A collection of lesser-known facts about diesel engines that might surprise you.
Diesel engines have long gone beyond the limits of purely utilitarian machinery and agricultural equipment. Over more than a century of history, they have made their mark in motorsport, engineering records, mass-produced vehicles, and even in the most unexpected experiments by enthusiasts. Some achievements and curious facts about diesel power can surprise even experienced car lovers.
1. The fastest diesel-powered car in the world is the JCB Dieselmax, which in 2006 reached 350 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States.
2. A BMW 320d won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 1998, powered by a diesel engine producing about 200 horsepower.
3. Wärtsilä-Sulzer builds the largest diesel engines in the world. Its 14-cylinder engine for cargo ships weighs roughly 2,500 U.S. tons, produces 108,920 horsepower, and delivers around 560,000 lb-ft of torque at just 102 rpm.
4. While the invention of the diesel engine is usually credited to Rudolf Diesel, the first diesel-type engine was actually built by English engineer Herbert Akroyd Stuart in 1891.
5. The record-setting Mercedes-Benz C111 III had an extremely low drag coefficient of Cd 0.133, allowing it to reach about 202 mph with a diesel engine producing 230 horsepower.
6. The Ford Sierra 2.3 diesel was widely considered a disaster. It produced just 67 horsepower, and acceleration from 0 to 62 mph took a painfully slow 17.8 seconds.
7. One particularly adventurous young man in France replaced the V12 engine in his Ferrari 400i with a six-cylinder marine diesel engine.
8. The first mass-produced diesel passenger car was the 1936 Mercedes-Benz 260D.
9. Large, smoky turbocharged diesel engines are extremely popular in the construction of the most eccentric and outrageous rat rods.
10. The 6.0-liter Audi Q7 V12 TDI is often considered the largest mass-produced diesel passenger vehicle in the world, delivering 500 horsepower and nearly a “ton” of torque by automotive standards.