Plastic car engine to race again

In collaboration with US-based engineer Matt Holtzberg, Solvay Chemicals is set to construct a plastic engine. This engine, called the Polimotor 2, has four cylinders and will weigh between 63 and 67 kg, making it almost 40kg lighter than the four-cylinder engines of today.

This dual overhead camshaft engine will use a plastic oil pump, water pump, water inlet/outlet, throttle body, fuel rail, and cam sprockets.

The all-plastic Polimotor 2 engine will be installed in an M-20 C Coupe concept car built by French racecar designer and builder, Norma Auto Concept, and tested next year. This engine will also feature a plastic turbocharger and an improved fuel injection system. Power output is expected to be around 450bhp at 8,000rpm.

The previous version of the engine, called the Polimotor, was built in 1982. It was based on a 2.0-litre Cosworth BDA engine and was rated at 290bhp at 8,500rpm. Among the parts made out of plastic in the previous engine were the engine block, cam cover, air intake trumpets, intake valve stems, piston skirts and wrist pins, connecting rods, oil scraper piston rings, tappets, valve spring retainers and timing gears. It weighed 84 kg, which was half the weight of the engine that used metal parts. This engine was fitted to a Lola T616, which was raced in the International Motorsport Association’s Camel GT Championship and in the Camel Lights (C2) category in 1984 and 1985. A turbocharged V6 prototype was also built, but was only used for testing purposes.

While the first Polimotor used glass-reinforced plastic, the Polimotor 2 also features carbon fibre. Both these engines use a patented material called Torlon. Earlier manufactured by Amoco Chemicals, the rights to produce and manufacture the material are now held by Solvay.

Source