FPW Model 48P801 BMW 801

The BMW 801 was a German WWII aero engine produced by Bayerische Motor Werke AG (BMW for short). It was first launched in 1939. The engine - in the 801 C version - weighed 1,012 kilograms with a displacement of 41.8 liters. It was one of the most important and produced German aircraft engines during the Second World War. It is estimated that over 28,000 copies of this power unit were manufactured.

The BMW 801 was an air-cooled, double-star 14-cylinder engine. The BMW 801 was developed using many experiences from the production of the BMW 132 engine and some design solutions. At the same time, however, the new engine clearly differed from its predecessor - primarily it used a double star system, and not a single one, it had a completely new block, the construction of cylinders and valves was changed, and direct fuel injection was used. Finally, a relatively compact drive unit was created, characterized by a very good power-weight relationship. It is worth adding that it was one of the most powerful German piston engines produced during World War II in the Third Reich! In the course of this armed conflict, the engine was constantly improved and in subsequent versions it achieved greater and greater maximum powers, for example: the BMW 801 A achieved 1560 hp, the later model (801 D-2) already 1700 hp, and in the version of the BMW 801 E it reached the maximum power of 1973 KM. The engine was used as a power unit for such German military aircraft as the Dornier Do 217, Junkers Ju 88 or Ju 188, and especially the Focke-Wulf Fw-190.