General Motors' 1956 XP-500 concept car was powered by a two-cylinder, four-piston free-piston engine and exemplified mid‑century experiments with alternative internal-combustion designs.
The free-piston design, invented in 1922 by Argentinian engineer Raúl Pateras Pescara de Castelluccio, omits a crankshaft and conrods so pistons move under gas and load forces; proponents highlighted fewer moving parts and broad fuel compatibility. Some reports said GM's unit could run on nearly any fuel, including whale oil.
In the 1950s gas turbines and Wankel rotaries also attracted automaker interest, and both General Motors and Ford conducted experiments with nontraditional engines; GM's XP-500 remained a demonstration vehicle and the free-piston concept did not enter mainstream production. The XP-500 remains a little-known example of postwar engine experimentation.
This report is based on information originally published by The Autopian.
Read the full article at The Autopian.
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