What is the best sounding engine you've heard?

[StevieDB9]

HDi: didnt realise we were talking diesel here! Yeah, i know no spark plugs but my god, those engines your talking about sound mental!

Just looked up that engine you were on about. That things nuts! It definately wouldnt fit in the car, nor the house, maybe not even the village. Wouldnt like to see the fuel bill.

Pgarner: yeah, read up about merc/saab playing about with these engines, anyone think they'll take off? Infact, I dont know, are these engines in common production?

[HDi fun]

The Class 55 Deltics are no longer in BR service, having been withdrawn around 1980 but there are nutty railway club types who collectively own 1 or 2 and run 'em on private track. The Napier deltic engines are almost certainly still in marine use although the engines are no longer in production.

As for the 14 cylinder,25,000 litre Sulzers, these are built in situ inside huge ships and servicing work is carried out from the inside of the engine. These are still in use day in day out. Strangely the're very fuel efficent too, far more so than a road diesel. I suppose at 102rpm there's not a lot of friction compared to 5000rpm.

It's the five and a half million lbft torque that's the really silly number. As if 100,000 bhp is tight either.........

These are truly monumental engines, you can't really comapre them to car engines.

Another interesting car is 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' from the film of the same name. (author Ian Fleming, yes - the James Bond man!)

Despite it's cultured and characterful image I'm led to believe that it was powered with a 23 litre Maybach aero engine.

As such, it probably went very nicely indeed.

[pgarner]

christ id hate to see the service bill for one of them i had to walk around the inside of the engine for a couple of hours to make sure everything was ok.
at least you win bragging right on both power and torque ( the merlin engines only produced a max of 1700bhp through supercharging )

steve not that i know off then engines are having lots of problems main one being that there has to be multiple maps for every compression. as well as the bearing that alters the compression has to be strong enough to lock when the bang happens. while still being able to move freely to adjust compression as needed.

[StevieDB9]

It's the five and a half million lbft torque that's the really silly number. As if 100,000 bhp is tight either.........

thats enough torque to stop the earth rotating and start it again in the opposite direction

[HDi fun]

Maybe not quite enough to do that. I like the idea of shoving a couple of computer actuated power levers fowards and unleashing all that rotational force. In a floating vessel that wieghs 80,000lbs.

That's true command of power.

[Izo Azlion]

Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Having now driven one (as of early this week !!! ) and like, being around one quite alot, I have to say its the best sound I've heard.

In my biased opinion.

[waynne]

Wow - I never thought we'd come up with such an eclectic mix of engine. What a bunch of connoisseurs we are.

I heard a Maserati on full chat at the weekend - that was nice.

Anyone heard an F1 car up close? Talk about loud - I had no idea

[Shao]

Impreza turbo always sounds lovely in the rallying, and sticking on F1 when the safety car (Merc) is out that sounds lovely!

[pgarner]

which ones the new V8s or the old V10

never heard ether close up

[waynne]

I think it was the V10 - a real scream of an engine howl. I suppose most retired F1 drivers are deaf. I SAID MOST RETIRED F1 DRIVERS ARE DEAF!