Rodin Cars introduces V10 as bonkers crate engine

Merlin's beard, will you just look at the thing? Hands up who's imagining it in a Monaro?

We’re suckers for a crate engine on PH. Honestly, who isn’t? Just the idea of one turning up (in an actual crate) for you to do with as you please is a tantalising prospect - especially when they are preposterously large. And terrific to look at. And sound like an old F1 car when fired up. On which note, welcome to the visual/audio feast that is the Rodin Cars RC.TEN V10 engine. Now available to order in crate form, in both naturally aspirated and twin-turbo configurations.

If you’ve been following the ongoing story of the Rodin FZERO, you’ll likely recall the monster engine used to power it. From the ground up, the car was intended to deliver the ‘ultimate track experience’ to wealthy buyers, and to do that it earned a purpose-built, mid-mounted hybrid V10 that developed nearly 1200hp. In a carbon fibre single-seater that made a gnat look paunchy. Back in December, we highlighted a short video that revealed what the engine sounded like. Which, though not stressed, was brain-meltingly good.

Now, for an undisclosed sum and like a guy ordering KFC on Deliveroo, you can buy one. Well, alright - it’s probably a bit more involved than that (there’s a contact form on Rodin’s site) but suffice it to say that ‘the RC.TEN is able to cater to a range of applications and customer preferences, making it an attractive choice for automotive enthusiasts and manufacturers seeking a versatile and high-performance engine.’ Which sounds nicely understated for a 4.0-litre unit that runs on synthetic 102 RON petrol and revs to 11,000rpm in its naturally aspirated configuration.

That, frankly, is the one we’d go for - a) because we’re traditionalists, but b) because its output is a semi-reasonable 720 imperial horsepower (and its 391lb ft of torque arrives at a spine-tingling 8,500rpm). But if you’re the sort of gunslinger that needs 11psi of boost pressure, then the twin-turbo derivative delivers 1013bhp at 9,200rpm, with 560lb ft of peak twist kicking in at 7,500rpm. Additionally, Rodin will supply you with a transmission too should you need one, which we assume is the eight-speed sequential ‘box it co-developed with Ricardo for the FZERO. Presumably that comes in its own, smaller crate. Somebody please order one and let us know.