(first run in 1939)

The Rolls Royce Griffon V-12 piston engine was a modernized version of the famous Rolls Royce Merlin engine. Merlins powered early model Spitfires and Griffons powered the later versions. The Griffon was the last piston engine made by Rolls Royce.

Rolls Royce began work on the Griffon engine in 1938 to create a larger version of the Merlin which gave good power, was reliable and easy to service. Work on the Griffon was temporarily halted early in World War 2 so Rolls Royce could concentrate on Merlin production.

Due to improved design features the Griffon’s capacity was 36 per cent greater than the Merlin but it was only slightly larger. Early Griffons generated 1,290 kW (1,730 hp ) and the final version up to 1,805kW (2,420 hp).

Rolls Royce produced its final Griffon engine in 1955 but they remained in military service powering Avro Shackleton patrol aircraft until 1991. Some Griffons have also been used in racing aircraft, such as World War 2 Mustangs, to create very fast aircraft.

During World War 2 the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Melbourne designed the high performance CA-15 fighter around a Griffon engine. However the engine did not become available until after the war. Fitted with that engine the CA-15 achieved a maximum speed of 803 km/h (502.2 mph) in May 1948. By then, however, jet engines were the way of the future.