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Legendary Racer Dan Gurney Patents New Engine Design

Dan Gurney, a famous racer from the 1970s, came back under the spotlight with a patent for a new type of engine.
Dan Gurney at 1970 Dutch GP 3 photos
Photo: Evers, Joost / Anefo / neg. stroken, 1945-1989, 2.24.01.05, item number 923-6115
Dan Gurney in 1970 at Dutch F1 RaceSketch of Dan Gurney's Counter-Rotating Engine
The legendary driver, who was known for his unusual height and the “bubbles” that the cars he drove had, has developed a counter-rotating engine with one crankshaft for each cylinder. Unlike current designs, Gurney’s proposition claims to eliminate vibrations in internal combustion engines and to reduce their weight by removing the gyroscopic moment of engines.

Gurney’s design is called the MC4S and showcases a modular engine solution, displayed in a two-cylinder configuration, Car&Driver reports. Instead of a conventional crankshaft to link the two pistons, Gurney’s design uses two, counter-rotating crankshafts, with a parallel placement. The two shafts are then connected to a set of gears that distribute power to the gearbox.

Instead of conventional counterweights, the two crankshafts each have their elements to cancel vibrations, and the eliminations of the gyroscopic moment promise to make this engine suitable for applications in motorcycles.

Another innovation employed by this unit is in the cylinder head, where a unique valve design was used. The solution drew inspiration from racing applications, and the intake ports were placed in a precise manner to ensure an optimum amount of the “squish effect.” The term “squish” refers to the inward motion of the air-fuel mixture towards the center of the combustion center.

We must note that this is not the most advanced cylinder head in the world, as Koenigsegg engineers are testing the cam-less engine and successfully developed several prototype units and fitted them on working cars. Still, Gurney’s design poses a few interesting questions for automotive designers of the world.

The unit shown has a 1.8-liter displacement (110 cubic inches). Gurney’s design is an over-square engine, with a 2.8-inch stroke and a large, 5.0-inch bore.

The unit’s top rpm is restricted to 9.000 revolutions per minute to maintain durability. Since day one, the design was engineered to be adapted to four, six, and eight-cylinder applications.

According to simulations, the engine patented by Dan Gurney could deliver over 250 HP in a naturally aspirated form. The simulations used have been applied to conventional engines and their margin of error was of only two percent regarding power estimate.

The legendary racer wants to build five prototype engines and get the first one ready for testing by July 2016. If the design lives up to its theoretical potential, the inventor wants to sell the plan to a carmaker.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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