Allison History
 The General Motors building dominates the Detroit skyline (Right). With its purchase in 1929, Allison Engineering Company became part of the GM family. The company became Allison Division of GM in 1934. Throughout the 1930s, the company pioneered the V1710, the first 1000 horsepower liquid cooled 12-cylinder aircraft engine. The engine, which in 1933 delivered an astounding 750 horsepower during a test at Wright Field, would enable fighter aircraft such as the Lockheed P-38 and P40 to change the face of aviation in a few short years. In 1939, GM transformed its Allison Division into a production giant by building a 360,000-square-foot Plant 3 to manufacture V1710 engines. |
