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Beautiful Noise


woa2

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I was listening to my car radio today, and the song 'Beautiful Noise' was played. It got me thinking. What is a "Beautiful Noise" to YOU. Obviously the best noise is your Restoration project starting after years of work. However, my thoughts are :-

 

1. A Spitfire with a RR Merlin at full throttle.

 

2. A well tuned Ford V8 on tickover.

 

3. A steam train coming into a station.

 

What are your thoughts?

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Again in no particular order:

 

 

  • The Merlin - singly or in quads from the Lanc. Nothing else in the air sounds as sweet!!
  • The B81 in a Stalwart burbling along happily.
  • The sound of the OT trundling along on it's tracks with that dirty great diesel lump rumbling away to itself.
  • The sound of SLR's being fired on the ranges (don't ask why - I just always loved the sound!!).
  • A two-stroke Saab running full bore in historic rallying.

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2. 71 series Detroit Diesel V8 in Scammell 65 ton Crusader 3. Rolls Royce 305 Eagle Diesel in Scammell Crusader Eka

 

Mmmm...Thats one on the best sounds for sure! Along with..

 

The gearbox/transfer box on my K9 at about 25mph....:-\

 

Oil cooled big bore Suzuki GSXR being thrashed down a dual carrageway

 

And this Mack...

 

And any 40's/50's petrol Bedford truck.

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1 RR Merlin or multiples therof

2 A multibank or radial Sherman starting up

3 The Dodge starting on the 1st turn of the engine after 2 months in the garage

(on 6volts)

4 the gut wrenching mashing of teeth of a jeep starter churning over and over and over on 12volts after electronic ignition and a total rebuild by a 'volt nazi'

 

5 A Gibson Les Paul through a very, very large valve amplifier!

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Everybody goes on about Merlins, and how the noise makes the hairs raise and how they sound on ground runs etc.

 

The most evocative/impressive piece of flying i ever seen was by a Spitfire, i was based at RAF Brize Norton in the late eighties and lived in a barrack block located adjacent to the runway, it was a fantastic summer sunday morning, not a cloud in the sky, and the sun burning the haze off of the airfield, there was no aircraft/vehicle movements at the time and it was absolutely silent, i had gone outside to get my bicycle, when off in the distance way up high the unmistakeable sound of a Merlin engine, picking up speed, i couldnt see what it was coming from at first as the haze was camouflaging the aircraft, then there it was the familiar shape of a Spitfire in a steep dive, diving for the end of the runway, the engine absolutely screaming, it pulled up over the airfield fence and levelled out above the piano keys at the start of the runway, at about an altitude of 20 feet and howled down the runway, the supercharger boosted engine at full chat, at the other end of the runway the Pilot pulled back on the stick and then done a victory roll.

It really was a moment i will never forget, and possibly somebody elses, as i heard a number of "Woohooos" and "yeahs" from across the airfield!

Afterwards i heard it was Ray Hannah who had got permission from the tower to beat up the airfield!

The sound was tremendous the whole scene was perfect and it literally was "out of the blue" in a way that you couldnt recreate at an airshow.

That to me was the most Beautiful Noise.

Edited by Adam Elsdon
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Pleasant mechanical sounds to the ear: Not in order;

 

Merlin

12V 71 Detroit under load

Holder HD3 2 stroke diesel tractor on load

A well balanced steam engine ticking over (Traction or roller)

Ferrari 3 litre V12 1960's

 

A long time restoration project finally going; Splut, splut, miss, miss, bang, and a cloud of smoke!

Doug

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You would be surprised how many people say how beautiful a Merlin sounds as they listen to a Griffon engined Spitfire!

 

He he

 

The Merlin gets a mention by most people on here though. It would get my vote too, along with the sound of a proper V-twin ;)

 

Top of the list though: "Dinner's ready!"

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