Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

All that has to do with the power train, gearbox, clutch, fuels and lubricants, etc. Generally the mechanical side of Formula One.
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hollus
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Rivals, not enemies.

J.A.W.
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Here's a splendid eaxample of how racing development can achieve results on an excellent engine design.

https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive ... 00309.html

Ten years after 1st flying, the DOHC/4V Napier Lion W12 had doubled in power, ( & in compression ratio*),
to enable a splendid win in the renowned Schneider Trophy International, & at record speed.

Another decade later, the now venerable Lion would also power Cobb-Railton's World Land-Speed car,
(in supercharged form, & at 3X its original power rating), to take, & duly hold, that title - up to the 1960's.

*See the following page in the linked article for the effect on power output via fuel/comp-ratio values.
"Well, we knocked the bastard off!"

Ed Hilary on being 1st to top Mt Everest,
(& 1st to do a surface traverse across Antarctica,
in good Kiwi style - riding a Massey Ferguson farm
tractor - with a few extemporised mod's to hack the task).

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hollus
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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1965 Coventry Climax FWMV 1.5-litre V8

1965 Coventry Climax FWMV 1.5-litre V8: A short development period, first raced in 1961, overheating and water loss plagued the new engine, but by 1962 the Climax V8 was ready. In all 33 race engines were made plus some development engines.
By Wally Hassan technical director and chief designer Peter Windsor-Smith, it had an aluminum sleeve clamped by the head against a ledge 75mm down in the open-deck-top block and inside this sleeve was a thin iron dry cylinder liner with a flange at top that contacted the sealing ring with the head bolted down on top. Later on the deck of the block was closed. This V8 is said to have been the most straightforward and simple GP engine ever produced.
2-spur gears at nose of crank reduced engine speed by half, driven from there was a jack-shaft from which 2-sprockets drove separate Renold 3/8in single-row chains to each cylinder head, with the front of the half-speed gear driving the twin outlet water pump. Behind the water pump was a sprocket driving a cogged rubber belt that drove the fuel distributor.
When in 1964 a 4-valve head was introduced a much more oversquare version was also introduced with a change to a gear cam drive instead of the chain drive. A transistorised Lucas ignition was used. Valves at an included angle of 60 degrees were used. Camshafts ran in 5-steel backed babbit bearings in an aluminum carrier in which the inverted tappets slid directly. 2-coil springs per valve were used.
Champion spark-plugs were at center of each combustion chamber. 21-4NS steel valves were used. Crankshaft ran in Vandervell lead-bronze thin-wall bearings retained by cross-bolted steel main caps, the crankshaft had been of flat 180 degree pattern.
Slim I-section forged con-rods were left in the as-forged condition, internally tapered gudgeon pins of 5/8in diameter held by circlips in fully-skirted Mahle forged aluminum pistons, each piston had 2-compression rings, the top one being a Dykes-type, and 1-oil-ring.
Driven at 0.7 times engine speed, the 2-oil scavenge pumps each having the same capacity as the oil pressure pump and drew oil from front and rear of sump. All pumps were mounted at front of engine.

Specifications:

Cylinders V8.
Bore 72.4mm.
Stroke 45.4mm.
Stroke/bore ratio 0.63:1.
Capacity 1497cc.
Compression ratio 12:1.
Con-rod length 106.7mm.
Rod/crank radius ratio 4.7:1.
Main bearing journal 50.8mm.
Rod journal 41.3mm.
Inlet valve 26.4mm.
Exhaust valve 23.7mm.
Inlet valve lift 8.4mm.
Exhaust valve lift 7.9mm.
Inlet opens 46 degrees BTDC.
Inlet closes 64 degrees ABDC.
Exhaust opens 57 degrees BBDC.
Exhaust closes 43 ATDC.
Piston speed corrected 19.4m/s.
Inlet pressure 1Atm.
Engine weight 135kg.
Peak power 212BHP@10300RPM.
Peak torque 161Nm@8000RPM.
Peak bmep 197psi.
141.6BHP per litre.
0.64kg per BHP.
Rivals, not enemies.

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hollus
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Rivals, not enemies.

Tommy Cookers
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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the crossover exhaust system of a crossplane V8 is presumably less effective than the system of the flat-crank V8
because a practical crossover will inevitably be long it must work at 3/4 wavelength ie on 3rd reflections
not 1/4 wavelength ie 1st reflections as the flat-crank V8's system
3rd reflections are weaker than 1st reflections
that's why the flat-crank is preferred for racing V8s

btw the Napier Lion was made obsolescent when others introduced aluminium alloy cylinder heads
having steel combustion chambers the Lion worked much better on special fuels than on the standard fuel of c. 60 octane
Napier refused the H.M.Government request for an alloy-headed engine emulating the latest Curtiss
so the request was given to Rolls-Royce .....
the RAF offered all its Lions to the Tank Corps for £5 each - unsuccessfully

roon
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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hollus wrote:
16 Mar 2019, 14:35
Some links about the 1965 Coventry Climax FWMV 1.5-litre V8...
Looks big for its displacement. Using that guy sitting in the car for reference. :) Generous bore spacing? Large heads? Compared to more recent machinery.

