Now this is Rolls Royce Olympus porn...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BAC-TSR2-RAF-Aircraft-Olympus-320-Jet-Engine-TSR-2-/130419227778?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3OFFERS Now being taken on this:
Monumental Piece of Aviation Heritage!
Bristol Siddeley Olympus 22R Mk.320 Jet Engine
Serial Number 1 !!
This Engine is ‘THE’ Prototype engine for the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC)
TSR-2 Aircraft
For anyone with knowledge of British Aviation History or the TSR2 story this item will need no description or explanation. The mere words ‘Olympus 320’ or ‘TSR2’ make this the item the stuff of legend's. This engine representing the pinnacle of the British Aviation Industry and the
Bristol Siddeley / BAC quest to build the:
Tactical Strike and Reconnaissance, Mach 2 Aircraft (TSR-2)
A few facts to consider:
-This is engine number ONE !
-This example is the only privately owned Olympus 320 engine in the world. Other later examples are preserved in large accredited / registered charity museums in the UK but they are unlikely to ever go on sale.
-There are no known TSR2 Olympus 320 engines outside the UK.
The TSR2 program was the BAC and Royal Air Force venture to build the ultimate MACH 2 Tactical strike and Recognisance aircraft. The aircraft design and development was way ahead of its time and was considered to be the most advanced and capable military aircraft of it time prior to the cancellation of the project on the 6th April 1965. The newly elected labour government of the day deemed the project to be too expensive with projected costs of £1700 Million over 15 years and cancelled the project with immediate effect.Only one prototype aircraft had got to the test flight stage when all aircraft, engines, blueprints and tooling were ordered destroyed to prevent this state of the art technology getting into enemy hands. Miraculously two completed but un-flown aircraft survived and are now preserved with one example in the RAF museum at Cosford and the other at the Duxford imperial war museum. The fact that this, the prototype engine also survived having been sold off for scrap is somewhat of a miracle!
This engine was found tucked away on a farm in Southern England and is quite possibly the aviation Barn Find of the decade. It was originally bought for scrap but it’s owner had the foresight to keep and preserve it for generations to come. The engine has just undergone an 18 month restoration and is now ready to display as the ultimate museum exhibit Jet Engine.
The engine is still in its original engine jig. A converted RAF bomb trolley has been used to sit the engine and jig on to allow the engine to be moved and displayed.
The restoration involved around 1000 hours of preservation work. The Bulk of the engine is made from high grade metals: Nickel, stainless steel and titanium which have been incredibly resistant to corrosion. The stunning mirror polished front compressor fan designed to withstand sustained MACH 2 air flow looks as good today as it did when it left the factory. The engine also spins smoothly and freely as it did the day it was built.
As the engine has sat outside at some point over the last 45 years there was some corrosion to the top section of the magnesium case assembly. The top section of case was removed during the restoration with all traces of corrosion removed, treated and then repainted. Some pitting marks remain on this section of the engine as can be seen around the picture showing the data plate. When the top case of the engine was removed it allowed access for inspection into the core which proved to be in remarkably good order considering it has spent time outside. A picture with the top compressor housing removed has been added to the gallery.
Data Plate Reads:
Bristol Siddeley Olympus
Mk: OL320
SERIAL: OL2201 (Olympus type 22 number 01)
AM Number: A666160
Some history for this engine has been kindly supplied by Damien Burke of the Thunder and Lightnings website. Damien managed to gain access to the
Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited Final report on Olympus 22 development Program.
A brief history for this engine is below:
First Run March 1961
Catastrophic failure 1/9/62 after 73 hours and 38 mins as HP thrust bearing overloaded.
Further catastrophic failure 21/3/63 after 47 hours and 1 min (since rebuild), fatigue fracture of G.64 first stage turbine rotor blade.
As of August 1964 had been rebuilt once more and was being used to investigate LP shaft excitation.
At TSR2 project cancellation had been rebuilt again and was ready to run, possibly to be used in anti-icing correlation programme.
We appreciate the asking price for this item is considerable and as such any parties interested in acquiring this piece are asked to contact us to negotiate a sale. Any serious offers will be considered. This engine is irreplaceable and unique. After careful consideration and discussions with insurance companies and aviation experts Valuation has been based on what a museum spec Concorde Olympus 593 engine (of which there are 200+ in circulation and on display around the world) is worth in today’s market. One example is currently for sale with a price tag of £1.35 Million is being marketed as the ultimate piece of Concorde memorabilia. This 320 engine is rarer than any Concorde engine! The development of the Olympus 320 engine led to many advances in jet engine technology and formed the basis for the Concorde Olympus 593 engine program which started in 1964. There will only ever be one Olympus 320 engine for sale, this one, serial number 1 which makes our price tag seem fairly accurate for what has to be one of the rarest and most historically important privately owned jet engine in the world.