Liberty L-8

The Liberty L-8 engine was a prototype of the Liberty L-12 engine. Although it did not see mass production several were built. The pictured example is the first of them built. Manufactured by Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan around 1917, it now resides in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Specifications (Liberty L-8)

General characteristics

• Type: 8-cylinder, liquid-cooled Vee aircraft piston engine
• Bore: 5 in (127 mm)
• Stroke: 7 in (178 mm)
• Displacement: 1,099 cubic inches (18.0 l)
• Length: 57 inches (1,448 mm)
• Dry weight: 575 pounds (260.8 kg)

Components

• Valvetrain: One intake and one exhaust valves per cylinder actuated via a single overhead camshaft per cylinder bank.
• Cooling system: Liquid-cooled

Performance

• Power output: 290 hp (216 kW) at 1,700 rpm
• Specific power: 0.26 hp/in³ (11.9 kW/L)
• Power-to-weight ratio: 0.45 hp/lb (0.74 kW/kg)

External links

• "Liberty L-8 (Packard) V-8 Engine". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19270008000. Retrieved 1 January 2011.