A V engine is a common
configuration for an
internal combustion engine. The
pistons are aligned so that they appear to be in a V when viewed along the axis of the
crankshaft. The V configuration reduces the overall engine length and weight compared to an equivalent
straight engine.In
1896,
Karl Benz patented his design for the first internal combustion engine with horizontally opposed pistons. Usually, each pair of corresponding pistons from each bank of cylinders share one
crank pin on the crankshaft, either by master/slave rods or by two ordinary rods side by side. Some authorities even regard this as a distinguishing feature of a true V engine, and for example divide
flat engines into
boxer engines which do not share crank pins in this way, and 180° engines which do. On the other hand, some important
V-twin engine designs have two-pin cranks. However, in German, these engines are all identified as boxermotors.
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