Menasco XIV-2040
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| IV-2040 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Piston aircraft engine |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Menasco Motors Company |
Menasco XIV-2040 (military designation IV-2040 or Menasco XIV-2040-1) was an experimental American aircraft engine developed by the Menasco Motors Company (later Menasco Manufacturing Company) of Burbank, California. It was a 12-cylinder inverted V-12, liquid-cooled, geared powerplant intended to deliver approximately 2,000 horsepower (1,491 kW) at 3,000 rpm. Designed in the early 1940s as part of Menasco's brief foray into high-power engines for advanced military aircraft, the XIV-2040 reached the prototype engine stage but never entered series production. The company shifted focus to aircraft landing gear during and after World War II, and engine development was not resumed postwar.[1]
Menasco Motors, founded in 1926 by Albert S. Menasco, initially specialized in converting surplus World War I Salmson radial engines and later became known for its successful line of small air-cooled inverted inline four- and six-cylinder engines (the Pirate and Buccaneer series). These powered numerous light aircraft and air racers in the 1930s. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, the company explored larger, higher-output designs to meet potential military requirements for high-performance fighters, including pusher configurations. The XIV-2040 represented an ambitious departure from Menasco's earlier air-cooled inline engines. It featured a 60° inverted V configuration, liquid cooling, gearing, and a two-stage, two-speed supercharger to maintain power at altitude. Development occurred alongside other experimental projects, including the XH-4070 (an H-block 24-cylinder engine rated up to 3,400 hp) and various turbojet and ramjet studies. Information on the program is sparse; it is known primarily from company records, military engine designation lists, and historical analyses of Menasco's work. The engine did advance to prototype testing but was ultimately not selected for production, consistent with Menasco's postwar decision to abandon aero-engine manufacturing in favor of landing-gear systems for aircraft such as the P-38, P-51, and later jets and airliners.[2]