Finnish engine manufacturer Wärtsilä must be a fascinating place to visit. The company manufactures some of the most mind-bendingly enormous marine diesel engines in the world, like the record-breaking, 89-foot high, 44-foot long, 110,000 horsepower RTA96-C we wrote about more than 10 years ago. Now, Wärtsilä has another entry in the Guinness Book of Records ... for the world's most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine.
Designed for medium-sized ferries and cruise ships, or small to medium tankers and container ships, the new Wärtsilä 31 engine isn't nearly as huge as the mammoth RTA96-C. It stands a more modest 15.4 ft (4.7 m) tall in its highest configurations, and 28.8 ft (8.7 m) long in its longest. The cylinder bore is 12.2 inches (31 cm), and the stroke is 16.9 in (43 cm). In its largest V16 format, it makes up to 13,142 horsepower.
