Who invented the Inline 6 engine? (It wasn’t a BMW) – Jalopnik

Silky smooth and impressively powerful inline-six engines, with all cylinders in a row, are praised by drivers for their refined performance and distinctive engine sound. As a result, they have been the power source of choice for cars like the Jaguar E-Type, key generations of Japan’s Nissan Skyline GT-R, the A80 Toyota Supra, the XJ Jeep Cherokee and of course several BMWs, starting with the M1.

In fact, the German brand has built a long-lasting and legendary reputation for its I6 engines. Just ask Jalopnik’s Amber DaSilva, who picked BMW’s B58 mill as the best six-cylinder engine in the business. However, BMW did not invent the inline-six engine; the Dutch company Spyker introduced what is considered the first car with an I6 engine in 1903, although it was a unique mill used in a specific racing car. That’s why some gearheads give priority to Napier, who debuted the first car in 1904 with a mass-produced straight-six.

BMW did not produce its first inline-six engine until 1917, the year it was founded, and it was not intended for a car, but rather for an aircraft. The first I6, a huge 19 liter naturally aspirated engine – the IIIA Flugmotor – provided 226 hp of motivation for the Fokker D VII fighter plane. That’s the real clue to the company’s I6 story, as it was eventually able to translate its wartime engine expertise into road success with the 1933 BMW 303, the automaker’s first car with a six-cylinder.

Like many early car manufacturers, Spyker started life in the horse industry. It originated as a carriage maker’s shop of the Spijker brothers, Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan. They initially started building cars under license from Benz, but by the turn of the century had developed their own motor-powered vehicle. The Spyker name debuted in 1903, and like many early automakers, the company turned to racing to promote its activities. That’s where Joseph Valentin Laviolette comes into the picture.

Laviolette was a Belgian engineer who had his own ideas about I6 engines, and when he was hired by Spyker to head up the racing effort, he naturally brought his ideas with him. The Spyker 60 HP, named for its peak power and also premiered in 1903, used what was also the first four-wheel drive system for a gas-engined car that won the 1906 Birmingham Hill Climb. A year later, another Spyker, this time with a four-cylinder, finished second in the 15,000 kilometer endurance test from Beijing to Paris. Unfortunately, 1907 was also the year that Hendrijk died in a ferry accident, causing the car manufacturer to go bankrupt for the first time.

Spyker merged with the Dutch Aircraft Co. in 1914. and eventually built aircraft for World War II, while still producing a limited number of cars. Spyker then spent about 75 years, from 1925 to 2000, in limbo, where it returned after attempting to build sports cars again several times in the 21st century.

At about the same time that the Spijkers renamed their company Spyker, SF Edge announced a new six-cylinder engine from the company he was associated with, Napier. Founded in 1808 as D. Napier & Son, Limited, the engineering company manufactured its first car in 1900 and grew to become a major player in the early English motoring scene under the founder’s grandson, Montague Napier. Napier could also be the answer to the question of where British Racing Green comes from.

SF Edge became to Napier what Laviolette was to Spyker. Edge never literally worked for the Napier company, but he apparently had a close friendship, based on a shared love of cars, with Montague Napier. In fact, Edge liked what he saw of Napier’s early engineering efforts so much that he formed a company specifically to sell Napier’s first series of cars.

Edge became a racing driver, promoter and all-round inspiration for Napier and also pushed Montague to develop a six-cylinder engine that became the first to go into mass production in 1904. Ten years later, however, the War to End All Wars effectively ended Napier as a car manufacturer. After building aircraft engines and ambulances during the war, Napier was unable to regain his momentum and ceased operations in 1925.

Why did so many I6 engines end up in the air? They were particularly suitable for early aircraft, as their smooth operation placed less stress on the relatively fragile wooden frames and fabric surfaces of the early aircraft.