Oh yes the " Gutless Wonder "
, I've always thought the Seversky P-35 is an Unprepossessing mess of a Fighter. But that's just my opinion, I know they're worst examples in existence.
Indeed, the unprepossessing P-35 was the hottest airplane of its day, beating the P-36 and Northrop N3A for a fighter contract, starring in a movie with Clark Gable as a test pilot, winning racing trophies, and setting speed records. It was a time when the times were a'changin. The last P-35 became a prototype of a newer faster, better airplane, but it didn't win contracts. This year's engine has 850 hp, and next year's engine has 1200 hp. That's just the way it was.
I read that for a time in 1937, the Gloster Gauntlett was the fastest airplane in the RAF. That changed too. Sometimes, the fastest aircraft of its day is just that. And then, another dazzling new dawn.