Myth Buster
Debunking the most common old wives’ tales
Unconventional engines
1 HYBRIDS ARE A MODERN CONCEPT…
The rush to save the planet has seen the rise of the hybrid, combining a petrol unit with electric motors and batteries. But it’s not a new idea – Ferdinand Porsche came up with the first hybrid in 1898. His Lohner Electric Chaise had a petrol unit connected to a generator to charge batteries that, in turn, powered the four electric motors, one for each wheel. So that made it the first all-wheel-drive car, too.
2 ...AND SO ARE ‘W’ ENGINES
W-configuration engines have become a bit of a thing in recent years, mainly thanks to the Germans. They can be found in Bentleys, Volkswagens, Audis and the Bugatti Veyron/Chiron. However, it was Austria, that pioneered the format, back in 1921. The splendidly-named (and shaped) Rumpler Tropfenwagen (shown top) had a Siemens and Halske-built 2.6-litre overhead valve W6 unit. It developed just 36bhp, but could still manage an impressive 70mph, thanks to its aerodynamic shape. Around 100 examples were built.
3 THE V8 IS AN AMERICAN INVENTION
And so, inevitably, we move to that mainstay of American cars for so many decades – the V8 engine. However, it wasn’t the USA that came up with it. Frenchman Léon Levavasseur patented the angled engine idea in 1902, but it was dear ol’ Blighty and that most British of car manufacturers, Rolls-Royce, that first put a V8 in a car. Its 1905 V-8 had a 3535cc unit and a (governed) top speed of just 20mph, though admittedly, only three were built. Cadillac wouldn’t get around to mass production of V8s for another decade.