BL R-series engine fitted to the Maestro with the carburettor facing the front of the car, which also led to a reputation for carburettor icing in cold weather. The endemic problem of crankshaft failure was later attributed to flexing of the crankcase – because the E series relied upon the heavy sump/transmission unit to give additional strength to the cylinder block casting, this caused problems when a plain sump was bolted in its place. The R series was superseded in 1984 by the S series. BL R-series engine The R series is a line of petrol engines introduced by British Leyland in 1983
BL 10-pounder mountain gun BL 10-pounder mountain gun The Ordnance BL 10 pounder mountain gun was developed as a BL successor to the RML 2.5 inch screw gun which was outclassed in the Second Boer War. This breech-loading gun was an improvement on the muzzle-loading screw gun but still lacked any recoil absorber or recuperator mechanism. It could be dismantled into 4 loads of approximately for transport, typically by mule. It was originally manufactured without a Gun shield, but these were made and fitted locally during World War I e.g. at Nairobi in 1914 for the East Africa campaign, also at Suez in 1915