20,000 rpms

Current F1 engines are 3.0 liter V10s. The FIA governing body has decided to move to 2.4 liter V8s or rev-limited V10s in 2006. They site cost-cutting and safety as the rationale, but I’m not thrilled about the change — I worry about the change in engine note.

Cosworth, the ex-Ford engine manufacturer has a little mpeg up on their site of the early version of the new F1 engine revving up to 20,002 rpms. The sound is incredible. You think that it would surely shatter itself in a million pieces at 16,000 by the sound. 20,000 is amazing to hear. I have been told that F1 engines spin so fast that a traditional tachometers don’t work, so it is all based on harmonics.

Direct link to MPEG 2.2mb

[via Pitpass]

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