Internal combustion engine having common engine parts and method of forming same

An internal combustion engine having a horizontally opposed cylinder arrangement, the engine including:

• a first cylinder bank having a cylinder head, a cylinder block and a camshaft;
• and
• a second cylinder bank having a cylinder head, a cylinder block and a camshaft;
• wherein a drive for the camshaft of the first cylinder bank is provided at an opposite end of the engine to a drive for a camshaft of the second cylinder bank, allowing for the cylinder heads and cylinder blocks of the first and second cylinder banks to be respectively interchangeable,
• wherein the engine further includes:
• a first mounting plate provided at a first end of the engine and configured to couple a transmission to the first end of the engine, and
• a second mounting plate provided at a second end of the engine and configured to couple a generator or electric motor to the second end of the engine, and
• wherein the first and second mounting plates are interchangeable so as to provide an ability to mount a transmission, electric motor or generator to either end of the engine.

An internal combustion engine having a horizontally opposed cylinder arrangement, the engine including:

• a first cylinder bank having a first cylinder head casting, a first cylinder block casting, and a camshaft;
• a second cylinder bank having a second cylinder head casting, a second cylinder block casting, and a camshaft;
• a first mounting plate fitted at a first end of the engine and to couple with a transmission, and
• a second mounting plate fitted at a second end of the engine and configured to couple with a generator or electric motor to;
• wherein the engine has engine part commonality from both the first cylinder bank to the second cylinder bank and from a front end of the engine to a rear end of the engine in that:
• (i) the first and second cylinder head castings are common castings, (ii) the first and second cylinder block castings are common castings, (iii) the first and second mounting plates are common parts, such that they are respectively interchangeable, and (iv) drives of the respective camshafts of the cylinder banks are provided at opposite ends of the engine.