Timelines · Engines
One machine per turning point, told like the cars and the aircraft: the story, why it mattered, and its physics running live — from Otto’s first four strokes to the motor that made them optional.
The engine that learned to squeeze before it burns — every petrol engine since runs Otto’s four strokes.
The engine designed on paper first — squeeze air until it glows, and the spark becomes unnecessary.
Twenty forgiving horsepower cast as one cheap block — the engine that put the world on wheels.
Twenty-seven litres that grew from 1,030 to over 2,000 horsepower — by learning to breathe where the air runs out.
Two pairs of pistons punching in opposition — self-balancing, air-cooled, and built twenty-one million times.
Eight cylinders in the length of six, cheap enough for everyone — and the sound America runs on.
A spinning triangle instead of pistons — two moving parts doing all four strokes at once.
Two camshafts in one — a mild cam for the school run and a wild one that arrives at 5,500 rpm.
A petrol engine and two motor-generators blended through one planetary gear — a computer picks the mix every millisecond.
An idea older than the petrol engine — the rotating magnetic field — finally gets its battery.