"Anthony W" wrote in message
...
Charles Vincent wrote:
jan olieslagers wrote:
schreef:
Indeed, comparing the American & British efforts makes a damn good
adventure novel -- one in which the British should have won (ie,
because of their slide-valve engines).

[[off-topic, only of interest to historians:]]

Bob, you are writing history here as a US'an crediting a US patent to a
non-US'an! Indeed Mr. Charles Yale Knight, first holder of sleeve-valved
engine patents, was born in Indiana, USA, in 1868, at least that's what
I learn from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Engine

Then again, his idea was based upon early concoctions by German Mr.
Otto, and then again his ideas were most succesfully implemented in
Europe, in some British aero-engines (Bristol Centaurus and its
predecessors) but also in the notorious luxury Minerva cars from
Belgium - that factory was close to my home, indeed the allies only
nearly missed killing my mother when trying to bomb the factory in May
1943.


KA

Yeah an American invented it, but it took Harry Ricardo and crew to make
it really sing.

Charles

From what I remember from the vintage car meets is that the sleeve-valve
Willies-Knight, is that even in good running condition would smoke like a
two stroke. It's one of those screwy inventions best left to the history
books.

Tony

IIRC, a lot of two stroke diesels, especially GM, used it successfully.
However, I don't know if they smoked any more than other diesels.

Peter