If you look at the engines of most cars, you will notice many similarities between them. However, at different times there have been many attempts to offer something new that would totally change the design and functions of most motors. Some models of unusual engines were nevertheless used in sports cars and even became part of the design of popular cars. Others were recognized as a dead end in the evolution of the automotive industry. All unusual engines, however, give an idea of the unique engineering thinking of designers of different times, so necessary for the promotion of any car model. You will learn about this in our new material. So, meet - the most unusual engines in the history of the global automotive industry.
Single Cylinder (1885)
The single-cylinder internal combustion engine goes back to the very first recognizable car - the 1885 Benz Patent-Motorwagen. A four-stroke engine of 954 cubic centimeters was installed under the passenger seat and developed less than 1 horsepower.
Nevertheless, it was easy to produce, and working with it was even easier, and later it was modified in order to have the power of two horsepower. Since then, single-cylinder models have been used in many light and economical cars, and later this type of unusual engine has experienced a kind of renaissance due to its suitability as a range extension device for electric vehicles.
V-shaped (1889)
The V-shaped engine at one time had a number of attractive properties, which can explain its long-term use in the automotive industry. This unusual engine is compact and lightweight, as it was originally created for motorcycles. The first car to use the V-shaped model was the Stahlradwagen Daimler, but it became really popular in the 1920s when companies like GN and Morgan used it to create their legendary sports models. The only modern car to use the V-shaped engine is still the Morgan, which has 82 horsepower. If the author of these lines had to compose his personal top 6 unusual engine, this one would just close the six. But on the remaining positions the following 5 motors would be located, which will be discussed below.
V4 (1897)
For many years, the V4 (one of the most unusual internal combustion engines) has enjoyed a poor reputation, thanks in large part to Ford cars, which flooded the market with less than high-quality models in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite this, its compact size and its inherent smoothness should have made it ideal for use in cars, and engineer Emil Morse was the first to use it in 1897.
The largest engine among the cars participating in the Grand Prix was just the V4, used in the car of J. Walter Christie in 1907, which had a capacity of 19 891 cubic meters. Lancia developed a version for classic models such as Appia and Fulvia, while Porsche used the classic V4 in many race car models. These models have also become a kind of classic.
The Clear Eight (1919)
Like many other types of equipment used in early cars, the G8 was first developed for use in aircraft. The power of eight cylinders combined with the long, thin aerodynamic shape of this type of unusual engine made it an ideal acquisition for sophisticated aircraft manufacturers. It was first adopted for use in an Isotta Fraschini car, and then in 1920 in Leyland Motors cars, but it was Bugatti in Europe and Duesenberg in the USA that popularized the G8, making it mainstream.
The Bugatti auto company dominated the passenger car market for a very long time, producing both cheap and very expensive models, while Duesenberg stayed afloat in America for not so long.
Straight-12, or "clear two-piece" (1920)
The length of this type of unusual engine for cars in itself meant that it can only be used in luxury cars, as is the case with the French Corona. The impressive dimensions, reaching 7238 cubic centimeters, made it very powerful. But the high cost and impracticality of the design doomed it to a very narrow popularity. Only wealthy companies that produced cars for the elite could afford it.
Peccard took up the challenge in the 1920s and built one prototype that was used by one member of the Packard family from 1929 until his death, when the car was scrapped. It was an unusual personal car for a sophisticated rich man, whose drawings forever sunk into oblivion.
W12 (1927)
We may have gotten used to the look of the W12 thanks to Bentley cars, but the history of this engine goes back to the 1920s. Then pioneers in the construction of fast cars, such as John Cobb and Sir Malcolm Campbell, initially adapted the impractical W12 for use in Campbell's innovative Blue Bird engines.
However, after that, unusual W12 magnet engines remained unpopular for a long time, until the advent of the 1990 Life F35 Grand Prix, which turned out to be insufficiently powerful and very unreliable. Then Audi chose this model for its 1991 Avus concept car.
V16 (1929)
Maserati was the first company to produce cars with a V16 engine. In particular, they used it in their Tipo V4, which was immediately followed by cars from Cord in the USA. Alfa Romeo bought a V16 to build its famous Tipo 162, while Auto Union developed its own modification of this engine for use in the Type C model.
After World War II, only the BRM dabbled in the V16 configuration with its flashy 1.5-liter engine for use in the Grand Prix. This engine developed a capacity of 600 liters. s., but problems with his boost system meant that he was not reliable enough to fulfill his promises.
Radial engine (RD, 1935)
The light weight and simplicity of the taxiway design could not but be noticed by aircraft manufacturers, and it was also used in many tanks. Nevertheless, the size and design of the valve made it less attractive for automobile companies, so its first application was only on one of the participating cars of the 1935 Monaco-Trossi Grand Prix.
Having gained limited popularity, the air-cooled two-stroke radial engine was also loaded and equipped with two rows of eight cylinders. Power was 250 horsepower, which was not so impressive for the advanced engine of that period. Overheating turned out to be a problem, but the car could not compete because of the terrible lack of maneuverability caused by the fact that 75% of the weight of the car was on its front axle.
