The Wagonmaster

from the gallery at http://zelastchancegaragedu78.blogspot.com/2010/06/tommys-wagon-master.html

Zaniest thing I've seen in a while, the Jade Warrior from 1985

Skip the first 30 seconds

Learned about it from http://zelastchancegaragedu78.blogspot.com/ information from http://www.dragzine.com/news/the-jade-warrior-a-truly-insane-and-one-of-a-kind-ride/

The creation of British motorcycle racer Angus MacPhail, who built it himself in his garage, it's called the “Jade Warrior,” did the quarter mile in under 8 seconds a quarter century ago without the use of nitromethane. That's riding on the tip of a bullet.

It was powered by an inline 4-cylinder that blended MacPhail’s own engineering with that of a Ford Cosworth and sported a Roots supercharger producing somewhere between 400 and 500 horsepower.

The frame was, obviously, a completely one-off piece that was built monocoque-style – with a main center section made of alloy and put together with Araldite adhesive and Monel rivets. A well-designed body with ground effects incorporated helped keep it stable and hooked up at close to 200 MPH. Angus claimed it was actually very easy to navigate down the track.

The High and Mighty, mopar engineers and (street racers by night) used it to develop intakes and engines

Above from http://musclecardreaming.tumblr.com

above photo via http://zelastchancegaragedu78.blogspot.com/

photos from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=927

race car haulers and transporters

EJ Potter, the Michigan madman tried unreal power in bikes and cars, most famous for small block Chevy powered Harleys

He built stuff like a 1957 Plymouth stuffed full of an Allison airplane engine that ran nearly 150 mph in a period of time before Funny Cars existed. One could argue that EJ had the first one. He refined that idea after the Allison backfired through its supercharger and the car essentially became an oven. Potter suffered burns on his hands and arms while trying to get the car to a halt. His solution to the fire problem was to buy a brand new Dodge Dart station wagon, put another Allison (hooked to a tug boat clutch and a 1-ton truck rearend) in that and enclose the entire engine in a steel coffin to prevent the fire from escaping and burning him again.

“I did have a whole season running the Plymouth, the Southern tracks really liked that car, although guys like Ronnie Sox hated it. To see a big old Plymouth running as fast as I did didn’t do much for those guys.” excerpted from a great write up at Bang Shift: http://www.bangshift.com/blog/The-BangShift-Interview-EJ-Potter-AKA-The-Michigan-Madman.html

bottom two photos from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=927 and the top two I've posted before

Innovative hot rodder made a fifth wheel trailer to haul his slingshot, mate up with his hot rod. That has to be unique! It's awesome!

The photo was labeled the 1960 Deetroit Trotters Ohio race team.

From http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=270

A tale of the Tubonique racing cart from the great maniac that drove it! Capt Jack ( no better name could ever be thought of! )

Above two photos from http://zelastchancegaragedu78.blogspot.com/2010/05/draggokart.html

Jack McClure's go kart powered by twin Turbonique t-16 jets, it turns 152mph in the quarter. 400 lbs of thrust.

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search/label/turbonique for all the Turbonique info, advertising, and videos I've come across

1965 Z-16 Chevelle called, "The Sizzler", a name that would prove dangerously ironic less than a year after McClure took the driving assignment. Powered by one of Turbonique's "Rocket Drag Axles" the car was a true freak show and ran speed and times totally unheard of from stock appearing cars of the era.

"I ran the sizzler car for one season," McClure said. "I think I ran 25 or thirty dates with it. The car was a real Z16 Chevelle that had one of the Turbonique Rocket Axles in it. The big problem was that all the Turbonique stuff was shit and it didn't hold up. Middlebrooks had lots of ideas and designs but the stuff was always on the verge of breaking or blowing up. I had no idea how dangerous the Turbonique rocket kart was until a few years after the fact and I looked back on my time with it and thought about how lucky I was that the thing didn't blow up."

But back to the Chevelle.

"So the car was able to be driven around on the regular engine and transmission, but you didn't use that on the strip. On the track I would put the car in neutral, hit the button and drive the Chevelle down the track with the rocket axle providing the power and smoking the tires all the way down. The way the rocket axle worked was pretty simple. There was a rocket engine that was ignited when I hit the button. The exhaust (thrust) from the rocket engine would spin this big turbine wheel which was attached to some planetary gears that spun the axles and drove the car. The problem was that the gears and turbine wheels couldn't hold up to the abuse and I had a couple turbine wheels break and even melt on me. All this came to an end when I went through the lights at 162mph, the turbine wheel melted and locked the whole works up tight. I was told the car rolled 12 times. I was lucky not to be killed and I was done with anything that had to do with Turbonique."

Read the entire interview, "The Life and Rocket Powered Times of Capt Jack McClure "
http://www.bangshift.com/blog/The-Life-and-Rocket-Propelled-Times-of-Captain-Jack-McClure-One-of-Drag-Racing-s-Most-Incredible-Performers.html

The Winged Express driver passes the competition on the far side of the track, between the other dragster and the wall, post burnout lane change

Learned about it in the Feb 2011 Hot Rod magazine, Roddin at Random. Too bad Hot Rod isn't more focused on drag racing and hot rods instead of new Chevy LS engine head tech articles and putting LS engines into a 1979 Camaro. When did a 79 Camaro with any engine ever define "Hot Rod"?