Designer Walter J. Carr | ||
 | ||
The Carr Special, also called the Carr Racer, the Saginaw Junior, the Blackhawk, and the The World's Ugliest Race Plane, was a racing aircraft developed in 1931.
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Design and development
In 1932, the founder of Paramount Aircraft Corporation left his failing company at the peak of the Great Depression, and attempted to pursue revenue in the lucrative air race competitions. The construction of the aircraft was sponsored by the Saginaw Junior Chamber of Commerce, prompting the nose art "Saginaw Junior". The Carr Special was built to compete in the 1932 National Air Races. Specifically, it was built to compete in the aging Curtiss OX-5 powered class, filled with older biplane designs.
The Carr Special was built around the fuselage and an OX-5 engine from a Travel Air 2000 biplane. It was a low wing strut-braced conventional landing gear aircraft that featured steel tube construction with aircraft fabric covering.
Operational history
The Carr Special was entered in the 1932 National Air Races in the "Free for All" (pulling out after being lapped) and precision landing contest. Despite the poor showing, the aircraft later won 22 races. The aircraft was then modified for skywriting, and later modified again with a 125 hp Warner Scarab radial engine. On 19 September 1936, Kenny Barber placed second in the 550 ci class at Pontiac, Michigan. The aircraft was destroyed in 1937 at Southfield, Michigan.
Specifications (Carr Special)
Data from Skyways
General characteristics
Performance