Last year we reported the “1/2 O-200” Pegasus engine’s technical details. The news at the Alternative Engine Conference this year is the highly-anticipated Pegasus Power DP-1 engine should soon hit the market.
How soon? The engine should first take to the skies by the end of October and go on sale at Sebring January 2016.
The Pegasus O-100 is designed to replace the 2-stroke Rotax 503 and 582 engines, plus fit wherever a 58 hp, direct-drive 4-stroke makes sense.
Designer Pete Plumb has developed the engine by making one half of an O-200 Continental. The critical part is the all-new 2-cylinder crankcase. In essence Plumb needed to cut his theoretical O-200 in mid-case so he could retain the large front main bearing and the accessory section at the rear, and the only way to do that is to make a new case. But most of the rest of the engine is stock Continental architecture or even parts, including the cylinders, valve train and the accessory section.
There are upgrades involved. The connecting rods are much lighter yet stronger Carrillo H-beam units, along with a Chevy piston pin and a unique, lightweight 9:1 piston. All this saves reciprocating and overall engine weight for better performance and easing loads on the crankshaft—which is obviously a custom part. The elevated compression ratio is to most effectively burn 100LL gasoline.
One item not yet replaced is the camshaft. Plumb says a stock Continental O-200 camshaft must be amputated for length, but he’s checking on seeing if a dedicated new cam is cost effective.
At any rate, the plan is customers purchase a parts kit from Pegasus, then raid a donor O-200, likely with fitting new Continental cylinders, cam and lifters in most people’s thinking. You could assemble your own engine or engine shops could easily assemble O-100’s by combining a Pegasus parts kit with their stash of used/new parts and have then ready to go.
Kit pricing is $3,995 (case, crankshaft, rods, pistons, intake manifold) with the first 100 kits being offered at $3,495. The contents of the first 100 engine kits have been ordered by Pegasus and the first 25 kits spoken for reports Plumb. He also figures a complete engine should top out at $10,000, and for much less than that depending on your scrounging talents and used parts tolerance.
