These cylinder heads, with their Ricardo pattern combustion chambers, were fitted as standard to the Austin 7 range from 1937. They are widely used by enthusiasts for performance enhancement. They do however make for rough running, probably not noticed on the 3 bearing engines for which they were originally designed. Also the position of the sparking plug directly above the edge of the cylinder bore can result in "oiling up" when the bores or piston rings become worn. The "Ulster" and "Nippy" sports heads were similar in design except that the sparking plugs was positioned in the much more suitable position over the exhaust valves.
