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| Hewland | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hewland |
| Industry | Automotive engineering |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Mike Hewland |
| Headquarters | Maidenhead, Berkshire, England |
| Products | Racing gearboxes, transaxles, differentials, gearsets, transmission components |
Hewland
Hewland is a British engineering company noted for designing and manufacturing high-performance racing gearboxes, transaxles, and transmission components used across international Formula One, IndyCar Series, IMSA and various Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships. Founded by Mike Hewland in the late 1950s, the firm became synonymous with modular, quick-change gearbox systems that influenced vehicle architecture for racing teams, constructors, and specialist manufacturers. Hewland transmissions have been fitted to championship-winning cars, sports prototypes, touring cars, and single-seaters, establishing links with prominent constructors, engine builders, and racing teams.
Hewland was established in 1957 by Mike Hewland after involvement with Lotus Cars and competition in club-level racing; early work included gearsets for Lotus-derived specials and collaboration with principal figures such as Colin Chapman, Roy Salvadori, and John Cooper. The 1960s saw Hewland supplying gearboxes to teams in Formula Junior, Formula 3, and Formula 1, gaining reputation through associations with constructors like Brabham, McLaren, and Cooper Car Company. In the 1970s and 1980s Hewland expanded product lines and international reach, supplying vehicles in Can-Am, Trans-Am Series, and endurance events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corporate milestones included moves to purpose-built facilities in Maidenhead and collaborations with component suppliers linked to Ford Motor Company, Cosworth, and Chevrolet. Post-2000 developments featured diversification into sequential systems and partnerships with racing series organizers including FIA-sanctioned categories.
Hewland’s core product range encompasses modular gearbox assemblies, magnesium-cased transaxles, dog-ring gearsets, and sequential gearboxes, often optimized for specific powerplants like the Cosworth DFV, Honda RA, Ford-Cosworth BDA, and the Chevrolet small-block V8. Key technologies include quick-change gear clusters, interchangeable gear ratios, and ruggedized final drives tailored for Porsche-based prototypes, BMW-engined touring cars, and bespoke sports racers from houses such as Dallara and Lola Cars. Hewland developed manual H-pattern units, sequential manual gearboxes, and later electro-hydraulic actuated systems used in classes regulated by Motorsport UK and FIA. Materials engineering draws on alloys and heat-treatment techniques used by suppliers to Rolls-Royce Holdings and advanced machining practices common to aerospace contractors.
Hewland transmissions have been integral to successes in Formula One, powering championship-winning cars from teams like Team Lotus and McLaren in the 1960s and 1970s. The company’s gearboxes have seen victories at marquee events including the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans with entrants from Porsche AG, Audi Sport, and privateer teams. Hewland remained active supplying spec and control gearboxes to feeder series such as Formula 2 and Formula 3, cooperating with organizers like SRO Motorsports Group and national authorities including ACI Sport and CAMS. In touring car and GT categories, Hewland units appear in campaigns run by Team Dynamics, West Surrey Racing, and factory efforts from manufacturers like BMW Motorsport and Aston Martin.
Originally a privately held company under Mike Hewland, ownership evolved through family stewardship and management-led phases, with executive ties to industry figures experienced with Cosworth Engineering and independent racing suppliers. Corporate decisions often involved partnerships or supplier agreements with larger automotive groups and contract manufacturers in the United Kingdom and continental Europe. The company maintains technical collaborations with gearbox component specialists, machining houses, and testing facilities connected to institutes like Imperial College London and regional manufacturing clusters in Oxfordshire and South East England.
Hewland’s manufacturing integrates CAD/CAM design, finite element analysis, and precision gear cutting using equipment from specialist manufacturers and subcontractors in the gear and transmission sector. Prototyping and development include dynamometer testing, endurance simulation, and in-house assembly lines that adhere to standards employed by suppliers to Airbus and BAE Systems for high-reliability components. Design emphasizes modularity: quick-change ratio systems, removable bellhousings for engine swaps (facilitating engines from builders such as Yamaha and Hart), and lightweight casings using magnesium and high-strength aluminium alloys. Quality control relies on coordinate measuring machines and metallurgical testing consistent with motorsport homologation processes overseen by FIA regulations.
Hewland gearboxes have been fitted to landmark vehicles including Lotus 49, Brabham BT44, McLaren M23, Ford GT40-based projects, Porsche 911 racing variants, and prototype sports racers from Lola Cars and Dallara. Their transaxles powered championship efforts in Formula 2 with teams such as March Engineering and supported privateer entries in Can-Am and World Sportscar Championship campaigns. Hewland units are also common in historic racing, period-correct restorations run by collectors and museums like the National Motor Museum where original racing transmissions remain valued for authenticity.
Hewland’s introduction of modular, quick-change gear clusters and compact transaxles established paradigms later adopted across motorsport: rapid ratio swaps, serviceability between sessions, and integration with mid-engine chassis layouts pioneered by Colin Chapman and others. The company influenced gearbox standardization in feeder series and endurance racing, shaping procurement strategies for teams and constructors such as Williams Grand Prix Engineering and TWR. Hewland’s engineering principles persist in contemporary racing transmission design, informing work at specialist manufacturers and university research programs focused on lightweight driveline solutions and shifting actuators used in modern Formula E and prototype programs.
Category:Automotive companies of the United Kingdom Category:Motorsport suppliers