The people at Powerflex bushings have revealed two of their latest special applications, including a custom service for British Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Cameron is driven in a bulletproof Jaguar XJ but the extra weight of its triple-layer glass, bomb-proof floor and oxygen bottles, meant the handling was compromised.
After the suspension had been uprated with some super-stiff springs, Powerflex was called in to design some special spring isolators to reduce the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) issues caused by road noise travelling through the springs into the bodyshell.
With the specially designed Powerflex spring isolators in place, we're told the car is transformed and interior noise reduced significantly.
Another task they undertook was with manufacturer, London Taxi International (LTI), which builds the iconic black taxis for London.
As a legal requirement, the turning circle for a Black Cab is 25ft, meaning they must be able to turn within a very tight space. This apparently originated because the famous London Savoy Hotel had a tiny roundabout outside, and the Savoy wanted cabs to be able to swing around the without reversing!
This meant that when the taxis were designed in 1958, they had a strange steering geometry to allow such a tight turning circle. To counter this, the taxis were fitted with a steering damper.
In 2000, LTI wanted Powerflex to look at the design of the steering damper bushings because the stock parts had poor durability and needed to be replaced at every service interval.
To cut a long story short, Powerflex redesigned the bushes. They made 30,000, which were fitted to every London cab over a two-year period, and they've never sold one since. Meaning the bushings have lasted the lifetime of the cab and replacements were no longer required.
To see the Top Gear London Taxi in action, watch this video: