How many cars did the Carvair carry?

Short answer

Five: the Carvair carried five cars, loaded through the nose of the aircraft, and also carried 22 passengers in a rear cabin. The conversion was based on the DC-4, whose lack of a pressurised cabin suited low-altitude flights across the Channel. Twenty-one Carvairs were built in the United Kingdom.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Gedenktafel Columbiadamm 108 (Temph) Berliner LuftbrückeOTFW, Berlin (CC BY SA), vía commons

Five cars at the front and a cabin behind

The Carvair's configuration allowed for five cars, loaded through the front of the aircraft. Behind them was a cabin with seating for 22 passengers.

A cheap DC-4 as a starting point

As major airlines replaced their ageing piston aircraft on their prestigious long-haul routes with the new Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 jets, the unit price of used DC-4s fell to just £50,000, equivalent to £1.0 million today. The DC-4's lack of a pressurised cabin suited the low-altitude flights across the Channel, making the proposed structural conversion a simple one.