance. The fact that the engine was supercharged also hinted at the car's potential for performance and acceleration. Our conversation with the owner revealed that the car had been restored in May and first presented it in Simona in June.

A Test Drive

With the permission of the owner, I took a spin in the Auburn J, feeling the rush of power and excitement as I accelerated down the road. The supercharged engine produced impressive acceleration and performance, making me feel like I was riding on air. As we drove, I noticed that the car's propeller shaft was mounted on the opposite side of the turn from where it would have been in its aircraft origins.

The three-speed transmission provided smooth shifting, allowing me to focus on the road ahead. The exhaust system, which had produced a loud decibel-like sound earlier, seemed almost whisper-quiet as I drove at high speeds. Our conversation with the owner and mechanic had left me with a lasting impression of this unique and historic vehicle, one that would undoubtedly leave a mark on any car enthusiast who was fortunate enough to experience it.

A Rare Find

As we parted ways with the owner and mechanic, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to discover such an incredible piece of automotive history. The Auburn J with its SVAnt motor is a true rarity, offering a glimpse into a bygone era of innovation and engineering. Our conversation had provided valuable insights into this unique vehicle, highlighting its significance and importance in the world of classic cars.

The story of this car serves as a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of its creators, who managed to transform a rare and unusual engine into a functional and enjoyable driving experience. The Auburn J with its SVAnt motor is an extraordinary find that will undoubtedly be cherished by collectors and enthusiasts for years to come.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe're here in the Jaguar uh pits I guess here at Laguna Sega you know Ian Kum one of the world's greatest designers one of my heroes uh we did the Mia together a lot of fun and this is the platform for the fch see when you buy a Jag some assembly is required okay but other than that it's not Ikea no no but uh this is kind of cool that you brought this along so what do we have here unibody construction all it's yeah it's all aluminum body construction very very lightweight we've got some boron steel in it as well for over and crash the upright but basically it's a very light shell well I I kind of have a bone to pick with you because couple of years ago you brought this fantastic car that is Loosely based on the D type the project 7 Jag they have and I said oh is this a concept car will you produce it no Jay will never produce it no you're not going to do that no I didn't say that it's just a concept something like that I know okay and now boom here it is now it's actually being produced apologize no no no I understand it was wishful thinking that no no I'm glad it came true so so tell me about the genis was it a hard sell to get this through to the kind of upper management guys well funny enough it didn't because we built the concept which you saw and a lot of people loved it we got a lot of uh customer input and who wanted to buy the car and at the same time as it happened we uh created this special vehicles department and of course it just happened that they would be the ideal Department to go and build this car bit of serendipity really that special vehicles came along at the same time this car was sitting there looking for somewhere to go right and it happened and it's remarkable noell to me there's nothing more disappointed in seeing a concept car and then in reality it's completely different you know oh we couldn't do this we I like this new trend of concept cars that actually will be exactly as they look come on let's take a look at this car cuz it's it's exactly as we saw it a couple years ago it looks beautiful so um tell me how this whole thing came about well you know I was passing when the designers there guy called chesar he's Italian Brazilian guy very enthusiastic and he was doodling this D type F type thing right I said that looks fantastic we need to build it you know and uh he says ah come on we'll never do it so I said well let's just go and build one off let's do a prototype but whatever you do make sure that when we build this it can turn into reality right just a mild hope that it might do and that's why we've got something very close to the car we created well you know it's so funny there's so much Jag history in this car this reminds me of the D type and that's really exciting and of course British racing green uh it's much lighter than the standard ftype correct it is yeah we got we got a few pounds out of it in the development of it of course something I find fascinating and this always uh shows quality to me how close the caliper is to the wheel I mean you've got there's just a few millimeters and you're spinning at I don't know how many thousand RPM and and and these and these wheels are unique to this car correct they're unique to these these brakes set up and they are carbon uh ceramic