Napier Nomad / Naiad (????)
Talking about Rover gas turbines on another thread reminded me of a half scale cutaway model we had in the Thermodynamics lab at uni.
It was a 12 cylinder horizontally opposed 2 stroke diesel engine coupled via a gearbox to a gas turbine. The gearbox then drove a propellor. The idea behind it all was that for short low altitude hops the diesel part was used and for longer high altitude flight the gas turbine, thus exploiting the best power/fuel consumption characteristics of each kind of propulsion. As I recall (dodgy ground here) the actual result was a beautifully designed engine that was too big and heavy to be practical. As you can see from the heading, I know it was a Napier design, indeed it was probably the most complex engine designed which was an achievement from the company that created the Sabre with its' 24 cylinders in an H formation. I am unsure of the name of the engine, if it wasn't Nomad does Naiad sound familiar to anyone?
Finally, did this monster motor ever get as far as flight trials? If it did what did they fit it to (probably a Lanc or a Lincoln I would imagine)?