The guys make a crazy 15.7 liter Wankel engine with 12 rotors

The Wankel engine is alive and kicking. Mazda uses a rotary engine as a rangefinder, while enthusiasts are still toying with custom engines. One of the enthusiasts has built a huge Wankel engine with 12 rotors. The block has three banks of four discs each and is the same size as a Chevrolet V8.

The builder of the 12-rotor Wankel engine is a fan of speedboats. He got the idea for the special engine because he was tired of his Chevrolet eight-cylinder ‘breaking down for fun’. Not that Wankel engines are particularly known for longevity, but if you know how to handle them, they should run well.

The engine is even seasonal

The cool thing about motorcycles is that they are a kind of Lego building block. Relatively easy (although you don’t do it in the parking lot of the Nürburgring) you can make the engine bigger or smaller. Even the crankshaft can be made longer or shorter. Even the timing of individual discs can be changed by disassembling the crankshaft and putting it back together.

In his own video, TopGear writer Rob Dahm fails to put the engine in the car and get it working. Maybe that will come in the next video. There is a dyno test video on the builder’s YouTube channel. According to the manufacturer, the engine can run up to 10,000 rpm. Then it produces about 1,400 hp and 1,085 Nm. Jeez.