 Records
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Let's move on to something more cheerful. As early as the end of World War I, BMW had developed an aircraft engine (pictured above) capable of reaching high altitudes. It allowed the aircraft to climb much higher and
faster than any other system, giving pilots a clear avantage for aerial combat. No, there was no fuel injection yet; instead, it had what's called a high-altitude carburetor. Unlike its counterparts, it could be adjusted to
accommodate widely varying air densities.
| Two-bladed Roots blower . . . |
It’s easy to imagine that there was enormous interest in such aircraft engines, and possibly even more powerful ones. What could be more obvious than giving it a sort of second engine that partly nearly doubles
its power but not its weight? This refers to the compressor, which was mainly available as a Roots blower and as a turbocharger for automotive engines.
Despite the hard times during and after World War I and the greatest economic crisis of the century in 1929–1930, there were 60 companies in Europe and the United States producing vehicles with
more than six cylinders by the time of World War II. This lineup also reflected, to some extent, the need to focus on the automotive market.
Above all, suppliers seemed necessary to boost vehicle production. In the mid-1920s, customs barriers were lifted in Germany. The auto industry came under pressure from abroad. It was nearly impossible to compete
with vehicles imported from the U.S. in terms of design, finish, and price.
Opel managed to join General Motors just in time, while Daimler and Benz merged. Under pressure from the Saxon State Bank, DKW, Audi, Horch, and Wanderer merged to form Auto Union, which effectively became a
state-owned enterprise. Progress in Europe, and especially in Germany, was very slow. For the automotive industry, the Nazis' rise to power seemed to come at just the right time.
The abolition of the motor vehicle tax and the massive subsidies for motor racing helped boost the automotive industry. Mercedes, for example, doubled its production, while Auto Union increased its workforce sixfold. Ford
used a striking number of German names for its models. Was that already the beginning of mass motorization, which had long been underway in the United States?
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In terms of engine technology, however, it was an interesting time. Not only was the mid-engine layout, for example, that of the Auto Union Type C revolutionary, but so was the fact that it had 16 cylinders. Mercedes held its
own with a highly competitive 8-cylinder engine. Performance skyrocketed thanks to special fuel and increased supercharger boost, as evidenced by speed records well over 400 km/h.
But the vehicles were used much more frequently in everyday life. Some even drove them all winter, which placed special demands on engine oil and coolant. The latter received additions and bibs in front of the cooler.
Well into the second half of the century, people will have to get used to having their oil changed regularly in the spring and fall. Incidentally, the diesel engine still didn't play a significant role in trucks either. The situation
became even worse for vehicles in terms of fuel supply during and after World War II, because fuel shortages forced a switch to heavy wood gas generators (see photo below).
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