Following on from "The Beast" thread, I thought I'd share some more Aero-engined cars:
"Brutus"
The Beast (Again):
Plymouth Radial Air Truck:
Napier-Railton:
Jay Leno's 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II:
(Slightly off-topic) Jay Leno's Tank Car (Blastolene Special):
Please feel free to add any I have missed
"Brutus"
Brutus, powered by a 47-liter BMW aircraft engine generating 550hp, returns a wallet punishing 2.8mpg.
Early aviation engines despite their huge capacities are not especially powerful, which when combined with the dated 1907 chassis and chain drive probably isn't a particularly bad thing. Although rated at 550hp for continual performance, Brutus can run at higher engine speeds for short periods yielding 750hp.
Early aviation engines despite their huge capacities are not especially powerful, which when combined with the dated 1907 chassis and chain drive probably isn't a particularly bad thing. Although rated at 550hp for continual performance, Brutus can run at higher engine speeds for short periods yielding 750hp.
The Beast (Again):
Wearing hand-made glassfibre bodywork with a backwards-mounted 27-litre Merlin V12 (minus superchargers) driving the rear wheels through a step-up gearbox, the Merlincar is possibly one of the most curious cars you’ll ever see – and for its owner John Dodd, it certainly proved the costliest. The car came into his possession as a rolling chassis after he had helped its then-owner solve the conundrum of which gearbox the Merlin could be twinned with – and once the bodywork was completed, he immediately went about getting the car road-registered. Even without the superchargers, it was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most powerful car on the road at the time.
Plymouth Radial Air Truck:
Front engined cars with aircraft engines tend to be in-line V12 motors making the installation an easier process, this 1939 Plymouth though uses a radial engine which gives it a unique look.
Under, or rather in place of the hood, sits a Jacobs R-755 radial engine from a Cessna generating 300hp through a belt-driven automatic transmission. Styling borrows heavily from vintage aircraft design featuring riveted aluminum panels, a theme carried over into the cab.
Under, or rather in place of the hood, sits a Jacobs R-755 radial engine from a Cessna generating 300hp through a belt-driven automatic transmission. Styling borrows heavily from vintage aircraft design featuring riveted aluminum panels, a theme carried over into the cab.
Napier-Railton:
Surplus aircraft engines would frequently find homes in hand-built racing cars, often used in the case of the Napier Railton to set speed records, something owner John Cobb achieved on 47 separate occasions.
Unique in having a triple-bank engine layout the 24-liter Napier Lion engine generated 580hp giving the Railton its top speed of 168mph at the expense of fuel economy, managing to return just 5mpg.
Currently owned by Brooklands Motor museum, the Napier Railton is a regular feature at the annual Goodwood Revival.
Unique in having a triple-bank engine layout the 24-liter Napier Lion engine generated 580hp giving the Railton its top speed of 168mph at the expense of fuel economy, managing to return just 5mpg.
Currently owned by Brooklands Motor museum, the Napier Railton is a regular feature at the annual Goodwood Revival.
Jay Leno's 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II:
Under the hood of Jay Leno's 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II sits the same V12 Merlin engine fitted to the Supermarine Spitfire producing 1,700hp. When originally built this car was never designed with such a powerful engine in mind, with the car being later upgraded with a more suitable manual transmission.
(Slightly off-topic) Jay Leno's Tank Car (Blastolene Special):
It all began with the M47 Patton Tank engine, weighing about 2,500-lbs - about as much as a Volkswagen Beetle. The massive engine once powered a 51-ton Korean War tank which had cost the American government $110,000 a piece in 1953.
The Continental AV1790-5B, a 1,800 cubic inch engine was powered by a Greyhound bus transmission. It had a 12-cylinder Hemi head with an overhead cam. The original engine made about 990 horsepower and 1,600 lb-ft of torque.
Gas mileage is expectedly poor with the 9,500-lb aluminum beast. Jay Leno jokes that the 35 gallon tank is good for about 80 miles before it’s time for a refill. Surprisingly, the massive engine runs on regular premium pump gas. It initially only averaged about 3 mpg, by the time Leno was finished with his restoration, it had nearly doubled to 5-6 mpg.
The Continental AV1790-5B, a 1,800 cubic inch engine was powered by a Greyhound bus transmission. It had a 12-cylinder Hemi head with an overhead cam. The original engine made about 990 horsepower and 1,600 lb-ft of torque.
Gas mileage is expectedly poor with the 9,500-lb aluminum beast. Jay Leno jokes that the 35 gallon tank is good for about 80 miles before it’s time for a refill. Surprisingly, the massive engine runs on regular premium pump gas. It initially only averaged about 3 mpg, by the time Leno was finished with his restoration, it had nearly doubled to 5-6 mpg.
Please feel free to add any I have missed
