Red marquis at 16:55, 24 May 2010

2010-05-24T16:55:57Z

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An '''X engine''' is a [[piston engine]] comprising twinned [[v engine|V-block engines]] horizontally-opposed to each other. Thus, the cylinders are arranged in four banks, driving a common [[crankshaft]]. Viewed head-on, this would appear as an X. X engines were often [[coupled engines]] derived from existing powerplants.

This configuration is extremely uncommon, primarily due its weight and complexity as compared to a [[radial engine]]. However, it was more compact (per number of cylinders) than a V-engine.

Most examples of X engines are from the World War II era, and were designed for large military aircraft. The majority of these are [[X24 engine|X-24]]'s based on existing V-12's. The following are examples of this engine type:

*[[Ford]], as an X-8 prototype during the 1920s that led the way to the company's eventual [[Ford Flathead engine|Flathead V-8]].<ref>[http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2008/01/27/sia-flashback-experimental-ford-engines/ Hemmings Auto Blogs » Blog Archive » SIA Flashback - Experimental Ford Engines]</ref><ref>[http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=00032000001081239920917940&pg=00032000001086276828588714 Eli Apolzon and daughter Ruth Family Page * * * Austin, Texas - Henry Ford's X-8 engine and how it will be used to raise dollars for Autistic and other Special Needs children]</ref>
*[[Daimler Benz]] DB 604, developed for the Luftwaffe’s Bomber B program. Development suspended.
*[[Isotta-Fraschini]] Zeta R.C. 24/60, developed for the Caproni F6 fighter, but never fully completed before Italy’s surrender in 1943.
*Rolls-Royce Vulture, based on two Peregrines and the powerplant of the ill-fated Avro Manchester bomber and the Hawker Tornado fighter.
*Rolls-Royce Exe, an [[air-cooled engine|air-cooled]] [[sleeve valve]] prototype engine.
*Napier Cub, a water cooled X-16 engine of the 1920s, which powered the prototype Blackburn Cubaroo torpedo bomber.
*[[Honda]] is said to have experimented with an X-32 engine configuration in the 1960s for their Formula One racing efforts, but abandoned the design as being too complex and unreliable.

==See Also==
{{Piston engine configurations}}

X engine - Revision history

Red marquis at 16:55, 24 May 2010