WW2 Allison V1710 Aircraft Engine Rocker Assembly

Something a little different! This is a piece of the rocker assembly from the (in)famous American built Allison V-1710 aircraft engine which powered the likes of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the Bell P-39 Airacobra and in its early incarnation, the "Cadillac of the Skies" the P-51A Mustang. The V-1710 holds the honour of being the only US-developed V-12 liquid cooled engine to see service during WW2, being overshadowed by the British Rolls Royce Merlin engine owing to the latter's superior high altitude performance and constant development. Despite it's simplicity and ease of production, the normally aspirated V-1710 didn't ever quite overcome it's performance issues during wartime, but soldiered on with the Russians in their US supplied P-40's. With that said, with the addition of a turbo-supercharger it proved a formidable powerplant when fitted to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the chargers muffling the exhaust giving the aircraft a distinctive note and presence.

This is part of the valvetrain - one part of a rocker assembly which consisted of a pair of roller tappet castings. We believe this one to be from a downed Curtiss P-40, one of the few types to continue the use of the V-1710 throughout it's development. A fascinating piece of both military and aviation history, it makes a perfect desk mounted display piece.