Another noise-canceling measure was driving the camshafts from the tail end of the crankshaft so the gears and chains could be masked by the flywheel and the transaxle bell housing. Ferrari has nothing on this diesel’s valvetrain. Two hollow overhead cams open four valv...
In final form, the engine weighed 294 lb (133 kg) with automatic transmission flex plate and torque converter housing, 332 lb (151 kg) with clutch and flywheel — light compared to most contemporary inline sixes, but still over its original design target. Valve actuation was via pushrods ...
Some of its advanced features seem not so much prescient as just odd — for instance, the dual flywheels were intended to reduce driveline intrusion by allowing the rear flywheel to be smaller in diameter, which seems an expensive approach to a fairly incremental gain. MacPherson’s original ...