Mercedes engine boss on F1's relevance to future cars

How two-cylinder engines and F1 technology could redefine road cars

 

That won't please many F1 fans !!

 

Now I am depressed!

 

Slash our wrists then, the world is aiming for cars with lawnmower engine noises, great. That means my 458 will never be sold, I'll be driving around in years to come as a public service to old petrolheads, charging a fee to hear me drive up and down the street at full chat so they can hear the noise.

 

Nothing new under the Sun.

With current continuous downsizing, I have always said that FIAT's 500 "Nuova" 2-cylinder engine will return, albeit with twin turbochargers.

 

It already exists: it's the FIAT 500 with TwinAir engine.

 

Those are the latest SGE higher capacity engines. I was referring to the older lower capacity "Nuova" units.

Modern FIAT SGE Twin Air Engines:-
875 cc I2: Bore / Stroke - 83,5 x 88 mm Single Turbocharger
964 cc I2: 80,5 x 86 mm Naturally Aspirated

FIAT "Nuova" Engines:-
1957 - 1960: 479 cc I2: 66 x 70 mm N/A
1960 - 1972: 500cc I2: 67,4 x 70 mm N/A
1964: Abarth 695 SS: 690 cc I2: 76 x 76 mm N/A
1972- 1975: 594 cc I2: 73,5 x 70 mm N/A

 

I actually think its pretty cool. if they keep reducing the engine size but maintain and expand HP... they will need to free up other design elements... this is what pushes F-1 and car development.

 

I, personally, would rather have the 1.6 litre F1 engine less the turbos in a Cxxx.

 

Nobody gives a crap what Simon Cowell says.

 

If F1 really wants to be "relevant" in future, then it should adopt a driverless formula.

Future road cars are heading that way, and most of the constructors already have projects on the drawing board or at the prototype stage.

We could get a taste of it as soon as next year, when the ROBORACE will be joining the Formula-E tour.


"Roborace autonomous racing car concept revealed

Roborace autonomous racing car concept revealed | Autocar "

 

Err.... What has he got to do with anything?.....

The OP was quoting Andy Cowell, a pretty well respected journo.

I think he makes some interesting, & relevant points. Seems to me these guys can't win. There's much howling that they're completely irrelevant to the 'real world', yet when someone comes out & notes how they may be pushing development that could benefit us all, the howls grow louder.

I may be flogging the proverbial dead horse, but;

- I find the power they're extracting from these teeny PU's phenomenal.
- 'You can't please all the people all the time.' It sure appears to me that many 'fans' actually enjoy it more if they're miserable about it, like that's some kind of 'badge of honor'. You're not a real F1 fan unless you're whining about it!

Sure, it's a long way from 'perfect', but they're (pretty much) as quick as they've ever been and certainly as close together all down the grid as they've ever been. More reliable & safer too.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Actually, he's the Managing Director of AMG/Mercedes High Performance Powertrains. AKA, Mercedes engine boss.

 

Oops! My bad! :embarrassed:

Sorry!

Cheers,
Ian

 

I guess that also makes him one of the most powerful players in the game. So, I for one will certainly listen to his thoughts....

Cheers,
Ian

 

Hang on a minute!.... Your OP says its Andy Cowell in charge..... Nothing to do with any Simons..... Even more confused now!

Cheers,
Ian

 

It's just no fun if you have to 'splain it.

 

Relax Ian...I know who Cowell is. Just fooling around

 

Agree. Others have their head stuck in the sand

This concept is perfect for the "chore" car. Cheap to fuel, environmentally friendly and also powerful. 99.9% of car owners buy a "chore" car ...
Pete

 

oh god, a 2-banger...

 

Have you ever heard a Ducati? Not many engines sound better!
Pete

 

Yeah, even Ferrari looked at a 2-cylinder engine ...



"Enzo Ferrari and Lampredi were interested in creating extremely reliable engines for racing use. In 1955, after seeing the success of Lampredi's Inline-4 engines, the pair considered an Inline-two engine for the slowest racing courses. Lampredi built a prototype with 4 valves per cylinder and 2.5 L (2493 cc) of displacement. It produced 175 hp (130 kW) on the test bench, but broke the crankshaft due to poor balance. The project was shortly abandoned in favor of more-conventional I4 engines."

Wikipedia