One plane, four car engines
Needless to say I’ve been reading Unique Cars for many years and usually turn to Garage Gurus first up. Great reading.
There have been a number of interesting letters about alternative uses of car engines but as I’m both a car and aircraft enthusiast I though you would be interested in the use off our different car-based engines in one aircraft type. In 1919 two Australians, Ross and Keith Smith, with crew members Wally Shires and Jim Bennet
were t he f irst to f ly from England to Austra lia in an ex- R AF Vickers Vimy, ta k ing 28 days to cover t he 18,250km to Dar win at an average speed of 137k m/h and winning a prize of 10,000 pounds (around $150,000 in today’s money). The Vimy was a large WWI biplane bomber powered by t wo 20-litre (1,220 cubicinch) Rolls Royce Eagle
V III V12 engines of around 360hp each. These engines were based substantia lly on t he concept of joining t wo si x-cylinder Rolls Royce Silver Ghost 40/50 automobile engines of 7.4 lit re (451 cubic-inches) capacit y and were t he f irst V12 aero engines produced by Rolls Royce.
In 1994, a replica of t he record-brea k ing Vickers Vimy was built with the aim of repeating its severa l record f lig hts. Its f irst f light was from England to Austra lia piloted by Lang Kirby and Peter McMillan. In this form it was powered by t wo Chevrolet 454 cubic-inch (7.4-lit re) V8s in NASCAR racing trim. Subsequently, these were replaced with BMW M73 V12 5.1-lit re (330 cubicinch) engines producing 321hp. The f inal version was powered by Orenda OE 600 V8s of 495 cubic inches (8.1 litre) and 600hp. These Orendas were developed from the GM a lloy-block ZL1 Can Am engine and were intended to replace ageing Pratt and Whitney and Wright aero engines in older aircra f t.
All of t hese engines were extensively modified wit h dual ignition and dual f uel systems to meet aircraft safet y requirement. One f inal example is t he use of Jag uar’s 5.3 lit re (327 cubicinch) V12 engine in at least one replica Spit f ire.
Of course, we can then look at t he use of aero engines in cars, but t hat’s a whole ot her stor y! Colin Smeal, Holder, ACT