Interesting David Vizard interview below from 2012, (seen on the Turbo Minis forum).
DV Interview.
1} With all the products that have been/are available & the development work that has been carried out for the A-Series engine over the decades, do you think there are many gains left to be made to extract more power?
DV. Well Phil it depends on which direction you look technically. For instance how much more is to be gained from 4 valve heads for the A Series. How much more if we limit things to 5 port heads. What about turbo's - a subject obviously close to your heart. Right now my biggest fascinations are in the direction of turbo motors and 5 port headed engines. I really want to build a turbo 'A' Series as i have a lot of hi-tech turbo stuff that I have not used and I am sure it would result in more power per lb of boost. On the 5 port front I am still driven to make 150 hp from a 5 porter for 1300 cc class racing.
2} If there are still gains to be made, in which area do you think the biggest achievements can, or will be made?
DV. If that question is directed toward turbo stuff I would be asking you so let's stick with the N/A 5 port stuff for the moment. The down and dirty answer in terms of 5 porters is that the principle gains are all in 3 predominant area's. These are cylinder head development, and that has by no means topped out, valve trains and friction reduction.
3} With all the years you’ve been involved in developing engines, how do you manage to keep yourself focused & driven to continue working so hard?
DV. Imagine you are a sex maniac except your focus is engines instead!
4} With all the things you’ve achieved in your life is there any one thing that stands out that you’re most proud of?
DV. If I can change 'proud of' to something similar like 'really pleased about' then I can be very specific here. In my 50 plus year career I have been rich and poor, on top of the world and down in the dumps. Every time it has been the poor and down scenario I have been overwhelmed by how many good friends I have that go so very far beyond that extra mile.
5} Are there any things you would still like to achieve?
DV. Yes I would like to see my youngest daughter succeed in motor racing. She has inherited the skill to drive and has the courage to tackle anything that comes her way on the track. What does worry me is whether she fully understands just how much effort it takes to succeed in the big league. As of now she has her sights set on being a Pro Stock drag race champ. At 16 years old she has had the opportunity to drive racers that will top 180 in the quarter mile. Now I have to say that sort of speed is a little scary for most people but for her it seemed little more than ho-hum.
6} What was your first car, & when did you own it ?
DV. A 1956 Austin A 30 that I and my brother got in 1959.
7} What would you consider you’re most valuable/essential tool in your workshop ?
DV. - In order of importance - dyno, flow bench, seat and guide machine, mill, lathe, porting tools and grinding bench, computer for engineering purposes (I have absolutely zero games on my computer - it's all business - that is if you can call playing with race engines all day business) computer for word processing and editorial production.
8} What’s the most powerful engine you’ve had the pleasure of working on ?
DV. About 1800 to 1850 hp was a one time deal but I have built several engines in excess of 1500 hp.
9} What was the first engine you modified & when did you do it ?
DV. That would have be the two stroke motor of one of those little bicycle 'Power Pack' deals. It was about 50 cc and that would have been about 1957 ish.
10} If you don’t already own it, what would be your dream car/cars ?
DV. I glad you said cars here so I don't have to make a confined choice. Given such a choice of say 4 cars my first would be a true touring capable 'A' Series powered Mini, next a 427 King Cobra, a hopped up crew cab Ford diesel truck for towing the racer and the latest supercharged Cadillac CTS Sports Coupe (0-60 in 3.9 seconds with a computer limited 165 mph top speed (soon fix that computer) for my wife to drive me in on cross country trips. (she is great chauffeur - fast and smooth).
11} Is there any one thing you would consider essential to a good engine build ?
DV. Cost effective reliability.
12} What do you think you would be doing if you’d never got into engine development & the pursuit of horsepower ?
DV. I have often thought of that. My answer here is that a life without race cars is hardly a life. I would have probably died at an early age due to incurable boredom.
13} What would be the first thing you would do if today was your last day?
DV. I see the point of your question here and the reality is I would spent it with the people most precious to me but the day before that -- win the Daytona 500.
14} As you were originally based in England, what was the reason for your move to the USA ?
DV. There are many reasons why i wanted to move to the US but ultimately I was pretty much forced to go. I have had bronchial problems since about the age of 6 when I had malaria, dysentery and pneumonia - all in quick succession. This coupled with a respirator failure while grinding cast iron heads about 1968-69 resulted in some pretty sorry lungs. A Mini collector and close friend of mine, Dr. Marcus Gartner was visiting my place in Bishops Cleeve and my coughing caught his attention so he gave me a once over. After doing so he announced that if I did not get into a hot dry climate he would give me about 2 years at best. A few weeks after that the guy that owned HP books based in Tucson, Arizona, turned up on my doorstep and wanted to know if I would like to move to Tucson (located in the Arizona desert) and write a series of books. That move probably saved my life.
15} What initially sparked your interest in cars & making things go faster ?
DV. Nothing - I think it's genetic so I was born that way!
Original Article on TM forum:-
http://www.turbomini...p=vt&tid=485952
Edited by mab01uk, 15 November 2020 - 11:30 AM.
