The 18 cylinder spin-offs from known V-12s: worth pursuing?

Before you get too clever just remember that all those racing seaplanes used surface radiators, had truly abysmal views from cockpit,

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I can be accused for many things; proposing surface radiators and no-view cockpits are not among those

More than one pilot crashed due to exhaust fumes in the cockpit ( a real problem with the center bank solvable by good exhaust ducts at the expense of exhaust thrust and wearing an oxygen mask at all times the engine is running.

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Pointing the exhaust nozzles a bit down and to the side should alleviate the problems of the exhaust gases emanating from the central bank. Flying wit closed cockpits for most of the flight's duration should also help. The piece of metal strip above the exhausts (like the one installed at Hurricanes) can also be tried.

And in the end the 18 cylinder 3 bank engine doesn't do a lot for the British because the British designers had NOT maxed out the size of their cylinders like the Italians and French had. Their engines went to the third bank because they were already using cylinders about the same volume as the Griffon cylinders.

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Maybe it does not work for Schneider cup racers, but can come in handily for the ww2. The 3-bank Buzzard/Griffon, anyone?