Hewland

Hewland is a British engineering company best known for designing and manufacturing racing-car gearboxes and transaxles. The business was established in 1957 by Mike Hewland at Maidenhead, where he operated a small engineering concern focused on gear cutting. Its move into motorsport transmission manufacturing followed a request in 1959 from Bob Gibson-Jarvie, chief mechanic of the UDT Laystall racing team. After Hewland helped address gearbox problems affecting the team's Cooper Formula 2 cars, the company designed and built six successful racing gearboxes and began developing a dedicated product business. Hewland's early breakthrough came from adapting the Volkswagen Beetle transaxle for mid-engined racing cars. The Mk.I and Mk.II were early adaptations, while the Mk.III, introduced in 1962, became the first Hewland gearbox offered publicly. It combined a lightweight magnesium-alloy case with bespoke straight-cut gears, dog-ring engagement and a layout suited to compact mid-engined formula and sports-racing cars. The design allowed rapid gear changes and made it comparatively easy to change ratios without removing the transaxle from the vehicle. Later products, particularly the Mk.IV, Mk.V and Mk.VI, expanded the range and strengthened Hewland's position in the growing market for small-displacement racing cars. The Mk.VI became especially influential in Formula Ford, where Hewland transmissions became a de facto standard. The company's racing gearboxes were valued for their light weight, durability, quick dog-clutch shifting and adaptability to different chassis and engine configurations. Hewland subsequently supplied transmissions across many forms of single-seater, sports-car, prototype, rally and touring-car competition. Its historical importance comes not only from individual products but also from helping make modular, serviceable racing transaxles widely available to professional and amateur racing teams. Although Hewland became closely associated with Formula One and other elite racing categories, its work has extended beyond conventional manual gearboxes. The company has developed semi-automatic transmission components, shift actuators, throttle actuators, compressors, position sensors and steering-wheel paddle-shift systems. It has also supplied transmissions for track-day cars such as the Caparo T1 and BAC Mono, and has participated in Formula E since the series began, initially supplying transmissions for the full field of competitors. Hewland has additionally undertaken specialist engineering projects outside automotive racing. It designed the AE75 aircraft engine for the ARV Super2 light aircraft after an approach from Richard Noble, adapting experience from a smaller microlight engine. In electric propulsion, the company produced a high-torque transmission for the Buckeye Bullet 3, which set an electric land-speed record of 549.4 km/h. These projects illustrate the company's broader positioning as a low-volume, high-performance transmission and drivetrain engineering supplier rather than solely a catalog gearbox manufacturer. The company continues to operate from its Maidenhead facility and has diversified toward custom engineering and electric-vehicle transmission supply while retaining a strong motorsport presence. At the beginning of 2021, Hero Motors Company acquired a stake in Hewland. Exact ownership percentages, financial results and current executive details are not established in the supplied reference material.

Hewland began in 1957 as Mike Hewland's small Maidenhead engineering business, whose original specialization was gear cutting. The company entered racing transmission manufacture after Bob Gibson-Jarvie of the UDT Laystall team asked Hewland to investigate gearbox problems in its Cooper Formula 2 cars. Six gearboxes were designed and built in 1959, establishing the foundation of the company's motorsport business. The first Hewland transaxles were adaptations of the Volkswagen Beetle four-speed unit. The Mk.I, introduced around 1960, was modified for the mid-engined Lola Mk.III Formula Junior car. The Mk.II followed with further changes for the Coventry Climax-powered Elva Mk.VI sports racer. In 1962, the Mk.III became the company's first publicly available product. It used a magnesium-alloy Volkswagen case containing five pairs of purpose-designed, straight-cut, constant-mesh gears operated by dog rings and custom shift forks. Removing synchromesh hardware made room for an additional ratio and suited the unit to rapid racing shifts. The Mk.III became popular in small formula and sports-racing categories and formed the technical basis for later Hewland designs. The Mk.IV introduced a Hewland-made tail casing and a revised selector arrangement intended to simplify chassis linkage. Its higher-torque companion, the Mk.V, expanded the company's market. The Mk.VI, launched in 1965, refined the Mk.IV concept and helped establish Hewland as a dominant volume supplier for small-displacement mid-engined racing cars. Its adoption in Formula Ford was particularly significant, making Hewland equipment a widely recognized standard in the category. The company's transmissions were valued for quick dog-ring shifting, low weight, compact packaging and serviceability. Ratio changes could generally be made without removing the transaxle from the car, while the design could be installed upside down to accommodate low-mounted dry-sump engines. Hewland products became common across formula racing, sports cars, prototypes, rallying and touring-car competition, and the company developed a substantial reputation during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Hewland later broadened its engineering work beyond traditional manual racing gearboxes. Its portfolio came to include semi-automatic transmission systems and associated components such as shift and throttle actuators, compressors, shift-position sensors and paddle-shift controls. The company designed or manufactured gearboxes for specialist track-day cars including the Caparo T1 and BAC Mono. It also participated in Formula E from the championship's beginning, supplying transmissions for the field, and developed a high-torque electric transmission for the Buckeye Bullet 3. The company has undertaken aerospace-related work as well. Following an approach from Richard Noble, Hewland designed the AE75, a lightweight inverted three-cylinder, water-cooled two-stroke aircraft engine for the ARV Super2 light aircraft. The project drew on an existing two-cylinder microlight-engine design and included a reduction gearbox. In the contemporary period, Hewland remains based at Maidenhead and serves motorsport, vehicle manufacturers and electric-vehicle projects. The company reportedly employs approximately 130 people at the facility, although the date and current status of that figure are not specified in the supplied material. Hero Motors Company acquired a stake at the beginning of 2021. Hewland's history therefore combines specialist racing heritage with a broader strategy centered on custom drivetrain engineering and electrified powertrain applications.