Tommy Cookers
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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there's some good drawings on page 12 of the grandprixengines link in hollus's post

roon
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Tommy Cookers wrote:
17 Mar 2019, 23:04
there's some good drawings on page 12 of the grandprixengines link in hollus's post
Indeed.

Image

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hollus
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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1965 Honda RA272E 1.5-litre V12

1965 Honda RA272E 1.5-litre V12: For the new 1961 1.5-litre formula1 only Honda and Ferrari raced a V12 engine during that formula. Honda produced a strikingly transversely placed cylinders 60 degree V12 engine. The east-west layout incorporated the complete power train as an integrated package.
The engine cam-drive gearing was completely of the gearing to the transverse transmission. This drive was taken from a spur gear at center of crankshaft, which made it into 2 short stiff vee-sixes as far as the crankshaft was concerned. At a reduction of 1.85:1 it drove a short transverse shaft, from which 2 skew gears drove shafts going downwards to the gear-type oil scavenge pumps mounted in the sump.
From the transverse shaft another gear pair drove yet another east-west shaft, this long shaft was driven at a further reduction of 1.21:1, so this shaft turned at 44.7% of engine speed. On the right end of this shaft was the multiple-disc clutch that drove the gearbox -2 more transverse shafts- at another reduction of 1.14:1 through a pair of gears that could easily be changed to adjust the overall ratio. On the long shaft’s left end was the engine’s single water pump with twin outlets which delivered coolant directly to passages cast into the block and heads. Coolant outlets went also to a manifold which was integral with the magnesium inlet camshafts covers of both cylinder banks.
Near the center of the long shaft was a spur gear from which drive progressed up to the V12 center of all 4 camshafts. A large idler gear at the center of each cylinder head drove its 2 cam gears, the gearing from the long shaft to these idlers established the necessary half speed ratio for the cams.
From the top of the gear at center of the rearmost exhaust camshaft another gear drove the fuel injection distributor that was used for the developed version of the engine, as used in the 1965 RA272E Honda; it first raced in 1964 as the RA271 with 6 twin-throat downdraught Keihin carburetors. A single central 10mm NGK spark plug was used. Valve inclination from vertical were 30 degrees for the inlets and 35 degrees for the exhausts. 2 conventional coil springs closed each valve, the springs were shrouded in long skirted cup tappets which slid in bolted-in carriers in the head.
Hollow camshafts were made in pieces and joined together inside its central drive gear. 4 narrow needle bearings supported each 3-cylinder camshaft. A single aluminum alloy casting constituted the cylinder head for each 6-cylinder bank. In an unique Honda process the head was cast around chamber roofs made of an aluminum-bronze alloy which bonded to the head material. These formed the complete surface of the pen-roof combustion chamber and provided durable valve seating and spark plug threading. The spark plug recesses were cast open then closed later by inserted cups, a construction which allowed maximum control of the casting cores.
Fully skirted pistons with crescent cutouts for crank counterweight clearance. 2-thin compression rings and 1-oil ring were used. Steel I-section con-rods were used.
One single complex aluminum heavily ribbed casting constituted both the RA272E cylinder block and its gearbox and final drive housing. After installing all gears and reciprocating parts, its bottom was closed by another large aluminum casting that provided a sump for the entire unit. The complete assembly weight was 215kg.
Wet cylinder liners, ribbed around their circumference and sealed at bottom end by O-rings in groves in block. Liners were clamped directly by the cylinder head and 16 studs. Cylinder liner to head gasketing was by mean of sealing rings in grooves in top of liner. The crankcase casting extended down past the crank centerline, which was carried in 7 main bearings. An earlier version had an extra bearing flanking the central drive take-off gear. All the bearings used were rollers bearings, so the RA272E bottom end only required low-pressure lubrication to the main bearing, which then distributed overflow oil to the rollers big-ends through slinger rings. A build-up crankshaft was used.

Specifications:

Cylinders V12.
Bore 58.1mm.
Stroke 47mm.
Stroke/bore ratio 0.81:1.
Capacity 1495cc.
Compression ratio 10.5:1.
Con-rod length 119mm.
Rod/crank radius ratio 5.1:1.
Main bearing journal (center) 40mm, the next 2-outwards 36mm, the next 2-33mm, the outermost mains 30mm.
Con-rod journals were similarly like the mains, with the outer 4-27mm, the inner 2-32mm.
Inlet valve 24mm.
Exhaust valve 22mm.
Inlet valve lift 7mm.
Exhaust valve lift 6mm.
Valve timing at 1mm lift:
Inlet opens 30 degrees BTDC.
Inlet closes 40 degrees ABDC.
Exhaust opens 30 degrees BBDC.
Exhaust closes 30 degrees ATDC.
Inlet pressure 1Atm.
Peak power 230BHP@12000RPM.
Piston speed corrected 20.6m/s.
Peak torque 157Nm@11000RPM.
Peak bmep 192psi.

