Rolls-Royce Griffon
Rolls-Royce
- Configuration
- 60° liquid-cooled V12, 37 litres
- Power
- ~2,000 hp to over 2,400 hp
About
The Griffon was the Merlin’s bigger brother — a 37-litre V12 of the same family giving from about 2,000 to over 2,400 hp. First run in 1939, it reached service in the later marks of Spitfire, restoring the type’s performance edge as German fighters improved, and went on to power the Fairey Firefly and, after the war, the Avro Shackleton. Pilots had to relearn their takeoff trim, for the Griffon’s propeller turned the opposite way to the Merlin’s, swinging the aircraft right instead of left. Around 8,100 were built.
Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Lumsden, Alec — British Piston Aero-Engines and their Aircraft (Airlife, 2003) and Rolls-Royce Griffon — Wikipedia. The text is original and has been written from factual source material.