Packard Forum Index » General

Packard-build Rolls Royce Merlin engines were used in North American P-51B and up Mustangs, Curtiss P-40F Warhawks (and the British varant), Avro Lancasters, Hawker Hurricanes, and Supermarine Spitfires. Later after Packard started building the engines, Ford of England and the U.S. aircraft engine maker Continental also built the Merlins. During the latter stages of WW-II a four-engined Lancaster bomber could have been powered by an engine from each manufacturer.

Edit: This is the point I initially tried to make: The first Mustangs were powered by the Allison V-12 engine.

Edit Edit: Actually, the British were the first to fit a Merlin into a Mustang. Don't know if the fantastically successful experiment involved a RR or a Packard built engine.

That is all.

Edit, Edit, Edit: Okay, I lied here is one more. None of the Packard-built Merlins were Packard branded. There were many suppliers to Packard for parts for these engines, and some of those parts may have their manufactures mark (e.g., Maytag).

Quote:
Don't forget the sensational DeHavilland Mosquito some of which were powered by Packard Merlins.

It is very interesting to see the directions a thread will go
after you start one. Start out talking about a V12 powered cars and end up talking about Packard Merlin powered aircraft.


John F. Shireman

Neat info, JW.

Speaking of branding, notice the fine print on the poster for the red "Downunder" rod. It lists a 702 ci GMC "Twin Six"--also note someone penciled in "V12" for those uninitiated in the original Twin Six. I wonder if that brand was ever used in conjunction with other V12 engines, or if the Aussies are just exercising some poetic license.

Packard53--still, pretty close to on-topic with V12 Hot Rods. It is an interesting niche. If opened up to postwar land speed record "rods" I believe there would be several powered by V12 engines. I think Allisons were favored on the salt flats, (also the engine of choice for the P-38, to keep up the aircraft end of the conversation).

They're calling it a "Twin Six" because that's pretty much what it is, two GMC V6's on a common crankcase and using a common crank. See: GMC Twin Six and V6 IIRC, it uses 4 separate heads and valve covers. I wouldn't mind having one in any case. BTW, if anyone needs a bellhousing and a flywheel for one of these, I've got one.

clipper47, how could I have over looked the Mosquito. The Packard-built Merlins powered the Mosquitos built in Canada. There, did I redeem myself?

Keeping this going, Daimler had a V-12 they called a "Double Six". One of these cars was a recent best of show at Pebble Beach.

I sometimes call my 115C a "Half Twelve", and Packard called their earlier 6-cylinder engines "Single Sixes" to differentiate from the just superseded "Twin Six" (but you all knew this).

Reminds me of an amusing incident at a weeknight "cruise night" a few years back when friend Jeff brought his 37 Packard Twelve and of course opened one half of the hood to display the engine.

A couple of young kids walked up to look and one of them remarked "look, a slant six!". Had the other side of the hood been open, they would have found another one.

i have a customer who used to build allison powered pulling tractors with his dad. he has one customer left running the allison, all others have gone to turbins. However, what i am leading up to is that i asked him if anyone in the pulling world had ever tried the "packard" engines.
he told me that he and his dad had in fact tried them. both the packard/merlin and the packard pt boat engines.
he said that they were great engines to work on and with, but that they have a different power curve than the allison. and due to the difference in power curve/band they could never get them to be competitive.

Here is one of my all time favorite dragsters. Four Buick engines 1750 horse power, 3550 lbs, all wheel drive. The machine was built and driven by the famous Tommy Ivo. Below is a picture of the great SHOWBOAT.




John F. Shireman

Attach file:

---

  (54.55 KB)

Quote:
John,

Once again I am taken back to the days of my "mis-spent" youth. The first Hot Rod Magazine I ever bought featured the SHOWBOAT on the cover together with an article on it. And while I was in the US a couple of years ago saw it's predecessor, pic's below, in the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Florida. There was also an Allison V12 powered dragster there. For anyone with an interest in drag racing I can highly recommend this museum.
Link to my pics of the Garlits Museum -picasaweb.google.com/ozstatman/DonGarlitsDragRacingMuseum2ndAugust#

Attach file:

---

  (34.13 KB)


  (46.43 KB)


  (37.95 KB)


  (33.75 KB)