page_title: V-twin engine
section_title: Origins
hierarchical_section_title: V-twin engine / Origins
caption_attribution_description: English: Copy of drawing in US Patent Number 418112, issued to Gottlieb Daimler on 24 December 1889
context_page_description: A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
  Although widely associated with motorcycles, V-twin engines have also been used for industrial engines and in several small cars. The V-twin design dates back to the late 1880s.
context_section_description: One of the first V-twin engines was built by Gottlieb Daimler in 1889. It was used as a stationary engine, for boats and in the Daimler Stahlradwagen ("steel-wheeled car"), Daimler's second car. The engine was also manufactured under licence in France by Panhard et Levassor.
  An early V-twin engined motorcycle was produced in November 1902 by the Princeps AutoCar Company in the United Kingdom. The following year, V-twin motorcycles were produced by Eclipse Motor & Cycle Co in the United Kingdom (the XL-ALL model),, Glenn Curtiss in the United States, and NSU Motorenwerke in Germany. 
  
  Peugeot, which had used Panhard-built Daimler V-twins in its first cars, began producing its own V-twin engines in the early 20th century. This Peugeot engine powered a Norton motorcycle that won the first Isle of Man TT race in 1907.
caption: 1889 Daimler V-twin engine
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