The V-1710 engine was the product of an extensive Army program to develop a high-power, liquid-cooled engine. Derived from a model designed in 1930 for airship use, the V-1710 was first used by the Air Corps in 1932. Rated at 1,000 hp, it was installed in the Consolidated XA-11A, an experimental attack version of the Consolidated P-25.
By 1938 the engine's output had been increased to 1,150 hp and it was used to power the Bell X/YFM-1 multiplace fighters. The V-1710 was continually improved, and during World War II its output was increased to 1,475 hp in some engine series. During the war, it was used primarily in the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the Bell P-39 Airacobra and the twin-engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning. It was also used in early versions of the North American P-51 Mustang.
The engine on display, a right-hand drive V-1710-51, is of the series used primarily in the P-38G. When installed in a twin-engine P-38, it was paired with a left-hand drive V-1710-55 engine to counteract the effect of torque. The only difference between the two engines was the direction of propeller-shaft rotation.
