Thursday 1st July 2010
Mid-Engined V18 Mini Revealed
UK's biggest diesel engine makes Mini look like an ancillary unit
Cummins V18 has 12 turbochargers
Fans of Mini and/or gargantuan diesel motors should find this quirky exhibit worth a double-take if they're visiting the Goodwood FoS this weekend.
We've Cummins to thank for the spectacle because aside from being the world's largest independent maker of diesel engines, they also appear to have a sense of humour.
The exhibit was conceived after a previous event when the company showed off its largest engine (and the largest diesel engine made in the UK), and some wag asked if it could be fitted to his Mini.
The QSK78 engine weighs in at over 11 tonnes and is er, quite large, so an extended wheelbase and supercar-style mid-mounted application was the only option.
"We never like to let a challenge go by unanswered so we got to thinking maybe we could fit the QSK78 into an original Austin Mini. It proved to be a bit tricky to fit under the bonnet but our engineers came up with a more creative solution," says Steve Nendick, Cummins' spokesman.
The QSK78, which is used to power mining industry dump trucks capable of carrying 360 tonnes, is a V18 monster with a capacity of 78 litres and uses 12 turbochargers (count 'em!) to develop 3500bhp and around 10,300lb ft of torque.
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Zircon
Original Poster
202 posts
50 months
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Well it is no good if it doesn't actually power the car!
That's like saying 'yeah I put a jet engine on a microlite, but it would just rip it to pieces'.
What they have achieved is a big diesel engine on a Mini-shaped trolley!
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R66STU
182 posts
45 months
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The standard fuel tank wont last long 
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Chris-R
702 posts
56 months
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Zircon said: Well it is no good if it doesn't actually power the car!
That's like saying 'yeah I put a jet engine on a microlite, but it would just rip it to pieces'.
What they have achieved is a big diesel engine on a Mini-shaped trolley! Must admit I'd rather they'd brought along one of the dump trucks - but I guess the stand space is paid for by the square metre...
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CraigyMc
5,068 posts
105 months
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Zircon said: Well it is no good if it doesn't actually power the car!
That's like saying 'yeah I put a jet engine on a microlite, but it would just rip it to pieces'.
What they have achieved is a big diesel engine on a Mini-shaped trolley! I'm pretty sure it can't move at all. the engine is 11 tons, so that would be somewhere about 3 tons per wheel. Do you suppose there's anything that size which could take the load? (You'd need solid wheels - it would look more like a train bogey.)
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Huntsman
3,601 posts
119 months
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You miserable gits.
Good on them for bringing such a fun monster bit of kit.
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MSTRBKR
4,917 posts
67 months
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I hope they start that up at some point. Looking forward to seeing that!
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hurststeve
100 posts
68 months
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Silly. Like the earlier poster said, it's just an engine on a trolley. And a fixed speed engine at that. With four turbochargers, not twelve.
OK, twelve. And not fixed speed. But it's still an engine on a trolley with no cooling system or exhausts.
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407nomates
11,041 posts
91 months
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Chris-R said: Must admit I'd rather they'd brought along one of the dump trucks - but I guess the stand space is paid for by the square metre... Having worked alongside them, I can confidently say that getting one of those into the FOS would be tantamount to an impossibility. http://www.komatsu.com/ce/products/pdfs/KAC_960E-1...
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bales
1,905 posts
87 months
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hurststeve said: Silly. Like the earlier poster said, it's just an engine on a trolley. And a fixed speed engine at that. With four turbochargers, not twelve. Have you even looked at the picture? Maybe have a re-count of the turbo's.
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300bhp/ton
26,483 posts
59 months
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Very cool  where's the PH O'meter??? Reckon this needs an 11 out of 10 for shear barmyness!!! Love it truly  BTW - should a WAG be referred to as "his car" or "her car", or have I missed something? 
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lodgy
132 posts
64 months
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i made them turbos
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DanGPR
592 posts
40 months
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Turbo for every 1.5 cylinders? Odd decision?
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doogz
18,721 posts
56 months
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2 turbo's for each "mini bank" of 3 cylinders by the looks of it.
Mental, i love stuff like this. Engineering stupidity, for stupidity's sake.
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louismchuge
1,516 posts
53 months
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it's not even a trolley as it cant be wheeled around. It's just on a bloody great plinth if you look underneath!
Still, hats of to them for having a laugh!
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308mate
11,041 posts
91 months
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DanGPR said: Turbo for every 1.5 cylinders? Odd decision? Think of it more as one turbo for every 6.4litres of displacement.
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GingerWizard
4,589 posts
67 months
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thats the biggest swap i'v seen to date.... Good effort!
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doogz
18,721 posts
56 months
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6.5 maybe? It's still early, but there's no excuse for getting that wrong! 
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308mate
11,041 posts
91 months
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doogz
18,721 posts
56 months
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Yeah, so 6.5 then?
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CraigyMc
5,068 posts
105 months
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hurststeve said: Silly. Like the earlier poster said, it's just an engine on a trolley. And a fixed speed engine at that. With four turbochargers, not twelve. Er, if it's fixed speed, why do cummins give peak power and peak torque values at different RPM? (1900rpm and 1500rpm respectively) http://www.everytime.cummins.com/assets/pdf/408714...C
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