The L.O.O.T.M. Archive

Lust Object of the Month

January 2007

Sleek lines and the long nose of a high-powered race plane, the "Veltro" was a beautiful fighter from a culture that loves sexy machines.

Armed with two 50 caliber machine guns in the cowl and one 20 mm cannon in each wing, this maneuverable fighter was nothing to trifle with during the early 1940s.

Copyright Giovanni Paulli

Maximum weight of 8580 pounds with 1475 horsepower, 400 mph top speed, and 50,000 feet for a service ceiling--this aircraft was quite a performer.  And look at those curves . . .

 

 

The first LOOTM for the New Year is a product of the Italian aircraft industry during W.W.II.  Fans of Italian sports cars will have no trouble understanding the attraction . . .

    The Macchi C.205 "Veltro" ("Greyhound") was an evolution of the C.202 with a Fiat-produced, license-built Daimler-Benz inverted V-12 engine of 1475 horsepower.  A trim, light fighter, it was equal to the Bf-109 or Spitfire of 1943.  Deployed too close to the collapse of the Italian Military, the Veltro's effectiveness was cut short.  It was never produced in large numbers so only three C.205s survive today.

 

For more, check out these web sites:
 
 
http://www.museoscienza.org/english/aereo/mc205.asp 

(Don't miss the great tech drawings menu near the bottom of this page!)

 
 
http://www.luftfahrtmuseum.com/htmi/itf/mc205.htm

(Check out the "Expo/Images" button for museum photo and an actual C.205 in Italy.)

 
 
And as with any of our Warbird LOOTM selections, don't forget to check for color profiles here: 

http://wp.scn.ru/

Happy New Year from All of Us!