British Car Sounds

Note: This article was originally published in the May/June 2006 edition of the MGB Driver, the magazine of the North American MGB Register. djd

This afternoon, I picked out a nice spot along a fence on Rifle Ford Rd watching the cars leaving the British Car Day at Smokey Glen Farm in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The day was perfect - low 70’s for temperature, puffy clouds overhead, little humidity. The spot I chose was about 6 feet above the road level, at the top of a small rise, about 1/4 mile from where the cars exiting the show turn onto the road. Most of the cars seemed to shift into 4^th gear just where I was, so I had the opportunity to hear the cars winding out in second and third as the came up the incline. Wow! The sounds combined with the smell of Castrol were intoxicating....

I’ve recently been trying to get to shows early or stay late, to see the cars on the move.... This is really the point of them, right?? There were a number of trailers in the parking lot, and some of the cars that came up the hill turned left into the parking lot, to be loaded on their trailers, I suppose. But there were plenty of expensive-looking E-Types burbling their way up the hill and past the entrance to the ‘trailer park’...

The sounds - while there are slight variances due to exhaust systems, you can definitely pick out the unique characteristics of each car. It’s kind of like buying a house - you must look past the decorations and furniture to figure out the house’s essential character. It’s the same with our British Cars - once you get past differences in carbueration, engine tuning and exhaust, an MGB always has the underlying refined burble to it (although at times they can sound flatulent, like the GM V6 or the ‘fart cans’ the kids put on their sport-compacts these days). And even though they all sound a little different, I bet I can pick out the ‘British’ sound if I were blindfolded and listening to a stream of cars roll by…. There is something unique aboout the British sports car sound. My neighbor has an Alfa Romeo Spider, and it doesn’t sound British in the least.

As a contrast, several examples of expensive modern cars also rolled by - the Porsche 911 sounded very whirry, all fan noise and rattle, while the newer Jaguars kind of whished by - although the XJ sedans still had that undercurrent of low burble - just buried under all of the ancillaries, I suspect..... The Corvettes rumbled by, but again, compared to the V8 in the Daimler SP250 ‘Dart’ - no comparison. Again, I suspect ancillaries and too much muffling in the Corvette! The new MINI immediately following two ‘old’ Mini’s was an interesting juxtaposition of sounds - what a difference! Whereas the ‘old’ Minis emitted a high-pitched rasp, the new MINI made absolutely no sound - nothing made it stand out at all. Very disappointing. They got a freer-flowing exhaust on the very extensive option list??

Just as there is a difference in ‘reputation’ between the MG and the Triumph, there is a marked difference in sound. As you’re probably aware, the MGB is considered ‘refined’ whereas the Triumph is considered ‘racy’ - the connotation seems to be that the MGB is slower but well built and roomier, while the Triumph is faster but lighter and leaves parts in its wake! (I don’t truly know or care, I love ‘em both). From a sound perspective, the MGB tends to have a lower, more refined rumble, to my ear, while the Triumph engine note is one of slightly more excitement and ‘rasping’, a ‘hurry up, let’s get going’ type of demeanor - Tally-ho! The MGB seems to be saying, ‘whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here’. More of a stiff-upper-lip....

I always liked British 6-cylinder engines, typified by the Big Healey and the TR-6. They have a sound all their own – stately, refined, yet with that throaty rumble that indicates they are just loafing along but they’ll be there when you need ‘em…. The BMW 6-cylinder in my cousin’s 535i makes a similar sound but seems more in control – more efficient, cool, not quite as fun-loving, perhaps. And no gear whine in the Bimmer, either…..

Here is my little summary of the cars I heard –

Triumph TR6 - throaty ripping - Look out, here I come!

MGB - refined burble

Daimler SP250 ‘Dart’ - serious V8 burble but not American-V8-sounding

Austin Healey - 6-cylinder – throaty, low-pitched rumble

Jaguar - twin-cam 6 cylinder - low, expensive-sounding burble - a little louder when installed in an E-Type but still noticeable in late-model sedans

Aston Martin DB5 - smooth, refined rumble

MG T - rorty - whatever that means – but it describes the sound perfectly!

Mini (old) - high-pitched rasp

MINI (new) - hushed....

Triumph GT6 - smooth rasping

Sunbeam Tiger - American V8 rumble

Triumph TR3 - excited ripping

Any British car, parked – drip, drip, drip….