Renault 6Q
| Company type | Aircraft piston engine |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Aircraft engines |
The Renault 6Q, sometimes referred to as the Renault Bengali 6, is a six-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline piston engine designed for aircraft, delivering approximately continuous horsepower. Originating from France, it entered production after its certification in 1936 and was manufactured extensively throughout World War II and beyond for more than ten years.
Design and development
Sharing the same bore, stroke, and piston design as the four-cylinder Renault 4P, the six-cylinder Renault 6Q dates back to the early 1930s. It was offered in both naturally aspirated and supercharged variants. The supercharged versions incorporated a centrifugal supercharger positioned at the rear of the engine, driven via a step-up gear connected to the crankshaft. This addition increased the engine’s length by and its weight by , but enhanced its high-altitude output to at 2,500 rpm and . Prior to World War II, two supercharged models were tailored for distinct altitude ranges: the 02/03 pair optimized for , utilizing a 7.61:1 gear ratio, and the 04/05 pair designed for , with a gearing ratio of 12.274.
Operational history
Following its approval in 1936, production exceeded 3,300 units before and during WWII, with manufacturing continuing after the war ended. Before the conflict, these engines were predominantly installed in Caudron C.440 Goélands. During wartime, they remained in service within Goélands, while post-war applications included powering Nord’s adaptations of the Messerschmitt Bf 108, such as the Nord Pingouin, Nord Noralpha, and Ramier models.
Variants
In this series, even-numbered submodels rotate clockwise when viewed from the front of the engine, whereas odd-numbered variants rotate counterclockwise.
- Renault 6Q-00/01
- Naturally aspirated with left-hand/right-hand rotation
- Renault 6Q-02/03
- Supercharged to , left-hand/right-hand rotation
- Renault 6Q-04/05
- Supercharged to , left-hand/right-hand rotation
- Renault 6Q-06/07
- Left-hand/right-hand rotation
- Renault 6Q-08/09
- Left-hand/right-hand rotation
- Renault 6Q-10/11
- Left-hand/right-hand rotation
- Renault 6Q-18/19
- Left-hand/right-hand rotation
- Renault 6Q-20/21
- Left-hand/right-hand rotation
Applications
- Caudron C.440 Goéland
- Caudron C.631-5 Simoun
- Caudron C.640 Typhon
- Caudron C.690
- Caudron C.860
- Dewoitine HD.730
- Farman F.430
- Hanriot H.230
- Morane-Saulnier MS.350
- Morane-Saulnier MS.501
- Nord 1101/2 Noralpha/Ramier
- Nord Pingouin
- Potez 661
- Rey R.1
- SNCASE SE-700
- SNCASE SE-1210
Engines on display
- Ailes Anciennes, Toulouse: Renault 6Q-10 installed in a Nord 1101 Ramier I.