Regardless of application, the transaxle is bolted to the rear of the engine. The car shown here is a Sixties Formula B Brabham, but most amateur drivers see Hewlands via older Formula Fords, which used a version of the Mark 9 four-speed. All it takes is a catalog and a phone call. As a bonus, the flexibility of the design allowed for a staggering number of configurations: The same Hewland can often be converted into a four- or six-speed the near-infinite selection of gear ratios lets you account for everything from track layout to wind direction. The box was shockingly durable, it could be installed upside down for better packaging, and it was fixable by anyone who could spin a wrench. The result was a five-speed manual that let you blitz through shifts without the clutch and allowed for complete ratio swaps in 20 minutes. It also provided for a custom dog-clutch (read: unsynchronized) geartrain. You only need space for the forward/backward motion of the lever, not left/right.At Lola's request, Hewland modified a VW Beetle's magnesium-case four-speed for strength and service. The other advantage is that the sequential shift lever takes up less space in the race car cockpit. That can never happen with a sequential gearbox. If you mis-shift with the "H" pattern in a race (for example, down-shifting to 2nd when you meant to go to 4th), it is possible to blow up the engine.
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