Babalouie

I have some doubts as to whether that letter was really from the Hales legal team. Because:

- this is the internet, after all ; and
- it's signed as "The Hales Legal Team"? No law-firm letterhead, no signoff by partner?

Maybe it was written by a well-meaning helper on Hales' side, but it doesn't quite look like a legit press release from a law firm to me.

ACSGP

Yeah, agree with this. If the lawyers wrote it, I'm sure the Bar Council will have something to say to them.

Laurence Gibbs

How would you decide what condition the engine was in without a record of it's prior maintenance/condition? It could have never have been serviced and about to throw a rod through it's case at any moment ? Should you rely on assumptions , presume because another race driver has driven it that it must be ok? Is that the way you'd buy a 917, on a nod and wink that "that it drove alright previously mate". Good luck if you ever buy a race car!
How can you decide damages without a legitamate reciept for the work done to repair it ? Are you saying i can turn up at court with a reciept signed by Mickey Moose (sorry Mickey's having a bad day he really mean't to spell to mouse, don't know how that happened his own name an all) dated 31 september and the thing is taken as genuine?
No idea if the letter is genuine or not but if it is , it doesn't sit well with me.

ACSGP

Unfortunately, that's what the law does in the absence of hard evidence - use the reasonable man (or Clapham Omnibus rider) standard.

The journo drove the car with the owner's mechanic, and that's where the versions diverge as to whether any issue was highlighted. But, this isn't some ordinary issue where a potential purchaser of a Vauxhall Astra crashes it while testing the car.

I assume 917s are not driven everyday, and it could very well be that the owner's mechanic did much of the work, and there are no invoices.

But most importantly, I wasn't at the trial, am not the judge, and will not jump to conclusions.

freedman

Who says the receipt is not legitimate? becaiuse a number of Hales internet advocates and work colleagues say so?

Hales isnt arguing, the repair didnt happen, just that 4 years later after admitting fault, it now wasnt his error

There is no argument the engine blew and needed repairing, after all Hales was driving it when it happened

A load of smoke and mirrors from Hales side that totally ignore the known and relevant facts in the case

Bertrand

What I don't get is why not fit an ignition-coil 12V cut-out set at a certain rpm in the first place?
That's basically a passive system for the workings of the engine (so period correct for the performance), and it's not rocket science: Rpm signal, chip (so one can adapt the RPM cut-out), fast-relay.

A 200£ mod.

freedman

And just for good measure re the rebuild

independant witness on 10/10 site said:
I saw this engine in stripdown, as i had gone to Davids to pick up some replacement headlight covers for my own 917 replica.
It WAS broken and pieces had gone into the "system". A complete and exceptionally detailed rebuild with all the associated remaking or replacing broken parts. The fabulous crankshaft is a work of art in its own right. You don,t play with these things, and there are relatively few people capable of correctly working on them. This had to go back to Germany. They are not plain old aluminium or iron. Titanium and Magnesium does not come cheaply. Oh, lets just go down to Partco,s and get the parts off the shelf !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not wanting to be rude, but most contributors to the "knocking what the rebuild costs are" to a 917 engine have absolutely no idea to what is involved in a 12 cylinder 917 powerplant.

Also i said about "buzzing" an engine to 8,200 plus will break it. Under load or gentle increasing of power will allow the engine to rev higher with no trouble .............. but not a vicious instant over rev.