• 2021

  Hero Motors Company takes a stake

  [1]Hewlanden.wikipedia.org

  Hero Motors Company acquires a stake in Hewland as the company continues expanding into broader drivetrain and electric-vehicle applications.

• 1965

  Mk.VI strengthens Formula Ford position

  [1]Hewlanden.wikipedia.org

  The Mk.VI helps make Hewland a leading volume supplier of lightweight transaxles for small-displacement mid-engined racing cars, including Formula Ford.

• 1962

  Mk.III enters public sale

  [1]Hewlanden.wikipedia.org

  The Mk.III becomes Hewland's first publicly offered transaxle and establishes the core architecture for subsequent products.

• 1960

  Mk.I transaxle appears

  [1]Hewlanden.wikipedia.org

  Hewland adapts a Volkswagen Beetle transaxle for the mid-engined Lola Mk.III Formula Junior car.

• 1959

  First racing gearboxes are built

  [1]Hewlanden.wikipedia.org

  Following a request from UDT Laystall chief mechanic Bob Gibson-Jarvie, Hewland designs and builds six gearboxes for Cooper Formula 2 cars.

• 1957

  Hewland is founded

  [1]Hewlanden.wikipedia.org

  Mike Hewland establishes an engineering business in Maidenhead, initially focused on gear cutting.

A specialist, performance-focused engineering supplier serving motorsport, low-volume vehicle manufacturers and emerging electric-powertrain applications.

• Racing transaxle · 1962

  Hewland Mk.III

  Introduced in 1962, the Mk.III was Hewland's first product offered to the public. It adapted a magnesium-alloy Volkswagen transaxle case with five pairs of bespoke straight-cut, constant-mesh gears and dog-ring engagement. The design was intended for compact mid-engined formula and sports-racing cars, emphasizing fast shifts, low mass and accessible ratio changes. It became the foundation for many later Hewland racing transmissions.

• Racing transaxle · 1965

  Hewland Mk.VI

  The Mk.VI was an improved development of the Mk.IV and became one of Hewland's most influential products in the small-displacement racing market. Its lightweight construction, dog-ring shifting and serviceable ratio arrangement suited the needs of Formula Ford and other mid-engined categories. Its widespread use helped establish Hewland transmissions as a de facto standard in Formula Ford racing.

• Electric racing transmission

  Formula E transmission systems

  Hewland has supplied transmission systems to Formula E since the championship's inauguration. The work represents the company's transition from conventional manual racing gearboxes toward highly integrated electric-racing drivetrain engineering and series-level supply.

• Electric-vehicle transmission

  Buckeye Bullet 3 transmission

  Hewland developed a custom high-torque transmission for the Buckeye Bullet 3 electric land-speed vehicle. The project demonstrated the company's ability to engineer specialized drivetrains for extreme electric-power applications rather than only for conventional combustion-engine race cars.

• Aircraft engine

  AE75

  The AE75 was a lightweight, inverted three-cylinder, water-cooled two-stroke aircraft engine designed for the ARV Super2 light aircraft. It included a reduction gearbox and was developed from Hewland's smaller two-cylinder microlight-engine experience after an approach from aircraft designer and engineer Richard Noble.

• Motorsport transmission system

  Semi-automatic transmission components

  Hewland's broader transmission portfolio includes semi-automatic system components such as shift actuators, throttle actuators, compressors, shift-position sensors and steering-wheel paddle-shift systems. These components extend the brand beyond standalone manual gearboxes into complete or partially integrated racing drivetrain architectures.

• 2021

  Accepting an investment from Hero Motors CompanyM&A

  Background

  Hewland was operating as a specialist motorsport transmission supplier while also expanding into electric-vehicle and custom drivetrain engineering.

  Action taken

  Hero Motors Company acquired a stake in Hewland.

  Aftermath

  The supplied reference material does not specify the stake percentage, transaction value or subsequent governance arrangements.

  Source

1. 1Hewlanden.wikipedia.org