While I would agree that Paul Rosche deserves credit for his long career spent as an engine designer for BMW, I don't know if he deserves the title of "Engine King". While Rosche may have been the engine designer in the most publicly visible role at BMW, that does not mean his work had the greatest impact. Typically, the engineer having the greatest impact on technology developments in any company is someone quietly working behind the scenes. Someone like William Shockley at Bell labs, or Bagley, Lachman and Lewis at Corning Glass.
Regarding the rapid improvements in race engine analytical design processes over the past 2 decades, for things like combustion modelling or valvetrain dynamics, the credit should go mostly to the developers of software and digital computers that made it possible.
"Q: How do you make a small fortune in racing?
A: Start with a large one!"
Since it´s BMW engines, thought i´d put this in here,
The Brabham BT52 was a Formula One car designed for the Brabham team by longtime Brabham designer Gordon Murray for the 1983 season. The car ran on Michelin tyres and was powered by the massively powerful BMW M12/13 turbocharged engine which in 1983 produced about 850 bhp (630 kW) in qualifying trim, detuned to around 640 bhp (480 kW) for the races proper. Its drivers were 1981 World Champion Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese.
The first turbo-fueled championship winning car in Formula One and highlight at the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring (August 9th-11th, 2013) -- the Brabham BMW BT52.
The BMW BT 52 footage contains
- engine assembly
- testing and driving by Nelson Piquet
- car presentation at Goodwood
