Internal combustion engines having a split crankshaft are disclosed. The engines may also have non-circular, preferably rectangular, cross-section pistons and cylinders. The pistons may include a skirt with a field of pockets that provide a ringless, non-lubricated, seal equivalent. The pistons also may have a domed piston head with depressions thereon to facilitate the movement of air/charge in the cylinder. The engines also may use multi-stage poppet valves in lieu of conventional poppet valves. The engines may use the pumping motion of the engine piston to supercharge the cylinder with air/charge. The engines also may operate in an inverted orientation in which the piston is closer to the local gravitationally dominant terrestrial body's center of gravity at top dead center position than at bottom dead center position.

A car having: two front wheels; two rear wheels; an internal combustion engine, which is provided with a plurality of cylinders, where respective pistons slide on the inside, and with a crankshaft connected to the pistons; an engine compartment, where the internal combustion engine is arranged; and a bottom, which is the lowest part of the car and, in use, faces a road surface on which the car moves. The body has no openable hood allowing access to the engine compartment.

A car having: two front wheels; two rear drive wheels; an internal combustion engine which is provided with a plurality of cylinders inside which respective pistons slide and with a drive shaft connected to the pistons, and arranged longitudinally in a central or rear position; and a transmission system which connects the drive shaft of the internal combustion engine to the rear drive wheels. The internal combustion engine is oriented vertically with the drive shaft arranged higher than the cylinders.

A propulsion assembly for a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine comprising at least one movable member, a turbocharger comprising a turbine adapted to expand exhaust gases to generate work and a first compressor adapted to compress air by means of the work generated by the turbine, an intake line connecting an outlet of the first compressor to an intake manifold of said engine to supply compressed air from the first compressor to said engine, wherein the intake line comprises a second compressor, which in turn comprises a compressor shaft rotatable about a first axis and is configured to further compress the compressed air from the first compressor via a rotation of the compressor shaft. The propulsion assembly further comprises mechanical transmission means configured to couple the movable member to the compressor shaft, thereby determining a transmission of motion from the movable member to the compressor shaft.

Internal combustion engines having a split crankshaft are disclosed. The engines may also have non-circular, preferably rectangular, cross-section pistons and cylinders. The pistons may include a skirt with a field of pockets that provide a ringless, non-lubricated, seal equivalent. The pistons also may have a domed piston head with depressions thereon to facilitate the movement of air/charge in the cylinder. The engines also may use multi-stage poppet valves in lieu of conventional poppet valves. The engines may use the pumping motion of the engine piston to supercharge the cylinder with air/charge. The engines also may operate in an inverted orientation in which the piston is closer to the local gravitationally dominant terrestrial body's center of gravity at top dead center position than at bottom dead center position.

A propulsion assembly for a motor vehicle includes an internal combustion engine comprising at least one movable member according to an operating regime of said engine, and a turbocharger comprising a turbine adapted to expand exhaust gases of said engine by generating work and a compressor adapted to compress air by work generated by the turbine to supercharge said engine, the compressor comprising a compressor shaft coupled to the turbine in such a manner as to be driven into a rotation by the work generated by the turbine and being configured to compress air via the rotation of the compressor shaft, characterized by further comprising mechanical transmission means configured to couple the movable member to the compressor shaft, thereby establishing a transmission of motion between the movable member and the compressor shaft.

Car having: a first axle having two first drive wheels; a second axle having two second drive wheels; an internal combustion engine, which is provided with a plurality of cylinders, where respective pistons slide on the inside, and with a drive shaft connected to the pistons and oriented longitudinally; a transmission shaft, which is oriented longitudinally and is configured to transmit the motion from the internal combustion engine to the first wheels; a gearbox provided with at least one primary shaft, which receives the motion from the drive shaft, and with at least one secondary shaft; a first epicyclic differential, which receives the motion from the secondary shaft of the gearbox and transmits the motion to the first wheels through the transmission shaft and to the second wheels; and a second epicyclic differential, which is coaxial to the two second wheels, is interposed between the first epicyclic differential and the second wheels, receives the motion from the first epicyclic differential and transmits the motion to the second wheels. The two differentials are arranged coaxial to each other.

An internal combustion engine having: a plurality of cylinders, where respective pistons slide on the inside; a crank chamber arranged higher than the cylinders; a crankshaft, which is arranged in the crank chamber higher than the cylinders and is connected to the pistons; a lubricating system provided with an oil tank, with a lubricating pump, which draws from the oil tank, and with a series of lubricating devices, which receive oil from the lubricating pump and supply oil to moving components; and a control unit configured, when a command to turn off the internal combustion engine is received, to interrupt the supply of oil to the lubricating devices in advance with respect to the actual stopping of the rotation of the crankshaft.