ULéon Levivasseur kufuneka abe ligama lekhaya - mhlawumbi ude wenziwa isithixo ... - ngabo bonke abathanda iimoto kunye nobunjineli ngokubanzi. ULevavasseur wayeyinjineli, umyili kunye nomqambi. Kodwa ngaphezu kwakho konke, i-genius.
Wazalelwa eFransi, ngo-1863, ukunika ihlabathi esinye sezona zipho zintle zemoto: ukuveliswa koyilo lwenjini yeV8 . Ngaphandle kwetorque, umsebenzi orhabaxa kunye nesandi esigqabhukileyo seenjini zeV8 azinakufana.
Umsebenzi wakhe wobunjineli waqala kwinkampani yenjini yaseFransi iAntoinette, awathi uLéon wayinceda wayifumanisa ngo-1902. Kwangaloo nyaka mnye, uLéon wanika i-injini yokuqala eyi-V8 kwimbali.
Ngokukhula kwemfuno yeenjini ngezona njongo zininzi, ulungelelwaniso olungaqhelekanga lukaLéon lwaqala ukutsala umdla kwihlabathi leenqanawa. Ii-injini zayo zakhawuleza zafumana udumo ngokuba zi-compact, zinamandla kwaye zithembekile. Wade wayila neenjini ezinesilinda ezingama-32!
Emva kweminyaka nje emibini, ii-injini zikaLevavasseur zazisele zinika amandla izikhephe zomdyarho ezingenakubalwa, zinoloyiso kuyo yonke imida. Kungelo xesha abathi kumzi-mveliso waseAntoinette bafumana iodolo evela eBrazil yenjini ekhethekileyo. Isicelo seza egameni likaSantos Dumont - uthathwa njengomnye wabasunguli beenqwelomoya. UDumont wacela uLéon ukuba amnike injini yenqwelo-moya yakhe ene-14-bis.
I-injini ekhethiweyo kwaye iyilwe yayi… V8 (ngokucacileyo, akunjalo?) Inamandla amangalisayo angama-50 kunye ne-86 kg kuphela yobunzima ngokulandelelana kwayo. Lo mlinganiselo wobunzima/amandla ungqineke ungenakoyiswa kangangeminyaka engama-25. Isiphumo? I-14-bis yaba yinto yokuqala enzima kunomoya ukunduluka ngaphandle koncedo (inqwelomoya ekhaphukhaphu yabazalwana bakwaWright yayifuna ukonyuswa) yayingo-1906.
Emva kokushiya u-Antoinette, uLéon Levavasseur waqhubeka nomsebenzi wakhe njengomqambi ngokufakela amalungelo abenzi, ukuphumelela amabhaso kunye nokuqulunqa iinkqubo ezisekho kubomi bemihla ngemihla kwishishini leemoto - umzekelo, ukupholisa usebenzisa i-radiator okanye i-injection ye-fuel ngqo. Kwiminyaka engaphezu kwe-100 kamva, iingcamango zakhe zisasebenza kanye njengosuku abashiya intloko yakhe. Iyachukumisa, akunjalo?
Bhalisa kwincwadana yethu
Okumangalisayo kukuba, uLevavasseur, uyise wezinye zezinto eziphambili zobunjineli banamhlanje, wayeza kufa ebuhlwempu ngo-1922-wayeneminyaka engama-58 ubudala. Namhlanje, iminyaka engama-92 emva kokufa kwakhe (NDR: ngomhla wokupapashwa kokuqala kwenqaku), siyamhlawula le ntlawulo elula apha. Enkosi Leon!