Winds of Change
Page 27
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DIESEL engine design sophistication processes are continuous and so tend to become accepted by operators almost without notice; a refinement here, an alteration there, and every power unit changes imperceptibly all the time. But the basic in-line configuration of engines available to British operators has not changed. It may, however, be about to change drastically.
Americans may force the change. They are now becoming much more diesel-conscious, and the Americans are natural devotees of the Vee lay-out having considerable experience of petrol engines with such a cylinder layout. Their major diesel engine maker, Cummins, produces a V-6 and a V-8 and—although only making in-line engines here at the moment—can reasonably be expected very soon to take a crack at selling Vees to British operators. One Vee engine, at least, is known to be on trial here. General Motors (which may or may not influence design thinking on our own Bedfords) is known to have brought its researches on a V-6 diesel to a successful conclusion, as this journal reported last month, and an announcement can be expected at any time.
It is not altogether idle to speculate on the possibility of at least one British vehicle maker offering a Vee engine at Earls Court this September. It is also known that some British engine manufacturers have for a long time had plans for offering Vee units.
One advantage claimed for a V-configuration,-engine is its fore-andaft compactness when compared with the length of an in-line engine of similar power: There are, therefore, grounds for anticipating possible change--and what about the revolutionary engibe design, reported exclusively by this journal, on page 40?