Engine swaps come in all sizes and flavors, but a 27-liter Rolls-Royce V-12 engine from a WWII tank is not often the first idea that comes to mind. Daniel Werner, the mind behind the Meteor Interceptor, thought that this particular “Meteor” V-12 tank engine would be the perfect candidate for his first engine swap.
Go big or go home, right? Well, what better chassis to put this monstrous V-12 engine in than the ol’ reliable Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor? Yes, an ex-California cop’s sedan is the stuff of dreams when you live in Sweden, the curse of watching one too many Hollywood movies. Yet, just like a blockbuster film, Werner kept the fantasy and wonder of his project alive with the idea that a simple car-based engine wasn’t going to cut it. Let’s dive into the details of how Werner and his team managed the most expensive and crazy engine swap we have ever seen in a production car (so far).
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including themeteorinterceptor.com.
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2,500 Horsepower Or Bust
Daniel Werner describes his journey with the Meteor Interceptor as “the dream to put a very large engine into a car”. If he accomplished anything with this project, it was that. With a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and a mission for greatness, Werner had his sights set on accomplishing something no one else had ever done. Better yet, something no one else had ever even attempted or even thought of.
A lot of adult males have a fascination with WWII history, and Werner was no different. Originally, he wanted his Crown Victoria to be powered by a WWII plane engine, ideally one that had been found in single-seat fighter aircraft or single-engine light bombers. Sadly, a V-12 aircraft engine doesn’t fit in a Crown Victoria, no matter how creative your engineering solutions may be. Thus, he settled for the next best thing: a V-12 tank engine built by Rolls-Royce at the peak of the war in the 1940s.
The Origins Of The 27-liter Meteor V-12 Engine
The 27-liter Rolls-Royce Meteor V-12 tank engine was a de-rated version of the 27-liter Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 aircraft engine developed during WWII. The Meteor V-12 was utilized in British tanks until 1964, and the Merlin V-12 saw a production of over 150,000 engines by 1950.
The Meteor V-12 is considered the most important engine in British tank development, as before it, most power units were considered both underpowered and unreliable. The Meteor was capable of 550 horsepower in its intended Cromwell tank configuration, which gave the tank an unprecedented speed of over 50 mph. The Cromwell’s powerplant exceeded speed expectations so much that its rapid pace allowed for the use of increased armor. With this excellent speed and durability, the Cromwell tank was a formidable opponent on the battlefield that had a huge impact on the success of the British war effort.
Adding Twin-Turbos To A V-12 Tank Engine
Now, imagine what happens when you take this very stout V-12 tank engine and add twin BorgWarner S500SX turbos. Remember that Werner wanted an aircraft engine to fit originally, but physics couldn’t make that work? Well, if you can’t have an aircraft engine, you have to at least make more power than the original aircraft engine did.
The Merlin V-12, the engine the Meteor V-12 was based on, made over 2,000 horsepower in its most tuned variant with the help of a massive supercharger. Werner’s only question about that was… why stop there? There is juice still left in this 27-liter lemon. Thus, Werner’s team established a power goal of 2,500 horsepower with their twin-turbo version. Yet, were they able to achieve this lofty goal? Well, we don’t know yet. Let us explain.
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Getting A Six-Year Project In The Making Running
Daniel Werner and his crew have been trying to turn this dream of making the Meteor Interceptor a reality since 2019. Their first video added to their YouTube channel back in 2019 was the first startup of the Meteor V-12 engine before it was placed into the donor Crown Victoria. It would take them another two years before they managed to get the engine to start in the chassis of the ex-cop car, and almost another year before they had a first test of the complete drivetrain.
Attempting To Dyno A TT V-12 Tank Engine
Remember that 2,500 horsepower goal? Well, in August 2022, the team finally managed to get the Meteor Interception out to a dyno day. Little did the silly Swedes realize that their boosted V-12 tank engine well-exceeded the capabilities of the dyno testing facility they had access to. Despite this, they were determined to try to get a readout of the power of this very large and very powerful engine. There was only one problem with their idea.
If you want a clean reading on a dyno, you need grip. Any loss of traction means you won’t get a clean chart. The Swedes knew this, so they decided they would utilize a hub dyno, which you connect the drive wheels directly via the hub (no wheel/tire), as opposed to a standard dyno, which utilizes rollers (with wheel/tire). A hub dyno will always be more accurate than a roller dyno because it eliminates many undesirable factors, like wheel speed, when conducting a run. However, the Meteor Interceptor’s sheer torque output was well beyond what this hub dyno could handle.
How Gearing And Wheel Speed Affect a Dyno Run
Standard dyno runs are traditionally conducted in third gear, as third is often as close to a 1:1 gear ratio as possible, sometimes fourth, depending on the application. Because the Meteor Interceptor utilizes a custom “drag-racing prepped” TH400 transmission, they are limited to only three gears, which presents a tricky situation when on the dyno.
They can’t run it in second gear because the torque is too high, but they can’t run it in third gear because the wheel speed is too fast. If the power levels are anywhere near their estimates, 2,000+ horsepower in third gear with a three-speed transmission would mean over 200+ mph on the hubs during the run. That’s not happening. Werner’s solution? “I have to get a bigger dyno.”
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Driving And Drifting Around A TT V-12 Tank Engine
On the Meteor Interceptor’s maiden voyage in September 2022, the first time they tried to give it some throttle and shift the transmission, the u-joint that connects the driveshaft and the differential instantly sheared, ending their first drive prematurely. After inspection, the team noticed the bolts may not have been tightened to spec. Well, about 1,000-3,000 pound-feet of torque will happily let you know which bolts are loose or not, the hard way.
The Meteor Interceptor’s First Real Drive
It was not until May 2024 that Daniel Werner and the Swedish team managed to get the Meteor Interceptor out for its first run since the 2022 driveshaft fiasco. Sometimes winters in Sweden last, well, forever. Despite the eternal cold, the team got their tank engine-powered Crown Victoria out for some good pulls on a sunny day. There have been lingering complexities surrounding the transmission, and most of their session was spent troubleshooting.
Drifting A TT V-12 Tank Engine
Yet, since September 2024, progress has been moving fast. At their next testing session with the Meteor Interceptor, they finally decided: “let’s try and slide this thing (intentionally).” Considering they don’t have traction in any gear or at any speed, the most reasonable thing to do in that situation is to toss the wheel sideways and let the tires burn. The Meteor Interceptor is not set up for drifting, but infinite torque from a boosted 27-liter V-12 engine seems to do the trick.
Although the power levels of this monster of a V-12 are still unknown, it is clear that it can roast the tires at full slide effortlessly at 1,500 RPM. Even 2,000 RPM is not required to break traction, but the RPM band moves so freely, there is no reason not to explore the potential further. There hasn’t been an update to the project since their last video in September 2024, but just a week ago, they posted on Instagram that snow is melting, and the Meteor Interceptor will be on track soon with updated transmission internals. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this project once the team can figure out how to get some traction!
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