Briggs & Stratton® Commercial Power Shows First Production Model of the Vanguard™ 3/LC EFI Engine at GIE/EXPO 2007

Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) offers numerous efficiency, drivability and service benefits.

October 25, 2007 – Milwaukee, WI - Briggs & Stratton® Commercial Power has announced that its first engine equipped with Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) is now in full production, and that the 2007 GIE/EXPO will be the first opportunity for the landscape industry to see the production version of the engine, which was shown in prototype form just one year ago at the Louisville EXPO.

The new gasoline-powered EFI model is an extension of the company’s Vanguard™ 3/LC three-cylinder, liquid-cooled commercial engine line. Developed in conjunction with Daihatsu, a member of the Toyota Group, the Vanguard 3/LC EFI engine is capable of delivering increased fuel economy – up to 30-percent fuel savings, depending on duty cycle – with increased responsiveness at all engine speeds. The EFI system automatically adjusts engine settings in real time for quick, no-choke cold starts, and to compensate for altitude and environmental variables. This provides optimized power and drivability in a wider variety of conditions.

“The 3/LC EFI engine reaffirms our commitment to developing cutting-edge commercial power solutions that meet our customers’ needs today, and into the future,” said Dan Roche, marketing manager at Briggs & Stratton Commercial Power. “High fuel costs have forced contractors to place a higher emphasis on equipment fuel efficiency. Vanguard 3/LC EFI-powered equipment can help them reduce fuel costs while simultaneously increasing productivity through increased power and responsiveness” more

Rated at 34 gross horsepower, the Vanguard 3/LC EFI engine provides the increased power demanded by modern commercial equipment applications. An advanced 32-bit Engine Control Unit (ECU) provides responsive performance with enhanced drivability. On-board diagnostics built into the ECU provide quick, accurate troubleshooting for reduced equipment downtime, and all ECU and EFI components in the Vanguard 3/LC system have been proven reliable in years of use in automotive applications.

The new engine is the latest addition to the Vanguard 3/LC line of three-cylinder, liquid-cooled engines in the 23 to 34 gross horsepower range, in gas, diesel and turbo-diesel configurations. For more information on the 3/LC EFI, or any engines in the Vanguard commercial engine line from Briggs & Stratton Commercial Power, visit our commercial power website.

Briggs & Stratton Corporation is the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment. Its wholly owned subsidiary Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group LLC is North America’s number one manufacturer of portable generators and pressure washers, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of lawn and garden and turf care through its wholly owned subsidiary Simplicity Manufacturing, Inc. and its Simplicity®, Snapper®, Ferris® and Murray® brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in over 100 countries on all seven continents.

High-resolution product images are available on the press kit CD-ROM.