This engine holds the record for using the smallest cylinder diameter with a 4 valve combustion chamber (58.1mm). While the 1951 BRM type15 V16 holds the record for using the smallest cylinder diameter ever in F1 (49.5mm).
Rivals, not enemies.

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hollus
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Some links on the 1965 Honda RA272E 1.5-litre V12:

https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/cg/1308 ... RA272.html

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https://primotipo.com/2014/12/12/honda- ... 5-gp-cars/

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1964 271 version:

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And back to the 272:

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Engine sound:
Rivals, not enemies.

Tommy Cookers
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Tommy Cookers wrote:
08 Feb 2019, 12:38
the 'Maserati' F1 tipo 8 1963 1.5 litre transverse V12 ('sold' to Honda) led to the 1964 Honda F1 V12 (and the Muira)
http://www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk/menotti12.htm
interestingly Honda visited F1 at Monza in 1961, then produced a 135 deg V8 F1 engine before their V12 above

saviour stivala
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Tommy Cookers wrote:
21 Mar 2019, 12:59
Tommy Cookers wrote:
08 Feb 2019, 12:38
the 'Maserati' F1 tipo 8 1963 1.5 litre transverse V12 ('sold' to Honda) led to the 1964 Honda F1 V12 (and the Muira)
http://www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk/menotti12.htm
interestingly Honda visited F1 at Monza in 1961, then produced a 135 deg V8 F1 engine before their V12 above
Re 'Maserati F1 TIPO 8 sold to Honda' and also 'Honda having produced a 135 degree V8',
On numerous occasions when I declared something of the like I was promptly asked to supply a source/link to what I said. I hope that Tommy Cookers doesn’t mind me asking him to supply a link or source as regards what he said, because I not only didn’t know about what he said but also could not trace anything of what he said. But my trying to confirm was not in vain because I came upon a splendid PDF development paper by Honda “Honda R&D technical review 2009. F1 special (the third era activities)”. Where I discovered that Honda were not only hollowing most of the innards of their crankshafts but also their con-rods among other interesting things.

Tommy Cookers
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Tommy Cookers wrote:
13 Feb 2019, 22:53
this book re the Honda 135 V8
1 1/2 litre Grand Prix racing 'Low power High Tech' by Mark Whitelock
I didn't write that Maserati sold the tipo 8 to Honda
I wrote that Maserati (ie the person) 'sold' it ie that Honda was at least made aware of the concept
as were others eg Lamborghini for the Miura
my guess in that entirely usual event - a presentation as 'consultant'

there was a thread here 5 or 6 years ago wherein one poster seemed to have some detail of this

saviour stivala
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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Tommy Cookers wrote:
22 Mar 2019, 13:25
Tommy Cookers wrote:
13 Feb 2019, 22:53
this book re the Honda 135 V8
1 1/2 litre 5 degree v8 Grand Prix racing 'Low power High Tech' by Mark Whitelock
I didn't write that Maserati sold the tipo 8 to Honda
I wrote that Maserati (ie the person) 'sold' it ie that Honda was at least made aware of the concept
as were others eg Lamborghini for the Miura
my guess in that entirely usual event - a presentation as 'consultant'

there was a thread here 5 or 6 years ago wherein one poster seemed to have some detail of this
The book (by Mark Whitelock) re Honda 135 degree V8 must be the only place that such a Honda engine is quoted at, as otherwise it is untraceable anywhere else.
Re 'sold' it to Honda, understand now the way you expressed it. but is it considered that Issigonis 'sold' it to Maserati?.

J.A.W.
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Re: Specifications of 50 famous racing engines up to 1994

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I have no doubt that Honda used quite a bit of their G.P. motorcycle data to produce their transverse V12,
( even retaining air-cooling for the early units) since they'd won championships with inline 4's & 6's similarly mounted transverse-wise ( & in unit with transmission), via motorcycle chassis.

Of course, Italian makers - Rondine/Gilera/MV-Augusta - had been successsfully racing transverse-mounted inline-4 cyl unitary-transmission engines, for decades previously.
"Well, we knocked the bastard off!"

Ed Hilary on being 1st to top Mt Everest,
(& 1st to do a surface traverse across Antarctica,
in good Kiwi style - riding a Massey Ferguson farm
tractor - with a few extemporised mod's to hack the task).

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