Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Ferrari Filed a Patent for an Engine With Pill-Shaped Pistons

[Rick Moseley (ramosel]

Hey Doug!  Yes, Stagger Valve!  But that's been around too...

There was actually an EARLY (teens, 20s?) Indy car motor that used that valve configuration.   I'll see if I can find the pictures on my phone...  It was a LONG time ago at Buford Motley's (real name) Shop.  Buford had some odd cars in his collection.   I don't remember if it was a 4 cyl or a 6 cyl motor... it had intake and exhaust manifolds on both sides of the inline motor.  I think it came out of the Chevrolet Brothers' shop.  Based on a Ford block of all things.  Dual overhead cams.    It barked and snarled as it ran.  It was a beast of a motor.

Ok, I spent 45 minutes looking for those photos.  Must have been before the smart phone.   I'll have to look at my digital archives.   But here is a link to get you started.   I was wrong... it was in the 30s and was a 4 cyl. 

Chevrolet Brothers / Original Documents / Stagger Valve Fronty

Chevrolet Brothers / Original Documents / Stagger Valve Fronty Rare blue prints, drawings, and diagrams of Arthur Chevrolet's Stagger Valve AF16 engine. Includes letters & co...

On Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 09:29:11 AM PDT, Doug Anderson <dnt911 [at] outlook.com> wrote:

Thanks Rick – interesting.

 

Um, didn’t some Euro car company propose and makH-16 a four valve engine with opposing intakes and exhaust.

That is: intakes at 12 and 6; exhausts at 3 and 9.

 

And as you pointed out – if it had worked – we’d have seen it again.

 

Alas, it went the way of the BRM H-16.

 

Although that H-16 BRM was seen close up and at speed (driven by Jackie Stewart) in the final race in the ‘60’s movie Grand Prix.

 

Doug

 

From: Ferrari <ferrari-bounces+dnt=dock.net [at] ferrarilist.com> On Behalf Of Rick Moseley
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 8:32 AM
To: DOUG <dnt [at] dock.net>
Cc: The FerrariList <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Ferrari Filed a Patent for an Engine With Pill-Shaped Pistons

 

Honda did this years ago...  only they oriented the piston length with the crankshaft and used two con-rods per piston.  Made for a very tight V motor with long length.  But a V4 almost the size of a V8 but with all the power and fewer moving parts.  The Ferrari version (of course) is the reverse.  Pistons are 90° rotated to the crank centerline. It will make for a very wide motor but it will be very short.   Honda did it to use 8 valves per cylinder.   Try that geometry with the Ferrari layout....  yeah, it's not going to go well.

 

It will probably be futile anyway.   If Honda could have made it work, they would have.   They could never get the rings to seal correctly on the flat sides of the oval.

 

This seems like a Ferrari concept developed over a multi-Cinzano lunch.

 

 

 

On Monday, March 24, 2025 at 07:07:49 AM PDT, Michel Savard <mysavard [at] videotron.ca> wrote:

 

 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/ferrari-filed-a-patent-for-an-engine-with-pill-shaped-pistons?inf_contact_key=91f6789b756d86b2477a0ba7af31e578680f8914173f9191b1c0223e68310bb1

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