Liberty L-8 (Packard) V-8 Engine

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Object Details

Designer

Elbert J. Hall

Jesse G. Vincent

Manufacturer

Packard Motor Car Company (Detroit, Michigan)

Physical Description

Type: Reciprocating, 8 cylinders, liquid cooled, dual ignition, V-type

Power rating: 216 kW (290 hp) at 1,700 rpm

Displacement: 18 L (1,649 cu in.)

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

Weight: 261 kg (575 lb)

Summary

The Liberty's purpose was American mass production of standard units when the U.S. entered World War I. Co-designed in a week in mid-1917 by Jesse Vincent of Packard Motor Car and Elbert Hall of Hall-Scott Motor Car, with a planned series of 4-, 6-, 8-, and 12-cylinder models, this Model L-8 was the first Liberty engine. However, power requirements made it obsolete before entering service, and the twelve-cylinder Liberty was then built.

To ensure workable engines in the shortest time, only proven components were used. The Liberty's success was due entirely to the fact that the best engineers, production experts, and manufacturing facilities were provided to the Government. Leading automotive manufacturers, including Ford, Lincoln, Packard, Marmon, and Buick, built the engines.

The Liberty 12 Model A powered numerous aircraft including the de Havilland DH-4, the Navy-Curtiss NC-4, Fokker T2, Loening Model 23, Douglas World Cruiser, Douglas M-1 Mailplane, and Curtiss H-16 flying boat.

Credit Line

Transferred from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C.

Date

1917

Inventory Number

A19270008000

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Type

PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary

Materials

Metal

Dimensions

3-D: 134.6 × 68.6 × 94cm, 260.8kg (4 ft. 5 in. × 2 ft. 3 in. × 3 ft. 1 in., 575lb.)

Support: 50.8 × 69.9 × 48.3cm (1 ft. 8 in. × 2 ft. 3 1/2 in. × 1 ft. 7 in.)

Country of Origin

United States of America

See more items in

National Air and Space Museum Collection

Location

National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC

Exhibition

World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Metadata Usage

CC0

Link to Original Record

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv936cb0c07-7818-491f-8adb-419285fd468f

Record ID

nasm_A19270008000