Sunbeam Matabele
| Company type | Aero engine |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1918 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Aircraft engines |
The Sunbeam Matabele was a British aero engine featuring 12 cylinders arranged in a V12 configuration, which first took to the skies in 1918. It marked the culmination of Sunbeam’s development within the successful Cossack engine lineage.
Design and development
Building upon the Cossack’s twin overhead camshaft V12 architecture, the Matabele incorporated four valves per cylinder and utilized two cylinder blocks derived from the Saracen, crafted from aluminium rather than cast iron. The Saracen’s slightly larger bore of 122 mm (versus the Cossack’s 110 mm), combined with an unchanged stroke of 160 mm, yielded a total displacement of 22.4 litres (1,370 cu in). Its ignition system comprised four magnetos—two allocated per cylinder bank—with twin spark plugs. Additionally, a propeller reduction gear with a ratio of 1.63:1 was installed.
Variants
- Matabele II
Designed for racing powerboat applications, this variant simplified the original by removing the propeller reduction gearbox and reducing ignition complexity to one magneto per bank, reflecting the lower reliability demands outside of aviation contexts.
Applications
From May 1918, the Matabele underwent successful trials in an DH.4 aircraft. The sole production contract originated from France, where it powered the Nieuport-Delage NiD 30 airliner.
Sunbeam 1000 hp
The Matabele gained distinction as the powerplant for the Sunbeam 1000 hp land speed record vehicle—the first automobile to surpass .
Following Henry Segrave’s achievement at with the Sunbeam Tiger, financial limitations at S.T.D. Motors curtailed further development efforts. Two Matabele engines, initially intended for powerboat use and sourced from Sunbeam’s Wolverhampton facility, were installed in the Sunbeam 1000HP car. These engines featured four magnetos each, identifying them as Matabele I models.
On 29 March 1927, this vehicle became the first to exceed . Although branded as "1000 HP," its actual power output was closer to .
Due to budget constraints, the installation method was unconventional: compressed air started the rear engine, which then mechanically engaged the front engine via a friction clutch. When both engines reached synchronized speeds, they were locked together using a dog clutch for record attempts. During its final demonstration at Brooklands, the car operated on a single engine with the dog clutch disengaged.
Bibliography
- Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .