Dr Josef Ehrlich

This talented and innovative engineer — in racing and industry circles for both bikes and cars — passed away last month. He is best remembered in motorsport for his Formula Three and Formula Atlantic designs.

Having fled Austria before WWII, Ehrlich gained an enviable reputation via his bike engines. In 1948, he built a three-cylinder, and later a two stroke that swept the board. Mike Hailwood raced for the Ehrlich Motor Cycle team that was third in the 1961 world series.

Moving his attention to four wheels, Ehrlich entered F3 cars for a number of drivers, induding Jody Scheckter during the 1971 season. He also constructed Formula Atlantic cars and made components for Jack Brabham’s F1 team.

He was back with the bikes by the 1980s, EMCs taking four Junior TTs and setting the first 110mph lap for a 250cc machine.

His final legacy was the ‘variable motion’ e3 engine which is able to alter its capacity and compression ratio while running.