Design and Development
The engine basically consisted of two nine-cylinder radial banks, similar to the Alfa Romeo 126. Cattaneo left Alfa Romeo. in 1936, leaving the development to eng. Bossi and his staff, but without success. At the time of its first running in 1938 and 1939 it was the most powerful radial engine in the world, generating just less than 1492 kW (2000 hp) on 100-octane fuel, but the normal was 87 (1,200-1,600 hp).
Despite the obvious potential, this engine was affected by many reliability problems. Apparently solved in test made in 1939, actually, even if no longer affected by breaking and mechanical faults, it suffered from overheating and vibrations, so seriously that it was rejected from the service, even if Italy badly needed more powerful units; until 1944 only an handful were made, and never fitted in a operational aircraft. Only around 150 units of this engine were manufactured.
Read more about this topic: Alfa Romeo 135
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