The Sunbeam Nubian, also called the Sunbeam 155 hp, was a British 8-cylinder aero-engine that was first run in 1916.

Design and development

In March 1916 Louis Coatalen, the chief designer at Sunbeam, responded to the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

's request for more powerful engines by designing the V-8 Nubian. The Nubian featured the twin overhead camshafts and four valves of his prewar engines for Grand Prix and TT racing cars. With a bore of and stroke of the Nubian displaced and was rated at with a reduction gear ratio of 0.615:1. The original engine was built with a 60 degree angle between cylinder banks but severe vibration problems forced Coatalen to redesign it with a 90 degree angle, emerging as the Nubian II. Intended to power the

Supermarine AD Flying Boat The AD Flying Boat was designed by the British Admiralty's Air Department to serve as a patrol aircraft that could operate in conjunction with Royal Navy warships. Intended for use during the First World War, production of the aircraft was t ...

the teething troubles of the Nubian forced Supermarine to use a Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine instead. Deliveries of the Nubian II began in October 1917, by which time the Nubian was overshadowed by the more powerful V-8s from Hispano-Suiza and the

Sunbeam Arab The Sunbeam Arab was a British First World War era aero engine. Design and development By 1916 the demand for aero-engines was placing huge demands on manufacturing. To help ease the pressure the War Office standardised on engines of about ; ...

. The only aircraft known to have been powered by a Nubian was the

Saunders T.1 The Saunders T.1 was the first aircraft built by the Saunders Company, a two-seat single-engined biplane with unusual monocoque fuselage construction. Only one was built. Development Before World War I, the Cowes-based firm of S.E. Saunders ...

, but some of the 36 engines built, of 50 ordered, are believed to have been supplied to the

Imperial Russian Air Service The Imperial Russian Air Service (russian: Императорскій военно-воздушный флотъ, , Emperor's Military Air Fleet) was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia."''12 августа 1912 года прик� ...

. The Nubian suffered from a poor design decision at first and was overtaken by events which prevented widespread use, but its cousin, the V-12

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and its family members found greater success.

Variants

;Sunbeam Nubian :The initial V-8 engine with 60 degree V and rated at . ;Sunbeam Nubian II :Redesigned with 90 degree cylinder angle to alleviate severe vibration problems, the Nubian II was late in delivery and was not widely used.

Applications

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- handed left and right

Specifications (Nubian II)

References

Bibliography

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

External links

Sunbeam Overhead Cam Engines
{{Sunbeam aeroengines

Nubian Nubian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Nubia, a region along the Nile river in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan. *Nubian people *Nubian languages *Anglo-Nubian goat, a breed of goat * Nubian ibex * , several ships of the Britis ...

1910s aircraft piston engines