Albert S. Menasco already had the Menasco Manufacturing Co. when he founded the Menasco Motors Co. in Los Angeles and Burbank, California in 1926.

-His first engine “adventure” was the acquisition of 250 surplus Salmson Z9 engines from WWI, in France.

-They were water-cooled, 9-cylinder radials that gave 230 HP.

“Menasco-Salmson B2”

-He set about improving them to give 250 HP. He changed them to air cooling with fins on the cylinders, and they were renamed Menasco Salmson B2.

“En banco”

-At that time, around 1928, the US Department of Commerce released a new standard that required passing a 50-hour test on engines to be marketed. The 5 presented Menasco-Salmson engines failed that test.

“Menasco-Salmson schematics”

-With the workshops set up, they decided to enter the inverted-cylinder engine market.

-Two initial production lines appear, one of four cylinders generically called "Pirate" and the other of six cylinders as "Buccaneer".

-So in 1930 the 4-cylinder, 90 HP A-4 appears. As well as the B-4 with 95 HP.

“B-4”

-In 1931 Menasco presented the 6-cylinder A-6 that gave 145 HP and the B-6 with 160 HP.

“B-6”

“C-4”

-And there was the 125 hp C-4. The D-4 "Super Pirate and the D-4B were a supercharged C-4S that gave 160 hp.

“C-45”

-A 125 HP D-4-87 reached 134 HP at takeoff.

“B-6S”

-In 1934 appeared the mentioned C-4S giving 150 HP at 3,000 rpm.

-And the supercharged B-6S delivering 200 HP up to an altitude of 4500 feet.

“C-6S-4”

-The "Buccaneer" C-6S reached 300 HP. In 1938, the C-6S-4 gave 260 HP at an altitude of 7,000 feet and giving 290 HP at takeoff. It is known as "Super Buccaneer".

“D-6SG”

-The D-6S-1 gave 350 HP and the geared D-6SG reached 390 HP.

-Although the company had many and variable clients, it also reaped poor results, especially when it operated in the midst of the global economic depression.

-It passed through the hands of the Lockheed.

-Maybe at that time they were called Ranger Menasco as the one that appears in a text under that name.

“Menasco In-line Ranger”

-We located this new view of the Ranger Menasco with six inverted cylinders in which we can see the rear accessories part.

-The magnetos are at the top. There are the supercharger rotor case with an unusual elbow, and a large carburetor.

-An example was the M-50 engine with four horizontally-opposed cylinders giving 50 hp that arrived late to a market in which Continental, Lycoming and Franklin were already established (year 1938).

“M-50”

-It was clearly a “market error”.

-Another view of the M-50 engine is now added, for a better idea of ​​its shape and construction. 50 HP.

“Menasco M-50 engine”

-However, Menasco was important seeing its B-4, C-4, C-6 engines, etc. installed on touring and training aircraft such as the Ryan PT-16, PT-20, and STM, until their aircraft required more power, which they obtained from Kinner and Warner radials.

“Unitwin”

-The "Unitwin" (U-520) was an interesting engine consisting of two C-6S-4 engines joined through a gearbox to drive a single propeller.

-The two units could be declutched and delivered a total power of 580 HP.

“Unitwin, rear view”

-Above we have a nice rear view of the Unitwin in which we can see that each engine carries its mechanical supercharger, its aspirated carburetors, and visibly, the starters and the magnetos for the ignition system of each engine.

“Another Unitwin”

-On the Unitwin gearbox, just in front of each engine we see the declutch levers. This last photograph shows the cooling air intakes for the cylinders and cylinder heads.

-The two C-6S-4 engines gave 260 HP and coupled in the Unitwin we see them on the Lockheed Vega Starliner. The Unitwin was also known as the Twin-Menasco.

“Unitwin Symbology”

-Another project for more than 500 HP at 2,550 rpm was the E-6 "Privateer" with 993 cubic inches of displacement.

“E-6”

-It consisted of an inverted Vee-engine with the V at 60°, a powerful geared engine delivering 2,000 HP at 3,000 rpm. It was the XIV-2040-1.

-The supercharger had two stages and two speeds.

-Menasco adapted the C-4 for the T-3 tank of the US Army. They also made marine engines like the water-cooled Reis-Menasco V12.

-There are studies on turbojets and turboprops, ramjets like the XRJ-37-NM-1 or A-J-20, to operate optimally and economically at supersonic speeds, although the project was soon canceled.

-There were also 2-stroke engines for "drones". They gave 22 HP. See Righter.

From Appendix 6: Below we show some interesting details of the Menasco-engine superchargers. (see main text).

-It was actually Phillips and Powis that adapted the superchargers when they made these engines under license in the UK.

-The "Pirate" model with 4 cylinders gave 150 HP at 2,250 rpm and was supercharged to maintain this power up to an altitude of 3,000 feet. It was the C4S model.

"Front view of the Pirate and its supercharger"

"Rear view of the Buccaneer and its supercharger"

-This Buccaneer gives 200 HP at 2,250 rpm and up to an altitude of 4,500 feet.

“Buccaneer supercharged by Phillips and Powis”

"Appearance of the massive Unitwin of Menasco"

From Appendix 12: Lockheed related brand (Lockheed-Menasco)

“Menasco, 90 HP”

-This 90 HP engine is taken from a German magazine.

-The triptych plan and the photo of the C-6-S are from the Super Buccaneer, although in the writing of the illustrations it refers to the Buccaneer only, C-6)

“C-6-S, reference of the Super Buccaneer”

“Menasco Super Buccaneer triptych”