zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Someone Gave Rob Dahm a 12-Rotor Engine, and We’re Scared for Him
Someone Gave Rob Dahm a 12-Rotor Engine, and We’re Scared for Him-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:57

A milled aluminum 12-rotor engine is being disassembled on a wooden stand.

The rotary engine — aka , aka the engine that — is something that most auto enthusiasts either love . My first car was a 1983 RX-7, and with a carbureted 12A engine producing all of 100 horsepower, so I’m squarely in the first category.

Of course, that prehistoric two-rotor engine is far from the pinnacle of rotary technology. No, for that, we must look to . Sure, we’ve seen his three-rotor car and his and even a , but now things are getting truly out of hand because someone gave him a handmade 12-rotor engine.

Yes, 12 rotors. That’s the most rotors of anything ever (read ‘em and weep Kiwis), and they’re laid out in a super cool Y design with one bank rotating counter to the bottom and other side. The guy who originally built the engine did so for his drag boat after he got tired of blowing up big block Chevys and never got it running on more than carburetors and a pair of V12 Jaguar ignition systems. It’s now Rob’s job to take the engine and bring it into the modern era with fuel injection and possibly even forced induction.

This video shows the teardown of the engine, which was partly assembled for transport without its rotors, and the engineering on display is incredible and is worth the watch by itself. I only hope that the next video in the series comes sooner rather than later because I want to hear this thing run.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Jul 7, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Jul 7, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Jul 7, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Jul 7, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Jul 7, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Jul 7, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved