by rojwhittle » Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:22 am
This is an interesting thread, as I was looking at a Rolls Royce B80 engine from a Dennis Pax fire appliance just the other day. It was being used, powered by LPG, to power a massive generator at a sawmill. It was a straight eight with the usual RR overhead inlet, side exhaust valve layout (like the contemporary Rover cars). In spite of its size, the sawmill owner said it was quite economical, and estimated the output to be only about 120bhp, delivered at around 1200 rpm!
The B80 and 81 were I think 5.6 and 6 litre capacity, and were used in many military vehicles, like the Alvis Saracen, as well as in the FML series of Admiralty Launch, made, I think , by Thornycroft, Saunders Roe and Brook Marine.