The Comanche is probably the most elegant Piper light aircraft and was first introduced in 1967 to compete with the Beech Bonanza. It is all metal with retractable tricycle gear, built with 180 hp and 250/260 hp engines. The Comanche B has two optional extra rear seats and the Comanche 400, 148 of which were built, has a 400 hp Lycoming IO-720 engine.