1935-45 BMW-LANOVA 114 RADIAL DIESEL

Developed in 1935, the Bmw-lanova 114 was an experimental adaptation of the BMW 132 radial engine. BMW had bought a license from Pratt & Whitney to produce the R-1690 radial engine in 1928. They improved upon the design making the Model 132 that entered production in 1933. Displacing 1,692 cubic inches from nine cylinders, it made 715 to 947 horsepower, depending on the variant. The 132 became a staple of German aviation in the 1930s and for the German Luftwaffe through World War II, mostly powering transport and reconnaissance aircraft.

In 1935, BMW teamed up with Franz Lang of Lanova (you’ve heard that name a hundred times in other Vintage Smoke stories) to dieselize the 132. Dubbed the Model 114, it shared the same basic lower end of the 132 (including the 6.13 x 6.37-inch bore and stroke). Both air and liquid cooled (shown in picture) versions were built for tests, and the cylinders of the liquid cooled engines were individually cooled, each having a small radiator. Lanova style heads were added and the compression was bumped from 6.5 to 14.8:1. Voila... instant diesel! That’s what the Lanova system was good at because it was a relatively slow and gentle combustion system that gas lower ends could handle. The engine was supercharged, with boost listed at around 17 psi. Several outputs are listed by cooling method, the air cooled 114 shows a maximum of 611 horsepower at 2050 rpm and the liquid cooled was 616 at the same rpm. One period source listed 650 horses at 2200 rpm. Development ceased after 1937 due to injection pump and thermal stress issues. photo by Stahlkocher via Wikipedia Commons