R6 engine - which cars were equipped with an in-line six-cylinder unit?

The R6 engine has been and is used in automobiles, trucks, industrial vehicles, ships, aircraft and motorcycles. It is used by almost all major car companies such as BMW, Yamaha and Honda. What else is worth knowing about it?

Construction characteristics

The design of the R6 engine is not complicated. This is an internal combustion engine with six cylinders that are mounted in a straight line - along the crankcase, where all the pistons are driven by a common crankshaft.

In the R6, the cylinders can be positioned at almost any angle. When installed vertically, the engine is called V6. The construction of an ordinary manifold is one of the simplest systems. It has the characteristics of having primary and secondary mechanical balance of the motor. For this reason, it does not create perceptible vibrations, as, for example, in units with a smaller number of cylinders.

Characteristics of the R6 in-line engine

Although no balance shaft is used in this case, the R6 engine is mechanically very well balanced. This is due to the fact that an optimal balance has been achieved between the three cylinders located in front and behind. The pistons move in mirror pairs 1:6, 2:5 and 3:4, so there is no polar oscillation.

The use of a six-cylinder engine in automobiles

The first R6 engine was produced by the Spyker workshop in 1903. In subsequent years, the group of manufacturers has expanded significantly, i.e. about Ford. A few decades later, in 1950, the V6 variant was created. In the beginning, the inline 6 engine still enjoyed a lot of interest, mainly due to its better performance culture, but later, with the improvement in the V6 engine layout, it was phased out. 

Currently, the R6 engine is used in BMW cars with six-cylinder engines in a row - in front-engine and rear-wheel drive ranges. Volvo is also a brand that still uses it. The Scandinavian manufacturer has developed a compact six-cylinder unit and gearbox that are mounted transversely on large vehicles. The inline-six was also used in the 2016 Ford Falcon as well as TVR vehicles prior to their discontinuation. It's also worth mentioning that Mercedes Benz has expanded its R6 engine range by announcing a return to this variety.

R6 use in motorcycles

The R6 engine was often used by Honda. A simple six-cylinder design was the 3 year 164cc 249RC3 with a 1964mm bore and 39mm stroke. As for slightly newer motorcycles, the in-line but four-cylinder version was also used in the two-wheeled Yamaha YZF motorcycles.

BMW also developed its own R6 block. The inline six for motorcycles was used in the K1600GT and K1600GTL models released in 2011. Unit with a volume of 1649 cubic meters. cm was mounted transversely in the chassis.

Application in trucks

R6 is also used in other areas of the automotive industry - trucks. This applies to medium and large vehicles. The manufacturer that still uses this device is Ram Trucks. He installs them in heavy pickup trucks and chassis cabs. Among the most powerful inline-sixes is the Cummins 6,7-liter unit, which is very good for towing heavy loads over long distances.

The R6 engine is set in the era of automotive types. It has gained popularity due to its special properties in terms of smooth operation, which is reflected in the culture of driving.

A photo. main: Kether83 via Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5