Quiz for you

[Dean]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdfO657z ... re=related

music to my ears

D

[Dean]

Then there is the Merlin firing up too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqrbtxcN ... re=related

D

[xmexclusive]

My little book says that the orignal Spitfire (1936) was powered by a 27ltr V-12 rolls Rolls Royce Merlin producing around 1000hp.
Lancasters used the same engine. Only the later Spitfires got the more powerful 2000hp Rolls Royce Griffon.

John

[Dean]

Only 2000bhp hey how did it ever move, if i remember correctly from my time hanging around the tank boys over here the Meteor was the adapted merlin for use in tanks during ww2 like the cromwell and challenger.
They took the supercharger off too along with other interesting bits to de rate it to a mere 600bhp

D

[David Hallworth]

There was two Rolls Royce V12's on eBay at the moment.

They weigh around 600kg each so moving them isn't a problem but cash flow is!

A unknown quantity is £6,500 and the other which I can't find this afternoon is £20,000.

David.

[zaphod]

The Meteor was actyally built by rover, under licenece form Rolls Royce (Hence the name of the land rover fatstory.. 'Meteor works, Lode lane, Sollihul'). This was one of the biggest con jobs in british manufacturing.

Frank Whittle had been laughed at by Rolls Royce when he was looking for engineering assistance for his company 'Power Jets' prior or just after the start of the war to develop his project, in he end Rover gave him assistance, and in the process made some discoveries of theor own related to Gas turbines, and Patented them. These patents are fundmantal to the Axial and centrifugal flow gas turbine as we know it's opperation. Later on it became obvious that the gas turbine was the future of aero engines, and Rolls Royce finally understood the mangintude of their shortsightedness, and thus had their contacts in whitehall and the war office arrange a deal where by they got the patents, and Rover got the contract to build the Meteor engine. Later on after the war a Liebour Gvnt gave these patents to the americans and russians along with the drawings of the Rolls Royce Derwent (I think) engine, originally desigend by Rover whihch went on to become the F100 engine and the originator of all US turbojets. I don't think it was a particularly good deal on rovers part! If you ever thought Rovers tinkering with Jetc ars was a bit odd, you now know why, at the time they probabbly knew more about it than the aircraft engine makers did at the time

[Dean]

VERY interesting indeed, thanks for that.

D