what's this?

what is this plane?
looks cool, but no info at all about it
anyone know?
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That is a French Cauldron Racer. I think I remember that it was built in 1937 and won Bendix in Cleveland. memory a little fuzzy on dates and details but I think particular example is a replica that was built recently in California. That airplane was a product of the French government and used every resource they had to build a plane that competed with the American " homebuilt" racers. I'll have to look this up. I was incorrect on the date and the race ( other than that, I was dead on). It raced in the 1936 THOMPSON AND GREVE trophy races, powered by a Renault engine and attained a speed or 310 MPH.

 

thank you Bob
that gives me a name to search on further

so the original was a one-off then?

found so far a listing of it as "1934 Caudron C.460"
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aha, wikipedia has a page on it too, the C.450 & C.460 "Rafale"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudron_C.460

...a replica at the paris air show, as you mentioned ...it's smaller than the first picture seems!
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according to that page, they built 5 planes, of 3 variations ...it looks cool!

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Caudron actually built a lightweight fighter, the C.714, that was loosely based on their series of racing planes. I don't believe that many were in service at the time of the German invasion in 1940.

 

I'm puzzled at the reverse rotation of the prop and the location of the exhaust stacks. If this airplane has a Fairchild Ranger in it, the exhaust would be on the right side and the rotation of the prop would be counter-clockwise not clockwise.

 

I didn't mean to slip the "L" in the name of the racer. My typing finger did it. Beautiful little airplane.

 

Here's a video... en Francais...


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8EbyGPFpa4&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

Cool little plane...

You won't be flying with a helmet... no room.

 

Another one... better...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8TooOUOs_s&feature=fvwrel[/ame]

The music is a bit annoying at startup, etc. but you can still hear the straight 6...

 

I am still wondering about the reverse rotation of the Ranger engine in this replica. Also the exhaust being on the opposite side. It looks like the engine has been installed backwards.