wuzak
Captain
I'm not too sure where the limit for HP was for a stock Merlin, but the limit would come from the stock rods. According to Lovesy they ran one at some 2,650 HP.
Stock rods on Merlins changed with time. The Merlin I rods wouldn't have survived at the powers that the 2 stage Merlins were capable of producing.
The Merlin RM.17SM ran 2,640hp on the test bench running +36psi, 3,150rpm and ADI. When corrected for air temperatures, it was 2,620hp.
The first attempt at the endurance test failed because the rods broke. The reason for this was that the rods used were of an earlier specification.
In 1943 a Merlin 66 being used to prototype the 100-series Merlins ran at 2,380hp @ 3,300rpm and +30psi dry.
The RM.17SM was rated at 2,200hp @ 2,000ft and 2,100hp @ 15,000ft, again without ADI.
The Merlin 66 with +25psi boost was rated at 2,000hp @ 5,250ft.