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Antique Engine Database
Adams Co
Following more than six years of experimentation, the Adams Company finally began to market its 20-horsepower, 3-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine. The unit, designed by F.O. Farwell, was designed for automotive or aircraft use. Farwell protected his designs under a 1905 patent, followed by two more in 1906, at which time the company also began to market a 5-cylinder version of 40 to 45 horsepower. During this time, the company also introduced the Adams-Farwell cars, powered by rotary engines.
history
The Adams-Farwll cars engines were located just ahead on the rear axles, on a horizontal plane. The rapidly rotating blocks also served as both flywheel and fan, providing the engine with its own cooling. Adams-Farwell cars slowly faded from the marker, and by 1913, the firm ceased auto production. The rotary engine, incidentally, interested many automotive and aircraft engineers both in the U.S. and Europe up through World War I. In a rotary, the crankshaft remains on a fixed mounting, while the crankcase, cylinders, and positions – in fact, the whole engine – revolves around the crank. Heavy oil consumption and centrifugally related problems finally spelled an end to the idea.
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