Over the coming days, you’ll see some stuff you have probably never seen before but few things will make your jaw drop like this thing. We caught up with the guys from Smith Power this morning and talked to them about their R12 engine, a Rotary design that uses 12 freaking rotors. With 50lbs of turbo boost this engine will make almost 5,500 horsepower. Seriously. Read it again if you want to, 5,500hp.
Displacing 960ci and weighing 830lbs, the company has been working on the design for a few years now. Mainly intended for marine applications, the engine will first find a home in an extreme one-off street car that is owned by a wealthy man who wants to create a street legal car that will shatter most, if not all existing speed records for door slammers. Interestingly, the large displacement mill is designed to run at 8,500-9,000RPM at the most.
One of the main benefits of this engine according to Smith Power is the size. Boat engines can be huge because of superchargers, intercoolers, deep oil pans, etc. Using this engine, which is a more compact solution, allows for a flat “hood” in the rear of the boat. One of the few pieces in a rotary that actually wear are the tip points on the rotors. Smith used very high end materials that have been further enhanced by the use of advanced coatings. They believe that the tips will survive thousands of hours of run time, if not more than that.
The only thing that sucks is the fact that we didn’t get to hear it run. This baby must sound like the end of the world at full song!
Scroll down to see some photos of the Smith Power R12 – The baddest rotary on planet Earth!
Definately has my interest!
That would look great in my Honda Del Sol…LOL!!!
looks like either (3) 4 rotor engines or (2) 6 rotor engines joined together with a common output shaft. Hard to tell from the pics, but i/m thinking it’s (3) 4 rotors. If they have over 3200 ft/lbs like they claim, they might need to upgrade that flex plate.
So you want to hear it running ya?
Here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipkQXo0mwY8&feature=player_embedded and here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3zYgO4Vn5k&feature=related
THis is 3 four rotr engines in paralell, like they did in tractor ppulls with V8’s.
Notice that the engines are on thier SIDE, intake and exhaus facing UPward, these are pre-engineerd 4-rotor engines, tied in paralell, two on each side, one down below. this is like the old way of taking multiple V8 engines and tieing them together with chain drives, and then syncing thier RPM. Note the 3 harmonic balancers in the front, only one of which look different. this is a system of engines tied together, ont one 12-rotor.
THis is 3 four rotr engines in paralell, like they did in tractor ppulls with V8’s.
Notice that the engines are on thier SIDE, intake and exhaus facing UPward, these are pre-engineerd 4-rotor engines, tied in paralell, two on each side, one down below. this is like the old way of taking multiple V8 engines and tieing them together with chain drives, and then syncing thier RPM. Note the 3 harmonic balancers in the front, only one of which look different. this is a system of engines tied together, ont one 12-rotor.
ROTFLMAO!!! I would love to see it when the tips of the 12 rotors decide to say adios mother f*****s!!!
it’s a testing device for the stamped steel flex plate RIGHT?
So this is for the upcoming RX12 I am going to assume?
This has to be the best Rotary in the pits I have caught yet!
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i am twisting my brain to figure out/know how he connected the 3 banks of rotors to a single output! anyone know? its been bothering me since i first saw the engine and i cant find any pics of how it works!