Lucas/ Ducellier/ParisRhone/Marelli

["Tim Hancock" <timhancock@domain.elided>]

You are all having a go at 60s and 70s Lucas electricals. As one who lives
in what is at times a cold and very damp climate I can tell you that Lucas
were no worse and sometimes a bit better than the alternatives. The cars I
grew up with were twoTriumph Heralds (Saloon body on Spitfire chassis) and
we never had any electrical problems with them of any kind. Our Triumph 2000
did gobble three Lucas wiper motors in five years, but I always suspected a
poor linkage was the real cause of these failures.

The non-starts that I recall with most frustration were on Ducellier
equipped Renaults and Peugeots that hated damp weather. The Peugeots in
particular (204,304 and 305) had the distributor crammed in between the
engine and bulkhead and were swine to get at. The Fiats (500,128 & 131)
seemed to get cracks in their Marelli distributor caps on a too regular
basis. Anyone with experience of 70s Italian Motorcycles (I rode a Ducati
450 single and a Morini 350 V twin now and again) will know that the
electrics were just not up to wet weather at all. It was of course the
Japanese who showed us all the way home. My brother has a  MotoGuzzi at
present and it either starts or it doesn't and in spite of being checked and
serviced nobody can explain why the electrics take a holiday when they feel
like it.

Lucas were not paragons of course and I am the last to try and make this
case. Electrics have improved dramatically and with
my fingers firmly crossed I say I have never yet had an ignition problem on
any of my three Twin Spark engines. I had a wiper motor fail on my new Alfa
75 at a very early stage so that was clearly a substandard unit.

Triumph Spitfires were not that bad even if there were  agricultural
overtones in the engineering department!

Tim Hancock  164TS Lusso  Boston UK

PS Does my Ceasar Romero qualify me for the P**p club. I do hope so.

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