This 1/4 scale “OFFY” 270 engine with fuel injection was designed and built by Ron Bement, of Colorado, in 2004. The Offy engines were originally sold for marine use until 1930 when one was installed in a race car and set a new world’s speed record of 145 mph. Overnight they became popular in racing circuits and were commonly used in midgets and sprint cars into the 1960s; they were available with carburetion or Hillborn fuel injection. Highly modified versions of these compact 4-cylinder DOHC engines could produce as much as 3 HP per cubic inch.
Ron experimented with several combinations of carburetion before finally developing his own fuel injection system. His model burns gasoline on spark ignition, sports a pressurized fuel system, dry sump lubrication, an aluminum radiator, and his signature-trademark “MOON” accelerator pedal. On the stand it measures 13″-wide, 12.5″-high, 20.5″-long and weighs 25 pounds. Ron noted that it took 3,500 hours to complete. Watch a video of Ron running the engine below.
