07-31-2012, 10:59 AM
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Enthusiast
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,500
 Poland
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BMW Brutus #2
Quote:
Under the project name “Brutus” an extraordinary vehicle was constructed in the workshops of the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim that is following the tradition of the legendary Blitzen-Benz. After WW I many aircraft engines were available since Germany was not allowed to own aircraft. Many of these engines were installed on old undercarriages and used to perform races.
For the project car “Brutus” an undercarriage with chain drive from 1908 was used as a basis which was taken from an American LaFrance fire engine. On this a 12-cylinder BMW aircraft engine (aircraft engine VI, series 8, built in the early 1930s) with a displacement of approximately 47 liters was installed which was found in Spain by our club member Hans Dittes. In exchange for a Me-109 engine it ended up in the Museum Sinsheim.
As a specialty the BMW aircraft engine is equipped with six primary and six secondary piston rods, a design which was quite popular at this time since it saved space and weight. Due to the different lengths of the piston rods the cylinders at the right hand side have a displacement of 4 liters each whereas the opposite cylinders have a displacement of only 3.82 liters. In total this sums up to an aggregate displacement of 46,93 liters. According to BMW sustained output of the engine is 550 hp at 1530 rpm and peak output is 750 hp at 1700 rpm. At nominal output the engine consumes about 200 liters regular gasoline per hour. Built from 1925 on this engine was used, amongst others, for the Heinkel He 9 and the Dornier “Whale” seaplane.
Power is transmitted via the original 3 speed gearbox and a chain to the rear axle. Between engine and gearbox an intermediate gear was installed to compensate for the low location of the crankshaft. Only the rear wheels are braked. There is no separation between the engine compartment and the driver’s cabin. The driver is sitting directly behind the engine whose moving parts (e.g. the flywheel) are only separated from him by a grid. Thus the driver is more or less directly exposed to the heat and possible leakages of the engine.
The attraction of this vehicle is not least due to the fact that it allows to reach a speed of far beyond 100 km/h at about 800 rpm only. After several years of hard work the vehicle was completed and at every event where it appears it distinguishes itself as a real showstopper.
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