Intro Index Ch. 1	Ch.1	THE BG TUNING MANUAL ARCHIVES
		Copyright © 2000 R.J.(Bob)Gayler

	Piper Cams -The heady days of old...
George with some of the cars he raced Me and my Cooper Climax 1100 Silverstone 1961	George and I met at the race circuits with a common interest in everything to do with motor racing. Finally, we joined forces in 1966 to form Piper Engine Developments (Piper Cams), targeted specifically at the market of converting production engines into racing engines. Formed at Campbell's Garage, just outside Bromley, Kent, it brought together two enthusiasts who had been working and participating in racing and motor sport from the immediate post war period. With this and their engineering backgrounds the new operation was equipped and planned to provide the finest service... Within a short time the capabilities of the Piper operation attracted the attention of major companies and contracts were offered. The 1970 Nascar winning Fords were developed from basic work carried out by Piper. In the early days the accent was on engine preparation. Gradually, all facets of the work came in to the workshops. Cylinder heads, manifolds, exhausts, camshafts, engine testing. Many successful race engines were built, including the development work on the George Bevan Imps and the Rod Chapman rallycross championship winning Lotus Cortina. Among the staff were members who wanted to go racing and cars were designed and built. Sports cars - one was exported to the USA, single seater, G.T. cars, two of the first Formula Fords and then…
	The Piper GT...
	This started as a commissioned project to create a racing body/chassis unit for Austin Healey Sprite components. The first body out of the mould was at the 1967 Race Car Show. The race car customers who had commissioned the project had by now disappeared and the show enquiries and orders set in motion the production of the road kit car. The first production was on the third floor of Boyer of Bromley a Triumph motorcycle agents. The exercise of lowering complete Piper GT Body/chassis units from the third floor by rope was a sight to behold but only on a Wednesday afternoon during early closing and no traffic. Then Brian Sherwood was racing a Piper and a new company was formed which he headed to handle all the car activities. Brian spent a lot of time and money racing including getting to Le Mans if not for the race at least the practise. Meanwhile road car production went on and nearly 100 cars were built before Brian's death. The car was a first class vehicle by this time, way ahead of it's time and ten years later to be reflected as a production Porsche.
	In 1968 some work was carried out for Aubrey Woods on the Dan Gurney F1 engine. This contact led to the purchase of the Gurney factory at Ashford in Kent complete with all its equipment, when his European operation was concluded. Though the garage operation was good, the new factory at Ashford was like a palace and with the equipment from Bromley added made a most comprehensively equipped operation. Though I resigned from Piper in 1990 to pursue my interests in Information Technology, they are still producing fine high performance engine kits in Ashford and you can get in touch with them at www.pipercams.co.uk
	More to follow later.