Virtually every component on the car has been lightened – the gearbox contents, the flywheel, clutch and crankcase are all obvious by inspection.  Even the spring shackles and the control pedals have been drilled.  Less obvious, and probably known only to a few people at Alvis and Midland Motor Bodies at the time, and to Robert Wicksteed who during his custodianship re-bodied the car some four times, was that even the Ash frame members were drilled to save weight.  Similarly, the less obvious bits – crank, conrods, pistons and the like, all lost their fair share of metal in the pursuit of competitive success.

This transfer of weight was not all one way, however:  As with the No.s 2 & 3 Cars, a dry sump system was used to eliminate oil surge, with a double oil pump acting as a combined scavenger/pressure unit.  The 3¼ gallon external oil tank, slung like a menacing torpedo on the nearside main chassis rail, extracts a high price both in overall weight and in the cost of an oil change.  No electrics were fitted and there are no front brakes, speedometer, fuel pump or much else, really.  Air pressure to the top of the petrol tank is provided by a hand pump mounted on the nearside body panel.  Perversely, the original dashboard (replaced by Robert Wicksteed along with some of the instrumentation in the late 40’s) carried a clock.

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