Engine [Smitkin]
Maker and role
Continuous Cycle Engine Development Co. Limited, Manufacturer
Production date
Circa 1995
Object detail
Accession number
2006.424
Production period
Description
A 3 cylinder experimental 'Smitkin' engine in a black painted metal frame with two wheels at one end of stand. Missing some standard electronic components such as the coil. Object invented by Roger Smith and Graeme Jenkins (their last names combine to create the word 'Smitkin').
Brief History
The Smitkin engine was invented in Auckland by Roger Smith and Graeme Jenkins, stemming from an idea Roger Smith first worked on in the early 1990s. The Smitkin was described by its inventors as a continuous cycle engine. It was air-cooled, had few moving parts, and was light weight as it was built mostly of aluminium. Initial testing of the engine in the late 1990s prompted a lot of interest both in New Zealand and overseas, as it promised to be cheaper to build, with no running vibration, significantly better fuel consumption than conventional engines and an almost equally significant decrease in emissions.
The Chinese firm Sichuan Donghua Machinery Works were brought on board to bring the engine to production, however during testing overheating became a problem that the team could not solve and as a result the engine did not make it into final production.
The Chinese firm Sichuan Donghua Machinery Works were brought on board to bring the engine to production, however during testing overheating became a problem that the team could not solve and as a result the engine did not make it into final production.
Media/Materials
Collection
Credit Line
Continuous Cycle Engine Development Co. Limited. Circa 1995. Engine [Smitkin], 2006.424. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
![Cutaway Model Engine [Smitkin 3]; Continuous Cycle Engine Development Co. Limited; 1990s](https://collection.motat.nz/records/images/medium/20175/56a25e6168cfd1fd855ed2a5f0e11a4b8b8426b0.jpg)
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