When it comes to the world of cars and the world of airplanes, the two may seem forever separate, requiring drastically different approaches and technologies to design and build a vehicle for either the road or the air. While that is partially true, many aspects of the two industries share common threads and are more intertwined than you may think.
For starters, aerodynamics is a big deal between the two. Both require designing around aerodynamic principles, harnessing drag and lift to achieve goals like fuel economy and speed, or simply getting off the ground. With aerodynamics being a more important principle for airplanes though, their supremely sleek and efficient designs can end up inspiring the designs of cars in turn. But, one area that has an even more common goal, methodology, and engineering paradigm would be their engines.
When it comes to piston engines, the principles are nearly identical; they use internal combustion to drive a piston down a cylinder and convert that force to turn a driveshaft. Piston engines between cars and airplanes are similar enough that car-based ones can and do, power airplanes, and airplane examples can be used to power some (rather insane) cars.
Not just limited to piston engines, here are 5 airplanes powered by car engines, as well as 5 cars that are powered by airplane engines.
10 Airplane With A Car Engine: Robinson V8 Seabee
Introduced in 1946, the Republic RC-3 Seabee is an iconic and unique seaplane, capable of carrying an entire family and their luggage from lake to lake in style and comfort.
A solid design produced for a couple of years, and one that's still kept flying by passionate owners today, the RC-3 Seabee had one glaring flaw with its design - the 6 cylinder engine was rather weak and could struggle to get the aircraft airborne when loaded with passengers and luggage.
Located in Ontario, Canada, Brian Robinson set out to improve the classic aircraft and created an engine conversion kit using the legendary LS V8 engine found in the Corvette. While that may sound absurd at first, the engine offers a smooth power delivery and can be run off of standard pump gas meant for cars, making the Robinson V8 Seabee conversions far more logical than they may sound at first.
9 Car With An Airplane Engine: Lotus 56
One of the wildest '60s racecars, STP Racing created a jet-powered Indycar known as the STP-Paxton in 1967 but brought the design to its greatest form a year later with Lotus.
With help from automotive legend and founder of Lotus, Colin Chapman, the radical jet-powered STP-Paxton was streamlined and greatly improved, being turned into the doorstop shaped Lotus 56.
Making use of a Pratt & Whitney ST6 turbine engine, initially designed for use in turboprop aircraft like the Beechcraft King Air, the Lotus 56 was monstrously fast, and downright revolutionary. Unfortunately, it crashed into the wall during the 1968 Indy 500, missing its shot at fame and glory.
8 Airplane With A Car Engine: Mooney M20L
First produced in 1955 as a light passenger aircraft that can carry 4 people, and offer greater speed and range than the competition, all in a reliable package, the Mooney M20 is a classic of the civil aviation world.
Starting off with a 150 hp Lycoming engine, the Mooney M20 was updated through the years, getting more powerful engines and changes to its airframe construction. For a couple of years though, the Mooney M20 received a truly special engine, one directly from Porsche.
Known as the PFM 3200, the engine was a 911's flat-6 engine tweaked for use in airplanes, and could make up to 241 hp with a turbocharger. Dubbed the M20L when equipped with the PFM 3200, the Porsche powered Mooney is a rare bird, with production lasting from just 1988 to '89, and only 41 being made over those two years.
7 Car With An Airplane Engine: Thrust SSC
There are many brutally fast cars out there, with vehicles like the Bugatti Chiron blasting past the 260 MPH mark, today's cars seem faster than ever. But, over 20 years ago, a monster of a vehicle managed to redefine how fast a car could possibly go.
Called the Thrust SSC, this sleek machine was developed in Britain to shatter the land speed record, and it did exactly that. Looking more like a fighter jet than a car, Thrust SSC used two Rolls Royce Spey 205 engines from the iconic Phantom fighter jet, as well as other insane bits of technology, like aluminum wheels designed to withstand up to 35,000 Gs of force.
A project spanning many years, in October of 1997, Thrust SSC set off into Nevada's Black Rock Desert, piloted by a Royal Air Force Commander. Unleashing the mighty Spey 205 engines, Thrust SSC set a still-standing record of 763 MPH, breaking the sound barrier (pictured above) along with the very notion of how fast a "car" can go.
6 Airplane with A Car Engine: Scaled Composites Pond Racer
One of the most awesome motorsports, the Reno Air Races showcase many WWII warbirds like the P-51 modified to go as fast as possible, in a wild show, and intense race.
