Unusual/Interesting Engines/Motors

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Unusual/Interesting Engines/Motors

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Let us see how this goes......

Springs from a VW Golf with its bonnet up spotted today.

Yes a V5
There are plenty more which fit the category of unusual/interesting in cars/motorbikes/planes/ships/railway locomotives etc etc so here's a thread to fill up with them.....with a bit of participation...

eg Anyone know more about the Ariel Square Four than me?

Regards Neil
Last edited by NewcastleFalcon on 20 May 2021, 08:14, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by CitroJim »

NewcastleFalcon wrote: 11 Oct 2018, 15:28 eg Anyone know more about the Ariel Square Four than me?


Yes, it was prone to overheating and distorting its cylinders... Early versions were worse and the later incarnations rather better...

It was, despite that, a rather lovely bike :D
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

So what do I know?....this bloke designed it

Image
Edward Turner Blue Plaque [CC BY-SA 2.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
)], by meriden.triumph (Flickr: Edward Turner Blue Plaque), from Wikimedia Commons

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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by myglaren »

I used to get a lift to work on an Ariel Square Four.
Or a Panther.
Or an AJS.

Depending on which one my colleague picked that morning.

Or an Austin A35 if it were raining :) - which I also partly learned to drive in.
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

well this could be a bit of a nostalgic sound Steve



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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by myglaren »

It was 55 years ago and I can't remember the sound but the Panther was unforgettable!

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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by white exec »

What a lovely sound that Ariel Four Square makes - almost a V8 burble!
Puts the crude and agricultural Harley-D right in the shade!
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by Bick »

Detroit two stroke diesel straight 6. I worked on them many years ago when i was in my 20s. Exhaust valves and inlet ports - needs a supercharger to run - what a screamer



https://macsmotorcitygarage.com/video-t ... esel-6-71/
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by bobins »

Stihl use a range of dinky little 4 stroke engines that run on 2 stroke mix as the engines are designed to be used in all orientations - hence they have no usable sump. Quite impressive to get a working 4 stroke engine that'll sit in the palm of your hand :)
https://www.stihl.co.uk/4-mix-engine-li ... power.aspx
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

This Commer 2-stroke diesel has already made an appearance on POTD, but might as well be brought into the fold here.



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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by CitroJim »

Over the past few months (years) I've developed a deep interest in first-generation diesel railway locomotives - some very interesting engines therein - not least my all-time favourite - the Deltic :D

And I still feel nothing sounds as good as the Paxman Valenta fitted to the HST before they were re-engined...

The HST was/is one of the greatest British trainsets ever - still in active service after 42 years and still one of the best to travel on...

One thing us diesel enthusiasts like is a good clagfest from a locomotive - that's when it smokes more freely than an old steam engine!!!

I'll try and find a few good videos of classic clagfests :)
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by white exec »

I think you might have watched this BBC Timeshift programme, Jim. On iPlayer, although not currently viewable.
It's on youtube... www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCA5pInfPpM

Plenty of Deltic there. What an engine! \:D/
Attachments
Engine that powers the world _p.jpg
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

white exec wrote: 12 Oct 2018, 08:52 I think you might have watched this BBC Timeshift programme, Jim. On iPlayer, although not currently viewable.
It's on youtube..
That youtube link for me doesnt work coming up "with a not available in your country" sort of message. Cant really understand why I Player is so precious about its content. Its a specialist and limited interest educational content sort of documentary...its not "blue planet" with worldwide revenue generating possibilities, or a "blockbuster" drama.

Dailymotion.com can often come up with the goods, and currently its on that site.

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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by xantia_v6 »

This topic would not be complete without mention of the Megola.

Image

Image





It is a 'rotary/radial' engine built inside the front wheel, with the cylinders rotating with the wheel. There is no clutch nor gearbox, so the engine stops with the motorcycle and must be push started to get underway again.

Unlike aircraft rotary engines of the period, the crankshaft is not actually stationary, but geared to rotate at 6x wheel speed to allow sufficient firing cycles at the low RPM that the wheel ratates at.

A bit more info at: http://blog.leatherup.com/2016/06/20/th ... e-company/
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Re: Unusual/Interesting Engines

Post by Peter.N. »

A few there I haven't seen before. I remember the Commer TS3s, they powered our dustbin lorries amongst others. No cylinder head gasket to leak or head to crack.

An engine I have read about but not seen was the 'Hesselman' it was a low compression diesel engine or direct injection petrol engine depending on how you look at it. I think it was developed either during or after the war the idea being that it would run on virtually any fuel - albeit rather in efficiently. It had fuel injection and spark plugs.

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