Rolls-Royce Merlin alternative uses Rolls-Royce Merlin alternative uses The Rolls-Royce Merlin, although designed as an aero engine, was used in other applications both on land and at sea. A derivative called the Meteor was developed for use in tanks. Michael Wilcock of Sussex, England, built the "Swandean Spitfire Special", using a Merlin XXV engine acquired from a scrap yard for one hundred and forty pounds. The engine was installed in a home-brewed chassis confected from two Daimler Dingo scout car chassis. The car was run in the Brighton Speed Trials in 1953, and was sold to James Duffy of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1956.
Rolls-Royce Trent April 1996. Initially Rolls-Royce had difficulty selling the engine; British Airways, traditionally a Rolls-Royce customer, submitted a large order for the competing General Electric GE90 engine. The breakthrough came when it won orders from Singapore Airlines, a staunch Pratt & Whitney customer, for its 34 Boeing 777s. The Trent 800 has a 41% share of the engine market on the 777 variants for which it is available. In 1998 Boeing proposed new longer range variants of the 777. Taking advantage of the Trent 800's growth capability, Rolls-Royce designed and built an improved engine designated "Trent 8104", which was later scaled