By 1909 regular and special air meets and races were being held and
various competitions for trophies conducted. Among these the Gordon
Bennett Cup Race for many years was considered a major event. For the
1910 competition it was decided to enter a Wright machine and, since
this was a race with speed the sole objective, the available
4-cylinder engine, even in a version pushed to its maximum output, was
deemed too small. They built for it a special 8-cylinder unit in a
90°V form. They were thus resorting to one of their 1904
concepts--modifying and enlarging a version known and proved in
use--as the proper method of most quickly increasing output.
Unfortunately again, there are essentially no detailed drawings
available, so that the design cannot be studied.[16]
[Footnote 16: A drawing of the camshaft is held by The Franklin
Institute.]
Only one engine is historically recorded as having been built,
although in view of the Wrights' record of foresight and preparation
it is almost certain that at least one spare unit, assembled or in
parts, was provided. In any case, the airplane--it was called the
_Baby Grand Racer_--and engine were wrecked just before the race, and
no physical parts were retained, so that the sole descriptions come
from external photographs, memory, and hearsay. McFarland thinks that
possibly Orville Wright, particularly, was somewhat discomfited over
the accident that eliminated the machine, as he had previously flown
it quite successfully at a speed substantially higher than that of the
ultimate winner, and he wanted to get it out of sight and mind as
quickly as possible. The Air Force Museum at Wright Field, Dayton,
Ohio, has an incomplete set of drawings of a 90°V, 8-cylinder Wright
engine, but it is quite obvious from the basic design and individual
features, as well as from at least one date on the drawings, that this
conception is of a considerably later vintage than that of the _Baby
Grand Racer_.
The racing engine was in essence a combination of two of the standard
4s on a redesigned crankcase utilizing as many of the 4-cylinder
engine parts as possible. The rods were reported to have been placed
side by side, and the regular 4-cylinder crankshaft, with alterations
to accommodate the rods, was utilized. A single cam operated all the
exhaust valves. It was compact and light, its only fundamental
disadvantage being the inherent unbalance of the 90°V-8. The
arrangement provided a much higher powered unit in the cheapest and
quickest manner, and one that could be expected to operate
satisfactorily with the least development.
The Six-Cylinder Vertical Engines
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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