Most of our engines on display are air cooled, but we start with a liquid cooled V-12 of the late 1930s which became a major US combat engine of the Second World War.

The Allison had a typical rating of 1,475 hp and weighed 1,595 lb. It was rugged and reliable but its high altitude performance suffered for the lack of a good super-charger.

It was fitted in the Lockheed P-38 “Lightning”, the Bell P-39 “Airacobra”, and the Curtis P-40 “Kittyhawk”. The latter served with the RCAF at Patricia Bay.