Orbital S2S
Car Review by Paul Negyesi
In March, at the Melbourne Autoshow in Australia a new 2-seater with a
2-stroke engine broke cover. It's the product of the
Australian Orbital Engine Co. They're the world's biggest manufacturer of
two-stroke engines. These are used in motorbikes, marines and across
various markets such as lawn and garden.
The S2S is powered by a 3-cylinder 1.2-liter engine, capable of 57
kW (80 bhp) at 5800 rpm. These units also have been built into special Ford
Festivas which are used by the Australian government fleet.
The estimated fuel-consumption is the key to the S2S: 4.72 litres per 100
kilomtres. It is claimed that the emission capabilities are some 10 times
better than the current Australian standards.
Porsche condducted a 600 hour mechanical durability test. The result:
the engine's power was 97 % of initial levels.
There are other variants of the 2-stroke powerplants from 2-cylinder 0.8
liter to 6-cylinder 2-liter models. But at the moment only the 3-cylinder
is used in cars.
