The Harrison Racing Outboards - Legendary Birmingham Metal Products Alky Outboards

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

With many thanks to Smitty-The-Welder I have scanned his documentation of these famous Birmingham Metal Products Inc. HARRISON ALKY OUTBOARD RACING ENGINES for archive posting on this site. When I was a teenager in stock outboard racing, these fast and record setting Alky racing engines went head to head against the British Anzanis, The Quincy/Merc Padded Block and Third Port Deflectors and soon enough the Quincy Flathead Loopers in Alky Classes A (15 cubes) and B (20 cubes). These engines could race so close with their loop charged counterparts it was a toss up as what would win on a given weekend. For those of you having these engines, cherish them. For those who might have a box of parts, here is a chance to take them out and re-assemble the engine. For those that have pictures of these great engines in competition with the other famous and great ones of their classes, we encourage you to post your pictures and tell your stories of where and when you were there with these engines competiting and the good times you had at the events as I did when I was a novice racer watching these engines being driven by some of the greats of Alky outboard hydro and runabout racing.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

Harrison Parts And Price Sheets.

[Mark75H]

Thanks, John & Smitty!

I interviewed Kay Harrison a few years ago about these. Basically he and his father made them for about 2 years consuming the remaining supply of Anzani crankshafts when Anzani stopped production. They had been making (casting) many upgrade parts for Anzanis in the US for a few years prior to that.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

In examining all the Anzani pistons both used, new ready and new unfinished, fully half the pistons have the casting marks "HRP" (aka Harrison Racing Products) and "Lodite" on the underside of the pistons skirts. Is "Lodite" the casting company? If so? Does anyone know where they were located and if they are still operating?

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

British Anzani - a company history ( The Harrison Connection?)

1953 US ad for the Minor Outboard motor production became Anzani’s biggest selling (and perhaps best known) item over the years and numerous models were produced: the Minor (1955-79) a small ½hp general purpose dinghy motor, Super Single (1942-79 158cc, 5hp) the engine that was produced for the longest time and arguably the best known - another general workhorse. Jet (Single, 60cc, 3hp) a fibre glass cowled engine with ‘guarded drive’ protection for swimmers etc, Sports Twin (1950-51) 316cc 14hp, speedy but short lived, Unitwin (1951-67 Twin, 242cc 10hp, and 322cc 15hp, plus full race versions of both) the most advanced engine of it’s day, powerful and reliable, Pilot (Single, 60cc, 2.5hp) another general purpose engine with the distinguishing bar around the cowl, Seamaid (Single, 60cc 3hp) fibre glass cowled general purpose engine, Startwin (1960 Twin, 344cc, 18hp) renamed Magnatwin, powerful twin featuring ‘Contrastart’ electric start with instant forward or reverse, Supertwin 15 (Twin, 322cc, 15hp) streamlined fibre glass cowled Unitwin, Fleetwin 20 (Twin, 344cc, 20hp), Triton (1960 3 cylinder 30hp, 492cc), Magnatwin (1958-1960 Twin, 344cc, 18hp) a large electric start model which could be remotely controlled, Model 65 (1964-67 6.5hp), Model 180 (1964-67 18hp), Model 400 (1964-67 40hp) which were the Oliver/Perkins engines. There was also an inboard version of the 4hp Super Single called the ‘Dinghy Motor’ (1952).

From 1957 to 1963 the Unitwin was imported to the US by legendary racer Bill Tenney of the Aeromarine Co. of Crystal Bay, Minnesota and they soon started winning races. Tenney added his considerable expertise to their development by communicating regularly with the factory making suggestions for improvements many of which Harrison incorporated. You could buy a full race Anzani Unitwin for $595 or $495 for the standard engine. Later the Anzani marque was sold by Millie and Kay Harrison of Birmingham Metal Products of Birmingham, Ohio who also added their modifications to the imported engines. When the British factory ceased production (c1967) they bought the remaining parts from England and assembled the engines themselves - making any missing parts in their factory - and sold the hybrid motors as ‘Harrisons’.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

In the not too distant future it will be my pleasure to take this thread further than the brochure stage already posted to an actual re-construction of a Harrison racing outboard with full pictures and commentary on the project that made Harrison Racing Products (HRP) famous. It too had crescent shaped exhaust stacks not unlike Anzani but it was its own engine that made its point and its records on the oval race tracks of North America.