What happened to the 3000 Horsepower Bristol Centaurus?

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Having since become a legend in the air racing scene, few engines, save for perhaps the Napier Sabre, have shown so much promise, and likewise, have been shrouded in mystery like the Bristol Centaurus.
When you do a little digging around the internet, you’re left with more questions than answers. Where is all the information on this engine? Where are the books?
After lots of effort, I finally found enough information on the mighty Centaurus to make an entire video…
Developed as Bristol’s hyper engine that would power the next class of 2000+ horsepower fighters, the Bristol Centaurus was an 18-cylinder sleeve valve engine that would ultimately provide over 3000 horsepower in a 3270 cubic inch (57 liters) package but likely could have provided much, much more. However, despite this prodigious power, it wasn’t really fit into any aircraft until after WWII.
So… what happened? Why were only 2800 Centauruses built? And what could have Bristol done differently to get their horse in the race in time? In today’s video, we’ll be revealing the mysteries behind the Centaurus.
00:00 - Start
01:36 - SPONSORSHIP
03:57 - DEVELOPMENT
13:10 - DESIGN AND APPLICATIONS
15:21 - CONCLUSION