The ABC Wasp was an experimental 170hp (127kW) seven-cylinder radial engine designed by the noted British engineer Granville Bradshaw, and primarily built by ABC Motors Limited. An order for twelve experimental ABC Wasp engines was placed with Guy Motors on 19 April 1918. Eight ABC Wasp engines were made by Crossley Motors Ltd of Manchester, England.

Design and development

The ABC Wasp was one of the first large non-rotary air-cooled radials. At a weight of 290 pounds (131kg), it had a reasonable power-to-weight ratio at 0.6 horsepower per pound. This World War I–era engine is noteworthy because it was one of the first in which the cylinders were coated with copper in an attempt to dissipate heat. The ABC Wasp never evolved beyond the experimental stage, but it was the predecessor of the unsuccessful Dragonfly engine.

Variants

1. Wasp I

2. 1918, 160hp (119 kW)

3. Wasp II

4. 1919, 200hp (149 kW)

Applications

1. Wasp I

2. Avro 504K

3. BAT Bantam

4. BAT Baboon

5. Sopwith Snail

6. Westland Wagtail

7. Wasp II

8. Avro 504K

9. BAT Bantam

10. Saunders Kittiwake

11. Sopwith Snail

12. Westland Wagtail

Specifications (Wasp I)

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .