Have Radial Engines Ever Been Used In Cars & Do Companies Still Make Them Today?

During World War II the radial engine was popular, and it was used in many fighter and bomber aircraft. Manufacturers in aviation used them because the engines deliver a ton of power for their size, with the most powerful models delivering 3,500 hp. Such potential was also noticed by aviation and automobile enthusiasts, who theorized that the radial engine would be useful in cars.

After all, inline or v engines used to power cars have been utilized for aviation, and jet engines from aircraft have been tried in automobiles, like the Chrysler Turbine and Rover Jet1 . Transferring the powerful output of the radial engine into a land vehicle was worth a try and some were adopted in prototypes and concept cars throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Let's check out a few of these cars that hosted a radial engine and see why companies no longer make such motors for cars today.

The North-Lucas car was a 1922 two-door saloon shaped like a boat in an early attempt at streamlining. The other standout feature was the five-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, with a 1,460cc displacement, sitting in the rear compartment right above the wheels. This allowed the car to be compact by mounting the engine above the gearbox and rear-axle unit.

Aside from its owner, only one other person had driven the North-Lucas car by the end of 1922 — a motoring journalist who heaped praise on the vehicle, calling it vibrationless and comparing the engine to a turbine. The North-Lucas could cruis.