Liberty V-12

The V-12 Liberty aircraft engine was designed in 6 days as a “top priority” project for the war. A total of 20,478 were produced and many were still in active use as late as 1936. It was also used as a double crankshaft 24 cylinder and experimentally as a 24 cylinder X type. It was also produced with either spur-gear or epicyclic reduction, and inverted, and air-cooled, and turbo-supercharged. It was also used in Tanks and Boats.

Its vital statistics:

Type: V 45deg	RPM: 1800
Cylinders: 12	Horsepower: 400
Bore & Stroke: 5″ x 7 “	Flying weight: 900lbs

It is equipped with battery and distributor ignition instead of magnetos. The 6 day design was actually the culmination of a number of years experience and experimentation by the designers, Vincent and Hall, who were able to combine their research results into this remarkable engine in that short time. The 20,478 motors were produced by Packard, 6500, Lincoln, 6500, Ford, 3950, General Motors (Cadillac and Buick divisions), 2528, and Nordyke and Marmon, 1000.

The example here is serial number 518 produced by Ford. The history we have indicates that it was overhauled about 1926, and later used by a movie production company to power a generator and wind machines on location, and was on the set of “How the West Was Won”.