Initially a plentiful surplus, the supply of WWII propeller fighters dried up as years passed, and the now historic aircraft were being modified and destroyed on a regular basis in pursuit of speed. Enter Bob Pond, a US Navy pilot during WWII who opened a museum to preserve the legendary warbirds he loved.
Enlisting the help of aircraft designer Burt Rutan and his company Scaled Composites in 1988, Pond commissioned the Pond Racer to outclass the modified WWII air racers so dramatically, that people would simply give up modifying and racing the winged pieces of history. Achieving the power needed, the Pond Racer used two Nissan VG30 V6 engines, modified for use in racecars. While promising in its first races, the Pond Racer was unable to work out its initial issues, and crashed in 1993, killing its pilot.
5 Car With An Airplane Engine: Sunbeam 1,000-hp
While the Thrust SSC may have set a nearly unbeatable record (for now), the race for the land speed record has raged for many decades, with plenty of thoroughly wicked machines built for the task of being the absolute fastest car out there.
One such car is this beast, named the Sunbeam 1,000-hp, often referred to as "The Mystery" or "The Slug." Built in England using two massive V-12 Matabele engines Sunbeam had designed for use in airliners, the Sunbeam 1,000-hp produced a massive, for the time, combined power number of around 900 hp - they rounded up for the name.
Shipped to Daytona Beach in 1927, the Sunbeam Slug was driven by British driver Henry Segrave over a 4-mile stretch, setting a land speed record, and earning The Slug a place as the first car to drive at over 200 MPH.
4 Airplane With A Car Engine: Sky-World PJ-II Dreamer
When it comes to machines that inspire many daydreams and fantasies, fighter jets may just be the ultimate. Yet, for the vast majority of the population, actually flying one remains a dream that may never be fulfilled.
As the name implies, the PJ-II is intended to help people get a taste of that fighter jet dream. Designed with inspiration from modern fighter jets, the Russian made PJ-II Dreamer is a kit plane you can build yourself, made from fiberglass, and certified as airworthy in 2016.
While it may look like a true jet aircraft, the PJ-II uses a ducted fan, driven by a propeller that is mounted in a ducted intake (like a jet). While that may seem disappointing compared to an actual jet, the engine powering those propellers is anything but disappointing - as the PJ-II uses an LS6 V8 that gives it a top speed of around 220 MPH.
3 Car With An Airplane Engine: Crushed Red Pepper
While not a ludicrous land speed record car, "Crushed Red Pepper" is indeed a racecar, albeit one made for a much less prestigious series than other airplane engine racecars. Taking a Toyota MR2, Marc Labranche created this monstrosity for the 24 Hours of LeMons - a parody of the 24 Hours of LeMans with loose rules and some awful cars.
Somehow managing to get a Kinner radial engine, used on WWII training aircraft, inside of the car, Crushed Red Pepper miraculously works. Although it only makes 160 hp, Crushed Red Pepper is downright ridiculous, and a testament to the ingenuity of gearheads when given the chance to do something unique.
2 Airplane With A Car Engine: Diamond DA42-VI Twin-Star
Producing some luxurious, sleek, advanced, and thoroughly modern light airplanes, Diamond Aircraft can almost be seen as the Mercedes-Benz of civil aviation.
Built from carbon composites, the DA42-VI is one of Diamond's latest airplanes to take to the skies and packs a rather interesting engine as well.
Powered by two Austro AE300 diesel engines that can use jet fuel, and let the DA42-VI hit an impressive top speed with great efficiency, the Mercedes comparison makes a bit more sense when looking deeper at those engines. Originally constructing them with already built engine blocks, the Austro AE300 is a Mercedes OMB640 diesel engine, used in Mercedes' diesel cars, but tweaked for aviation use.
1 Car With An Airplane Engine: Taylor Aerocar
A flying car from the '50s, the Taylor Aerocar may not have brought flying cars to a mass-market reality, but it did in fact work as both a car and an airplane.
While technically halfway between a car and an airplane, the Taylor Aerocar could still function as a full road car. Using a single-engine mounted in the car, the Aerocar's engine provides power to either the propeller when attached or the wheels when driving around in car mode - and that engine is from an airplane.
Powered by a Lycoming 0-320 flat-4 engine that's commonly found in small airplanes, the Aerocar can put down 150 hp to either the wheels or propeller, and hit a top speed of 100 MPH in flight. Only 5 were built, making the Aerocar as rare as it is revolutionary.