Unknown V-16 engine

[Artie Bob]

Attached (I Hope!) is a drawing of a proposed 1934 Keith Rider Super-Speed Racer calling out a 2500 HP steam -cooled V-16 engine. To date, I have not been able to locate any additional information. Does one of the members have any information of an engine in that time period that would fit the parameters? Was it of USA origin or possibly foreign (France, maybe Bugatti comes to mind, but that is only speculation)? Any useful information would be welcome.
ArtieBob

 

[TomS]

Attached (I Hope!) is a drawing of a proposed 1934 Keith Rider Super-Speed Racer calling out a 2500 HP steam -cooled V-16 engine. To date, I have not been able to locate any additional information. Does one of the members have any information of an engine in that time period that would fit the parameters? Was it of USA origin or possibly foreign (France, maybe Bugatti comes to mind, but that is only speculation)? Any useful information would be welcome.
ArtieBob

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/keith-rider-racing-aircraft-designs.13861/#post-274551

 

[Apophenia]

I note that the IV-16 for the Rider-Miller racer has a lowered thrust line compared with the 2,000 hp, 1,200 cid engine shown by Jon Carr Farrelly (MILLER_IV-1200_01.png in reply #3 in TomS' link). The 1,200 cid V-16 shows a reduction gear but it was kept inline with the crank.

The mid-Thirties Harry Miller IV-16 designs seem to stem from a pair of upright, staggered-bank V-16s that Miller built back in 1931. These marine engines displaced 1113.5 cu in - with slightly larger bores but shorter strokes than those planned for the aircraft engines. [1] Both 1931 engines have now been restored along with the Miss America VIII hydroplane they were built for.

-- https://www.vintagehydroplanes.com/boats/miss_america_8/miss_america_8.html

That 2,500 hp rating for the 1934 IV-16 was likely optimistic. According to SPF member William Pearce, the 1931 marine V-16s were intended to produce 1,800 hp at 6,000 rpm (with 1,325 hp at 4,000 rpm). In reality, the 1113.5 cid engines couldn't reach 6,000 rpm, initially never achieving more than 4,200 rpm. Unfortunately, Pearce doesn't say what the actually power output was of the supercharged engines at 4,200 rpm. Later stripped of their Roots-type superchargers, the normally-aspirated V-16s produced 930 hp at 4,500 rpm.

Miller 1,113 cu in V-16 Marine Engine

Harry Miller built two 1,113 cu in (18.25 L), supercharged, V-16 marine engines for Gar Wood in 1931. For a time, the 1,800 hp (1,342 kW) engines were installed in the Miss America VIII speedboat.

oldmachinepress.com

BTW, as Pearce notes, any successes Miller had owed much to his engineer and draughtsman, Leo Goossen. Miller was the concept person, Goossen (who joined Miller in 1919) was the chief designer and stress guy.

-- https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/leo-goossen

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[1] The 1931 1,113.5 cid marine engines had 4.4375 inch bores x 4.5 inch strokes. The planned 2,000 hp IV-12 had a 4.333 inch bore x 4.75 inch stroke. The drawing lists "1200 cu in displacement" although the posted bore/stroke total only 1120.678 cid. The bank V-angle for Miller's V-16s was 54 degrees, rather than the 45 degrees more common for V-16s.