About the middle of 1923, a contract was signed between the U.S. Navy and Wright Aeronautical for three large air-cooled engine designs, which were to be built successively. The first of these, based on a design proposed earlier to the U.S. Army by Charles Lawrance, was known as the P-1, and was the direct forerunner of the highly successful Wright Cyclone series of engines. In order to reduce aerodynamic drag, its design was limited to a frontal area no greater than that of the Navy's Lawrance J engine, despite the fact that the P-1 had twice the displacement.
The P-1 was tested extensively in 1924 in a Douglas DT-2 aircraft, and flown successfully in the Navy Douglas DT-6 and Boeing aircraft. However, magnesium alloy castings, being used for the first time, failed in endurance tests. The P-1 was then discontinued in favor of the larger P-2, which added Heron-type cylinders and a supercharger.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.