Hirth HM 512


The Hirth HM 512 was a 12-cylinder development of the earlier, 6-cylinder HM 506, produced in the late 1930s. Both were supercharged, inverted V, air-cooled engines.

Design and development

The HM 512 shared the same bore and stroke and 6:1 compression ratio with the rest of the HM500 series air-cooled engines. Other shared features were Hirth's use of roller bearings in the crankshaft and at both ends of connecting rods. The crankshaft was of typical Hirth multipart design, the 12-cylinders requiring 7 roller bearings. Like the HM 508, the drive was geared down by 1:1.5.

Variants

;HM 512A:Initial version; take off power 400 hp, continuous 360 hp
;HM 512B:Take off power 450 hp, continuous 360 hp

Applications