Considered a British icon, the Merlin was one of the most successful aircraft engines of the World War II era, and many variants were built by Rolls-Royce in Derby, Crewe and Glasgow, as well as by Ford of Britain at their Trafford Park factory, near Manchester. Initially known as the PV-12, it was later called Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after birds of prey. The PV-12 first ran in 1933 and, after several modifications, the first production variants were built in 1936. The Merlin is a 12 cylinder, 60 V, 27 liter, liquid cooled piston aircraft engine capable of mustering 1700 horsepower. The first Merlin was built in 1936 by Rolls-Royce to fill the 700 and 1,500 hp gap in their aero engine line. Originally designed as the 1,100 hp PV-12 (PV for Private Venture), the first Merlin only saw a production run of 172 before the adoption of the Merlin II. But it is truly one of the great unappreciated feats of the Rolls Royce/Packard Partnership that the Merlin engine could be assembled by the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker and, not to be forgotten, scores of former housewives who became highly skilled workers in response to their country's call. The Packard V-1650 was a version of the Merlin built in the United States, and was the primary engine used in the North American P-51 Mustang. Production ceased in 1950 after almost 150,000 engines had been delivered, the later variants being used for airliners and military transport aircraft. Initially known as the PV-12, it was later called Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after birds of prey. The PV-12 first ran in 1933 and, after several modifications, the first production variants were built in 1936. The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27- litre (1,650 cu in) capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine as a private venture. Initially known as the PV-12, it was later called Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after birds of prey. The PV-12 first ran in 1933 and, after several modifications, the first production variants were built in 1936. The Rolls-Royce Merlin is in perfect working order. The museum was having an engine run on the date of photos, the Roll-Royce Merlin is out of a Spitfire, note not the one in the last photo that has a running Rolls-Royce Merlin in it and is in the Props Walkaround. To start with the Merlin was officially called the PV-12 but Rolls-Royce had a convention of naming their engines after a bird of prey and once the PV-12 received government funding for its development it became the Merlin. It was a major improvement on the Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine in terms of power. The Merlin was also used to upgrade the power of the previously underpowered P51 Mustang used by the USAAF. The Merlin engine was first run on October 15th 1933. It passed its type testing in July 1934 when on a test run it generated 790 hp and first took to the air in February 1935. The Rolls Royce and Packard built Merlin engine is universally acknowledged as one of the finest piston engines that has ever been manufactured.  Rolls Royce Merlin Engine. The Merlin engines were a series of 12 cylinder, 60° V, 27 liter, liquid cooled piston aircraft engines built during World War II by Rolls-Royce, and under license in the United States by Packard.  The Merlin engine was developed in England in 1936, and was used in the prototype Spitfire F39/34. In 1939, a Rolls-Royce Merlin MK II engine, producing 1,030 hp, was selected to power the first production Spitfire. In early 1941, Packard Motors was licensed to build Merlin engines. The first Mustangs were powered by the Allison V-1710 engine, but by 1943, the Mustang P51B & C, (RAF Mustang III) were powered by a V-1650-3 Packard Merlin engine producing 1,520 hp. In Canada, the Packard Merlins were designated Merlin 28 and 29. Later models of the Curtiss P-40 were also powered by Packard Merlins. Rolls Royce Merlin Engine. The Merlin engine was essential to Britain`s war effort, it not only powered the Spitfire, but also the Hurricane, Lancaster and Mosquito. The Spitfires in the Battle of Britain were fitted with the Merlin III of 1,030 horsepower. It was the introduction of a more powerful two-stage supercharger to the Merlin that produced the leap in performance of the Mark VIII and IX Spitfires. A supercharger is a gas compressor used to pump a fuel/air mixture, the charge, into the cylinders of an internal combustion engine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Merlin http://www.456fis.org/PACKARD_V-1650_MERLIN_ENGINE.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Merlin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Merlin http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/AWA1/501-600/walk514_MerlinEngine_Williamson/walk514.htm http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/battle-of-britain/rolls-royce-merlin-engine/ http://www.stallion51.com/p51-flight-ops/p51-merlin-engine.shtml http://www.fineartmodels.com/Rolls_Royce_Merlin_Engine.html http://www.aviation-history.com/engines/merlin.htm http://bluebird-electric.net/rolls_royce_merlin_engine.htm
what was the original colour of a merlin engine