Prototype Car Part 1

Three weeks after Ernest Teucher drafted the primary elevations for his road carriage, Hollen Vane identified a fatal operational flaw.

It had nothing to do with the compression ratio. It had nothing to do with the bevel drive, the differential planetary gears, or the geometry of the steering knuckles. The difficulty was considerably more elementary.

"Ernest."

Ernest did not lift his eyes from the cast-iron cylinder head clamped in the bench vise. "Hand me the three-quarter box spanner."

"Go home, lad."

"No. Hand me the spanner."

Hollen stood with his boots planted on the oil-stained boards, arms crossed over his leather apron, his ash stick leaning against the tool rack.