He Wärtsilä RTA96-C It is not any engine. It is literally the nautical or industrial diesel engine in the world. It is a mastodontic colossus of 14 cylinders online, two times, supercharged and designed to propel, for example, transoceanic freighters. As you can imagine, their figures are simply delusional.
108,920 hp of maximum power, 7.6 million nm of torque, 27 meters in length, 13 meters high and a weight of more than 2,300 tons. By the way, in the video below do not miss the sound of the engine running from the minute and 36 seconds.
As data, each cylinder measures almost a meter in diameter and has a 2.5 -meter race. To get an idea, engineers can enter the cylinder and work on it while the engine is running. Yes, that’s how big it is.
In addition, it presumes a thermal efficiency greater than 50%, a figure that neither the most advanced engines of MotoGP or F1 can dream. This titan has been considered by some as one of the true «seven wonders of the modern world«.
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With such credentials, it is not strange that some motorists and the occasional joke with Photoshop, have fantasized with the unthinkable: a motorcycle propelled by a Wärtsilä RTA96-C. To our colleagues, when the opportunity arose to interview Hakan AgnevallPresident and CEO of Wärtsiläthe question was forced: when will we see this engine on a motorcycle?
The answer was a jug of cold water. “It will be complicated. In fact, impossible. Wärtsilä sold its two -stroke division in 2015, as part of a strategic turn towards decarbonization and energy storage. Today, the rights and developments of RTA96-C belong to the Switzerland firm Wingd”
But in case any champion achieves one, or a wake, set up a Wärtsilä RTA96-C On a motorcycle it is not exactly a weekend project. It would be necessary to solve impossible problems such as chassis. I could not leave any current factory. Maybe searching naval steel in the second -hand market.
Willing to imagine. In a scooter … a Vespa It would be perfectly worth. What a presence would have the Italian scooter. Of course, we would probably overcome everyone in consumption, comfort and even parking spaces. But what about the presence? And respect in the traffic light? Who would dare to argue with you if you arrive in a Wärtsiläcycle?
After all, it is not just a matter of functionality. It is love for mechanics in its wildest and exaggerated form. Although we never see it roll, the idea of a motorcycle with the most beastly built engine will continue to occupy a place in the collective imaginary of the most fans of metal and combustion.
A technical madness. A logistics nightmare. A glorious fantasy. And unfortunately, just that. A fantasy.
