After everyone saw the patent drawing of the Ducati Elenore V8 built by Dieter Hartmann-Wirthwein, there was a lot of head scratching going on as everyone tried to visualize the engine internals in motion. I asked Dieter if he had any more images from other perspectives so he uploaded a few and, even better, the video he used at his display at Intermot. Seeing everything in motion answers a lot of questions and makes the design work look even more impressive.

Dieter also corrected one statement in the original article about the crankshaft, it’s not the original, but is a new unit machined with a 44mm hub and offset laterally so the cylinder bank is centered in the frame. He sent the above photo to show us his work. He also said the crankshaft he used in the 125cc inline 4 monkey bike was the original.

Dieter says the engine isn’t running yet, he still has quite a few pieces to complete. He is aiming for 60KW or about 80 horsepower. As I’ve already said, I am really looking forward to seeing this beautiful little V8 complete and running. Great work, Dieter!

Link: Wirthwein Motoren

Be sure to check out the video below:

UPDATE: As noted above, the 125cc Monkey bike uses the original crankshaft. Dieter confirms that the Monkey inline 4 uses the same piston and rod arrangement as the Ducati V8 project. If you’re not sure it will work, watch the video below: