Isotta Fraschini Gamma

The Isotta Fraschini Gamma was an air cooled aircraft engine developed by the Italian engineering company Isotta Fraschini in the 1930s. It was an inverted V12 rated at over 500 hp. Produced in small numbers for one-off aircraft, including the Ambrosini SAI.107 and Caproni Vizzola F.5 Gamma fighter trainer prototypes, it was developed into the more powerful and more numerous Delta.

Design and development
The Gamma was an air cooled inverted V engine with 12 cylinders arranged in two banks, each cylinder of bore 125 mm and stroke 130 mm. Isotta Fraschini produced the Gamma in small numbers during World War II at a rating of about 500 hp.

The engine formed the basis for a number of other aircraft engines produced by the company. The more powerful Delta was developed as a larger complement to the Gamma. While the Beta straight-six engine was essentially one half of the engine, the Zeta mated two Gamma engines to a common crankshaft to create an X24 engine. The larger engines shared with the Gamma a problem cooling the rearmost cylinders which impeded development.

In 1942, there was speculation in the UK about a powerful Italian engine called the Isotta Fraschini Gamma that produced 1700 hp at 2200 rpm for take-off and had a displacement of 55.562 L with a bore of 195 mm and stroke of 192.5 mm.

Variants

 * Gamma R.C.15: 540 hp at 1500 m
 * Gamma R.C.35: 515 hp at 3500 m

Applications

 * Ambrosini SAI.107
 * Caproni Vizzola F.5 Gamma
 * Savoia-Marchetti SM.86