Curtiss V-X, V-8 Engine

Type: Reciprocating, V-type, 8 cylinders, water-cooled

Power rating: 134 kW (180 hp) at 1,400 rpm

Displacement: 18.0 L (1099.56 cu in.)

Bore and Stroke: 127 mm (5 in.) x 178 mm (7 in.)

Weight: Not available

Among the most successful early engines marketed in the United States were those designed and built by aviation pioneer and inventor Glenn Curtiss in his factory in Hammondsport, New York. Early Curtiss engines were designed to power motorcycles. The Curtiss V-X was manufactured in Hammondsport and Buffalo beginning in 1915 to power the R series of Curtiss biplanes, especially the R-6 and R-9 training seaplanes and R-4 training landplane. Modified examples of the latter type were used by the Army in its 1916 operations on the Mexican border and for carrying U.S. mail.

With the advent of World War I, Curtiss concentrated its production on the 67 kW (90 hp) OX-5 engine which powered the JN-4D “Jenny” trainer aircraft. The U.S. Government's Liberty engine fulfilled the need for a higher power engine; therefore, the V-X engines were phased out before reaching large-scale production.