An update on the Duesenberg Torpedo Coupe - with a 70 mpg 300 HP V-12?
Not much has been heard about the rebirth of Duesenberg since Autoblog first brought you news of the hopeful launch of the Torpedo® Coupe in 2005, which was initially planned for an early 2007 launch. But, I ran across their website last night and saw that they claim to be using an engine developed by EP Industries for the vehicle with some unheard of specifications, many of which seem impossible.
To quote their site, "The Torpedo® Coupe will be driven by a revolutionary new power plant, the CEM engine now in final development by E.P. Industries (eddiepaul@epindustries.com), an air-cooled and self lubricating, forced-air inducted (supercharged), 12 cylinder, double ended, ported, multi-fueled, four-stroke engine with a calculated 70 MPG and 300 horsepower from an economical 100 pound package measuring 18 inches in diameter and 24 inches in length, which will provide an unparalleled power-to-weight ratio."
That is pretty high mileage for what I imagine would be a very large car powered by a supercharged V12 engine putting out 300 horsepower. Here is a link to the EP Industries site. A little Wiki'ing turned up some more information about the powerplant, click here for that. If this turns out to be real, it will be a real "doozy" of a powerplant! Just couldn't help myself... But, in all seriousness, I didn't find much about how the engine really works, but it is clear from the pictures that the 12 pistons are very small, which makes it a bit more believable it could hit 70 miles per gallon, but what about the 300 horsepower claim? If their plan to show the vehicle in August of this year at Pebble Beach pans out, we may see more.
[Source: Duesenberg Custom Coach]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gregn 2:53PM (6/01/2009)
OK, did a little search on Mr. Eddie Paul. Seems like a jack of all trades and master of none. Car customizer (what has he done? Anything show worthy?), aerospace (does he build rockets?), fire pump manufacturer (oh really?), Hollywood stuntman (yea right), book author (I've seen his few books. More self promotion.), inventor (of what??? This CEM engine? Come on. This thing is years old and still doesn't work. ) Filmaker (he makes home videos that...you guessed it...promotes himself). A lot of big claims from this guy. He has yet to produce anything worthwhile. Stick to making your fake movie cars Eddie Paul. That's what you do best.
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fenderguy 6:00PM (10/01/2009)
I knew Eddie Paul back in the old bodyshop days. Eddie Paul is a bondo slinger and third rate bodyman who now thinks he's an inventor. He aint no good at anything. This CEM piece of junk is actually a copy of the Rand Cam design with enough changes to grab himself a patent. It barely functions as a pump. An engine? HA!
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Juan 10:06PM (4/27/2007)
Doesn't sound like it's a "V"-12.
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George Krpan 12:57AM (4/28/2007)
Ok, so it's not a V-12. What's the point?
If it works it's better than any engine ever made, even V-12s.
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Chris M 2:09AM (4/28/2007)
70 mpg 300 hp? My B.S. detector started beeping.
It's going to take some mighty persuasive evidence to convince me!
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ian Bruce 5:10PM (4/28/2007)
Jeremy: If you're reading this, please get in touch with me.
I just got off the phone with Eddie Paul, and he's not a bit miffed that "Duesenberg"'s still using his name to scare up investment in their little kit-car operation. Eddie did meet with David Hartje in 2005, and there were some discussions about using the CEM engine in this vehicle, but when nothing materialized, Eddie just wrote him off.
The CEM engine IS real, and is based on a principal similar to that of the extraordinarily reliable and efficient CEM pumps which have been in service for many years. The CEM engine's secret is its thermal efficiency, few moving parts, and a couple of other items I'm enjoined from discussing.
More here:
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/index.shtml?vidID=87058
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Enoch 10:23AM (4/30/2007)
If this engine is so efficient, how come car companies are not scrambling to get it. Where was the engine demonstrated and how can I get it. I was also looking for the 100mpg carburator. My next project is perpetual motion machine.
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Scott 11:05AM (4/30/2007)
Maybe they're using the Massive Yet Tiny engine instead:
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Massive_Yet_Tiny_(MYT)_Engine
It looks interesting, but I don't know if it's ready for prime time yet.
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Toy Yoda 10:45AM (5/01/2007)
The motor is called a "barrel", or a "swash plate" engine. They've been around for awhile. They are used in torpedoes due to their high torque and compact round form (hence the name barrel.) They are also quite light relative to weight. There are interesting variants to it.
A company called "Axial Vector Engines" has one with a sinusoidal-toroidal "cam/crank". Basically, the pistons are in an opposing "O" shape. The crank and cams are replaced by one component.
I'm not sure why they haven't been applied to cars yet. I doubt the efficiency, but I wouldn't be surprised if they can get high efficiency, due to less moving parts, and something quite cool:
In the case of Axial Vector Engines, one of the reasons is they can get shape of the "cam/crank" to move the pistons at the most efficient velocity during the various stages of the Otto Cycle. So for instance, a traditional crank moves the piston in a sinusoidal velocity over time. An epicycloidal or hypercycloidal movement might be more efficient.
As an example, take a traditional piston/crank beginning it's power stroke downwards. Since the crank is near the top of it's circle, most of the force from the piston is being diverted at roughly 90 degrees, as if the crank is working against the natural movement of the piston.
Still, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that they can achieve those high efficiencies. That would be just grand.
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Dave3 11:42AM (5/06/2007)
Perhaps they aren't reliable enough in long-term automotive use? It's a lot different to bounce around in a car than it is to sit and pump.
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