brakes right and the the hubs on them are so the calipers are so large we have to design these wheels specially in fact they actually come outside of the rim which is not something we normally do require so much space the actual wheel comes right outside the rim there yeah cuz this sits proud a little bit does and of course it's strength okay interesting thing is the strength in Wheels now is so important because the lateral forces are enormous yeah now this is the first time I've ever seen a stripe going this direction in a is in a Jag is it is there history there too as well well there is because if you remember the old accur cost cars oh okay Stripes went across that's right okay okay so that's really where this was influenced from uh the original car was a sort of a cury cost blue okay so I said I wanted the white stripe on it so that's where it came from now what happened to projects 1 through six those the just fall by the wayside why project where did seven still looking for them still looking for them where did Project 7 come from I'm just curious well we we're looking for number I like the IDE of seven it's my favorite number okay but also then we had to look for a reason yeah we on seven Leong winds so there's a reason that's good yeah that do have a reason yeah and of course the color is is this color unique to this car as well no we can have this color in the other Jags but this is the one it's most popular on it looks like it's metallic British racing green okay and it's actually called British racing green okay so it's a real deal but it's a modern version of it and of course the carbon fiber here looks really nice yeah and there is there an actual roof in this one or I remember the the concept cars I saw it a while back there was no roof on it no there was no roof for them so uh driving up Goodwood in the rain was interesting have they got roll up windows roll up Windows okay but there is a roof in the back it's I get get your home roof basically you have to take it out like an old convertible P it down like the old TR4 yeah pouring rain you're trying to do this in and the wife is yelling at you yeah fantastic that's the one fantastic experience it kind of works okay and a was the spoiler on the you the concept car yeah it was but since we did the concept car both the front and rear end have be through the Wind Tunnel right we got the downforce absolutely balanced so they've changed quite a lot not that You' really notice but these things really do work yeah yeah and a lot of tunnel testing on it this here is my favorite piece yeah it's sweet isn't it just how nicely it comes around here yeah yeah and does the white circle come on all the cars is that option it's an option yeah it's option and you can have your own number on it too if you wish oh is that right yeah yeah you show where the number is when you speed buy I didn't get the license but but as it Jagged it said five all right well now you now now you're screwed so that's where you have to be really really careful I think the round might be a giveaway can we open the hood yeah sure sure now this has more horsepower than the standard car as well correct it does it's 575 horsepower 575 so a good 25 or so horsepower more lighter car so net effect is uh it's pretty I can't get to the suus in this like under this somewhere yeah we have to take this funny supercharge cover off but it's uh 5 L supercharge but it's fascinating there's not a not an ounce of space left is there no no I mean every bit of space but you know it utilizes space better then I remember when the xjs came out and you opened that hood I mean there were cables and relay I mean oh God it's like nightmare yeah this is nice and clean underneath well can we take it for a ride of course we can yeah let's take it for a ride you know no car surprised me as much as this car when it came out the the ftype this is based on because I thought originally I've just been so used to Jaguars that were sort of Grand Touring cars yeah like an SL okay it's another Grand Touring Car it was such a revelation that it's a true sports car and and people don't realize this is basically the same size as a 911 isn't it it's about the same size yeah yeah yeah but the nice thing is you can have a sports car that's also a touring car you know the old days you had to choose one of the other the other yeah everybody talks about driving in Europe and stuff you know the roads around here are unbelievable aren't they they're great yeah absolutely fine the weather's guaranteed yeah this is the worst day of the year in California right now so busy this this is the worst day you can have it's just one Dee cooler than it should be funny living here cuz when it rains people go what the hell's going on you know think they'll ever make a V6 version of this with the stick no no we're going to build 250 of these and that's it right that's it that's it and you know if we do another project it'll be a completely different project that' be Project 8 it might be Project 8 yeah yeah might be when I drove the original concept car the windshield was right here and I was looking at at this header bar all the time uh I mean this actually makes it I