Flat-12 (1946)
Porsche launched the so-called Flat-12 in 1947, when Ferdinand Porsche proposed this 1.5-liter unit for the Cisitalia. It was supposed to be used in a racing car at the next Grand Prix, which was never published due to its structural complexity. In 1964, the guys from Ferrari used Flat-12 on their cars for Formula 1.
Ferrari was the first corporation to produce a full-fledged car with this type of engine.
Gas Turbine (1950)
It was very unusual for a conservative British automaker to see the first use of a gas turbine engine. The Rover Jet 1 was the result of UK success in working with this technology after World War II, and was based on the P4 chassis. The speed of this car was good for that time, ranging from 10 to 60 miles per hour. It is believed that this car could reach speeds of up to 90 miles per hour.
Further experience showed that it can develop a power of 230 horsepower, and its maximum speed reaches 152 miles per hour. Both General Motors and Chrysler experimented with a gas turbine engine at one time, but the various competitions in Le Mans, Indianapolis and Formula 1 could not show its true power, so no one was interested in it anymore. However, today there are plans to use a gas turbine with modifications from the British company Delta Motorsport. Perhaps the most visible use of land vehicles on gas turbine engines today is the main battle tank of the U.S. Army, the M1 Abrams.
Triple (1951)
The triple engine is a three-cylinder engine, which exists much longer than the current models of cars on which it is used, such as cars from Ford and Volkswagen. He gained fame in the 1950s when DKW and Saab used his push-pull modifications for their small family car models.
An indicator of how good these engines were was that it was the DKW car that gave the two-time Formula 1 champion Jim Clark his first racing experience, and the racer piloting the Saab car won the Monte Carlo rally from the 93rd. Nowadays, the "triple" is still appreciated for its small size, efficiency and wide functionality. The latter factor strongly distinguishes it from all other unusual external combustion engines.
BRM H16 (1966)
British Racing Motors was nothing short of an innovator in its approach to the new Formula 1, introduced in 1966. Where others used V8 and V12 engines, BRM proposed the H16, which is essentially two flat engines stacked one on top of the other.
This motor had a crankshaft to which gears were attached, but this design made it very heavy. It was used in the Lotus 43 and was brought by Jim Clark to victory at the U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1966. Nevertheless, this was to be the only victory for the H16, and soon this model was discarded in favor of the design of the V12.
Rotary engine (1967)
The Mazda company will forever be associated with a rotary motor. Many of her most memorable models used this engine design, and it does not fit well with new sports cars based on the standard laid down by the RX-Vision Concept.
However, the engine was created by German engineer Felix Wankel, who developed it at NSU before the company made a deal with Mazda. This led to the creation in 1967 of the Cosmo 110S coupe and to the production of a whole line of sports cars that used the smooth, high-speed principle of a rotary engine with great success.
Flat-8 (1968)
The G8 has long been popular with aircraft, but its advantages outweigh the cost of production, and so the Porsche 908 took several years to process this unit. Created for racing on sports cars, this engine in 1968 was very helpful, given the then Formula 1 rules.
V5 (1983)
Think of the V5, and you will most likely recall the Mk4 Golf and its modified models, such as the Bora and SEAT Toledo. This 2.3-liter engine debuted at Passat in 1997 and had a horsepower of 148 horsepower. It was intended to narrow the gap between the V4 and V6 engines.
He had limited success, despite the fact that creating such a compact device required cunning technology. Prior to this, only General Motors had experimented with these types of motors, but later decided not to put into production the models resulting from these experiments.
W16 (1995)
Most Bugatti is associated with the W16 engine (thanks to Veyron and Chiron cars), but it was engineer Ramon Jimenez who was the first to create a supercar with this unit inside. The Frenchman connected four Yamaha motorcycle engines with a size of 1000 cubic centimeters to get a W12 with two crankshafts and 80 valves capable of developing a power of 560 horsepower.
Bugatti engineers significantly increased this engine, allowing it to develop a power of 987 horsepower, after which it was successfully used in Veyron models and now boasts 1,479 horsepower using the Chiron model.
W8 (2001)
Perhaps this engine turned out to be a technological dead end, but in the design of the Volkswagen car it still looks surprisingly harmonious. The W8 combines two narrow-angle V4 engines on a common crankshaft, allowing the eight-cylinder engine to occupy the space normally reserved for the V6.
More cylinders give more power, streamlining and smoothness. Sales of cars with such a monster inside have never declined, but for some reason the total production of these engines has reached only 11,000 copies.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that this list of the most unusual internal combustion engines is intended for a narrow circle of people interested in the automotive industry, any reader who is not dedicated to the topic will immediately notice that if they were used in mass-production cars, it is a very short time. This is due to the fact that very often such units were too large. The principle of operation of unusual engines also differs from standard engines, and more closely resembles the principle of operation of aircraft turbines. Nevertheless, such mechanisms have shown themselves perfectly as part of the design of race cars, allowing the cars to develop tremendous speeds in Formula 1 and other similar competitions. Due to the fact that they have not taken root in the mainstream auto industry, we will not see the conditional Gazelles with unusual engines yet.