Why is the Merlin engine so good?
What made the Merlin good was that it was a powerful, reliable, liquid cooled, inline engine with a small frontal area that reduced drag. Also it was a great base for development, later versions produced well over 50% more power than earlier versions. First introduced in the late 1930s, the Merlin engine was designed to meet the Royal Air Force’s requirements for a powerful, high-altitude fighter engine. The engine featured a supercharger that allowed it to maintain high power output at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet, a vital attribute for the RAF’s needs.Unlike the Merlin, the Griffon was designed from the outset to use a single-stage supercharger driven by a two-speed, hydraulically operated gearbox; the initial production versions, the Griffon II, III, IV, and VI series, were designed to give their maximum power at low altitudes and were mainly used by the Fleet Air .
What is the American version of the Merlin engine?
Packard V-1650 Merlin. The V-1650 liquid-cooled engine was the U. S. British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which powered the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The Merlin was designed and built by Rolls-Royce. These powerful and reliable engines were fitted to many Second World War aircraft including the Avro Lancaster, Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire. Over 150,000 Merlin engines were built.