The Avweb writer doesn’t know that Lycoming bought a VM Motori 205 HP diesel design in the 90s. I remember when VM were working on that and other aero engines of different sizes, a whole range as I remember, but they and Detroit Diesel (who I guess owned VM at that time) dropped the program. The engines were reputedly heavy.
Associated Trivia perhaps suitable for ‘Hangar Talk’: VM was once owned by the Italian Government, at the same time as Ducati Meccanica. The Government had in mind that Ducati could not compete well in the motorcycle market and that they would transition to working on diesels for VM. Subsequent private ownership went in a different direction!
