1913 DEPERDUSSIN GORDON BENNETT RACER
(Representation)
(Representation)
The plywood, silk, and glue monocoque fuselage made the Deperdussin an airplane ahead of its time. With its twin-row, 14-cylinder engine, this plane was the first of the so-called “flying engines” culminating in the racers of the late 1930s. In 1913 it won the prized Gordon Bennett trophy at 126.7 mph. Similar construction was used for Lockheeds of the 1930s, and for World War II Mosquitoes.
Specifications: span 21 ft. 9-3/4 in.; length 20 ft. 0-1/4 in.; takeoff weight 1350 lbs.; engine 160 hp. Gnome 14-cylinder twin row air-cooled rotary (original); 160 hp. Lycoming air-cooled flat four (representation); maximum speed 126.7 mph.
Accession no. 1996G151.
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