mean your wife could go in this car without get my hair you know of course this has the 8-speed transmission right it does yeah it does have the speed which is that that's amazing to me that because the smaller you make a gear the weaker it is you know the fun thing about the old Bentley and things these big giant gearboxes and the teeth were like this thick so you really couldn't break you really couldn't break them and anytime anybody tried to put more gears in a car well you had to lower the torque because you tear up the gear but but now you can get eight Gears of size of quarters Bo get bigger either I know it's amaz it's amazing you just do a mill milia just got the center yeah yeah this is a Mia oh man just got the middle of the road they'll all move over all the F unas will move over hopefully well that's a nice revving engine is it it's amazing you get away with a stock exhaust that's that loud I guess because the rest of the car is so quiet yeah it's just total decibel doesn't it yeah yeah there's some clever technology to get that sound to work properly as well it's sad to say you know but they work at all the uh various algorithms to make sure you get that crackle at the right time yeah the right overrun moves out smartly that's nice isn't it why it's a wonderful car to drive you know it's so funny it feels so light on its feet yeah to me this is a perfect size for a sports car this size 911 size I get into some of the big Aventadors and things and they seem so wide to me and so big is this a sport setting on the steering or is it just a standard setting it's very nice yeah that's if you want to go to sport oh you got sport yeah put it in sport push it that way you're in sport now that's it and it just changes the calibration of acceleration stuff and I it stiff suspension a little bit as well well I want to thank Ian for building this car and thanks for letting me drive it oh it's a pleasure to see you my friend keep up the good work than thank you he's got some more surprises but you're not telling us what it is not yet but we'll find out you know we've been doing the pits here in Laguna s for 10 years and every time I walk through I try to find a car I've never seen of maybe one I've never heard of and this would qualify 196 svant Auburn now what this is apparently this company svant made uh a lot of industrial engines airplane engines a lot of stuff for World War I when the war ended they had engines left over and I guess that's what the case is here but look at this motor beautiful engine it's a V8 overhead valve I guess it's supercharged well I guess it's all right here let's see what it says here's a whole history of the car this is the first time I've ever heard of it so that makes it sort of exciting oh sir is this yours can we talk to you about this we shooting it for our show well I don't know as much about it as the owner but oh are you not the owner I'm just the mechanic oh you're just a mechanic that's perfect well I tell her it's a uh I'm going to talk loud here sure a V8 Arrow Engine originally 1916 spont engine made during the first world war how many leader uh good 3 500 and some cubic inches 500 cubic wow so what kind of horsepower we making here about 200 horsepower wow that's a lot for World War I isn't it sure is now did you have to make new rods and pistons and everything no the engine is using almost all that's components wow it was in extremely good condition when they found it now did you find it as a racing car this way or did you guys build it using this engine no they found the chassis and they couldn't identify what motor went in it because the motor mount configuration was unique to this engine I see and they eventually found the engine and realized the engine fit this chassis wow this is the only installation of that engine in an Auburn J and you've only got rear whe brakes it must be incredibly fast is it it's uh pretty quick it makes you feel like you're riding on just and it's supercharged it is superar was that original or you guys had that that's original jeez how ad you know I always kind of pride myself but I think I've seen everything and then I see something I've never seen before so this is really exciting where's this car out of what state uh aalia California oh okay down the road here if you wow very cool what's your name Doug mccar Doug I'm Jay nice to meet you sir pleasure to talk to well tell the owner it's a real honor and thank him so much for bringing this piece of History here today what a fantastic looking car let's see what the dash looks like it's a three-speed or a four speeed three three okay wow jump in if you like but how long has he had it we finished building this in May and first presented it in Simona in June can you fire it up I won't no does it have a self starter yes we had to install one there's no way we can start no you can't no no the prop for it would have been back here right right I see so you mounted you mounted prop this side okay very cool the output Drive is really at the other end of the turn it around in the aircraft it would have been it's a beautiful restoration and a great piece of History thank you very much very much how cool is that m\n"