Antoinette 8V
| 8V | |
|---|---|
| Antoinette 8V exhibited at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza, Milan | |
| Type | V8 aero engine |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Antoinette |
| Designer | |
| First run | end of 1902 |
The Antoinette 8V was an early French eight-cylinder, liquid-cooled, V engine, the first series production gasoline-fueled manifold injection engine with spark plug ignition of any kind. It was typically rated at 37 kW (50 hp).
The engine was designed in 1902 by Léon Levavasseur with financial backing by Jules Gastambide, named after Gastambide's daughter. On 28 August 1902, Levavasseur applied for a secret patent which became public on 28 August 1903 and was granted French patent no 399,068 on 30 September 1904.
From 1904 through 1906, Levavasseur’s engines powered a number of motorboats that achieved various distance speed records. They were built as V16 or V24, too.
The V8 was used on a number of early French aircraft, including Alberto Santos Dumont's 14 Bis of 1906 and the Antoinette company's own Antoinette VII.