This rare 1945 color film of the Republic XP47H powered by the Chrysler XI2220 engine was shot by Carl Breer, Head of Research Engineering for Chrysler at the time. The XI2220 engine was a turbo supercharged, liquid cooled, inverted V16 power plant that produced 2,500 horsepower from 2,220 cubic inches (36.4 L) of displacement. The engine was fitted to a highly modified Republic P47 Thunderbolt for ground running and flight testing starting in early 1945. Due to the novel engine, extensive airframe modifications, and complex turbo supercharging system, the XP47H did not fly until late July 1945. By the end of WWII three weeks later, it was already clear the future was the turbojet engine, not pistons.
Three XI2220 engines survive: Serial number D000001 at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, CT; D000006 and XP47H firewallforward in the collection of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, Chantilly, VA, and D000005 is held by the Chrysler Foundation.
This film was digitized and narrated by Carl Breer’s son, William, and shared with me by Paul Wise who worked on the XI2220 engine and flight test program. The film is presented here with the kind permission of Carl Breer II, grandson of the photographer, Carl Breer.
The definitive work on the XI2220 engine and XP47H is Chrysler Aircraft Engines by Kimble D. McCutcheon (2012) and an excellent chapter on the XI2220 can be found in Willem L. Weertman’s Chrysler Engines, 19221998 (2007).