Mitsubishi_KE_engine
Mitsubishi KE engine
Reciprocating internal combustion engine
The Mitsubishi KE engine is a range of engines produced by Mitsubishi Motors during the 1960s and early 1970s. They were extensively used in the various Colt-branded vehicles the company produced from 1963.
The engines were overhead valve iron-blocks, for gasoline and diesel use. The first digit after the KE denotes the number of cylinders, straight-4s becoming KE4 and six-cylinder versions such as the single overhead camshaft 2.0 L straight-6 which was developed in 1964 for the new Mitsubishi Debonair flagship sedan, receiving the KE6 prefix. The last digit is simply a serial, denoting which number engine it is. Some of these engines, such as the two-liter KE42, were further developed into overhead-cam engines and were named Astron.
As a large scale manufacturer, Mitsubishi had a wealth of experience building engines, both gasoline and diesel, in V and straight engine block configurations during the war. One of their many examples was the air-cooled A6120VDe air-cooled inline 6-cylinder 14.4 L diesel and the SA12200VD air-cooled V-12 diesel (21.7 litres).