was designed to accommodate large engines of 230 h.p. and more. Spartan Executive 7W The Spartan Executive Model 7W was a result of founder William Skelly's vision for an aircraft designed to accommodate the luxury and performance expected by wealthy people. Powered by a 450 h.p. Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engine, the Executive was Spartan's first attempt at an all-metal aircraft design using monocoque technology. The large engine and aerodynamic airframe allowed for a then-remarkable an hour cruise speed, a range of over and a service ceiling. The Executive's high-performance design was clearly evident in the 1939 Bendix race, in which the stock design aircraft won the trophy with speeds of nearly 197 miles per hour. Thirty four 7W aircraft were produced. Based directly on the high-performance design of the civilian Spartan 7W, a version of the aircraft was developed to meet military needs for high-performance reconnaissance and training aircraft. The re-designed model was named the Spartan Zeus 8W and featured a powerful Pratt & Whitney Wasp 600 h.p. engine. End of aircraft manufacturing The last aircraft to be developed by the Spartan Aircraft Company was the Spartan NP-1 biplane. The NP-1 was a throwback to earlier aircraft in appearance, though the technology used in the aircraft's construction was certainly more advanced than the wire and fabric used in Spartan's early biplane designs. Built as a United States Navy trainer, the Spartan NP-1 featured a lightweight open-cockpit construction with a Lycoming R-680-B4C 225 h.p. engine. Trailercoaches After the ebb of personal aviation and the increased competition in the aircraft business following World War II, owner J. Paul Getty and Spartan upper-management redirected production to focus on the demand for housing and leisure. Using the same internally braced and space-saving monocoque design of the Spartan Executive 7W, the company produced its first all-metal travel trailer. The company followed previous design strategies, offering lavish and full-featured trailers. Through the 1940s and 1950s, Spartan produced what some referred to as the "Cadillac" of trailers, commanding prices higher than $4000. Spartan produced over 40,000 trailer homes before ending production in 1961. Given an average home cost in the United States at the time of $8000, Spartan trailers were a discretionary purchase for the wealthy. Factories close After 33 years of manufacturing aircraft and trailers, the Spartan Aircraft Company closed its manufacturing facilities and entered the insurance and financial business under the name Minnehoma