Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Gale Banks shooting for 200 mph in diesel-powered Sidewinder dragster]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/01/gale-banks-shooting-for-200-mph-in-diesel-powered-sidewinder-dra/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/01/gale-banks-shooting-for-200-mph-in-diesel-powered-sidewinder-dra/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/01/gale-banks-shooting-for-200-mph-in-diesel-powered-sidewinder-dra/#commentsFiled under: , ,


We saw Gale Banks' diesel-powered Sidewinder dragster at SEMA back in 2008, but that stationary display is not how the vehicle is meant to be experienced. No, this beast wants to move, and that's just what it'll do Saturday, March 6th at the Speedworld Dragstrip for NHRDA's Desert Diesel Nationals in Wittmann, AZ. There, the dragster is going to try and run the quarter-mile in the low-mid 6's "while emitting none of the black clouds of soot normally associated with diesel racing."

With 1,200 horsepower rumbling from its 6.6L Duramax diesel V8 from General Motors (or maybe something more powerful?) rocketing the Sidewinder down the track, we admit this isn't the greenest of vehicles - but if you can go 200 miles per hour, you might be able to change some minds about just what diesel is capable of. Banks said in a statement that this is his goal: "Diesel has cleaned up its act, and we're out to prove speed can come without the price of black smoke."


Gallery: SEMA 2008: Gale Banks diesel dragster


[Source: Gale Banks]

Continue reading Gale Banks shooting for 200 mph in diesel-powered Sidewinder dragster

Gale Banks shooting for 200 mph in diesel-powered Sidewinder dragster originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click above for a high-res gallery of images of the Tank Car and others

We are pretty lucky out here in Southern California, and, yes, we know we don't deserve it. Despite the ridiculously overzealous government, ever-present smog and overpopulation, we are blessed with a lot of very cool cars and very cool car people. And the weather usually allows for regular opportunities to drive and show these cars year-round. Besides the Crystal Cove and successor Cars & Coffee shows that we have covered in the past, there are numerous similar events all over the Southland. One of our favorites is another gathering a bit further north in Woodland Hills. 70 miles from the Irvine locale, it's worth the one-hour drive on the last Sunday of the month to see some of the most outrageous rides and meet some of the most generous people on the planet. "Off week" Sundays are usually pretty great, but the final Sunday is usually killer. This past Sunday was a great example.

It was cloudy but stayed dry most of the way up there. And then about ten miles from the Village Coffee Roaster the roads were suddenly wet. Not a good omen. Although the people that regularly gather for Supercar Sundays at VCR are a pretty hardy bunch, rain usually keeps the lot fairly empty. It came as quiet a thrill then to see a few Vipers, Ford GTs, and a whole fleet of SRT-8 Mopars and Jeeps already assembled. And it only got better from there. A Suzuki Cappuccino and Honda Beat rolled in for some comic relief and then an SLR, CLK DTM and yellow Enzo showed up. Still not a full house, but already worth the drive. It got even better. Follow the jump for the rest of the story.

Gallery: Tank Car at Supercar Sunday

Continue reading Supercar Sunday at VCR: Tank Car storms SoCal meet

Supercar Sunday at VCR: Tank Car storms SoCal meet originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Gale BanksGaleBankshot rodHotRodJay LenoJayLenoPatton tankPattonTankSouthern CaliforniaSouthernCaliforniaSupercar SundaySupercarSundayTankrodVillage Coffee RoasterVillageCoffeeRoasterTue, 30 Jan 2007 16:32:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/745261/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/01/30/supercar-sunday-at-vcr-tank-car-storms-socal-meet/745261/article-detail.xml 745261 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/01/tankcar---6_450_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/01/tankcar---6_450.jpg <![CDATA[Jay Leno's tank car gets twin turbos]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/31/jay-lenos-tank-car-gets-twin-turbos/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/31/jay-lenos-tank-car-gets-twin-turbos/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/31/jay-lenos-tank-car-gets-twin-turbos/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Automotive enthusiasts the world over have become intimately familiar with many of the exotic, muscle and classic cars contained within Jay Leno's personal collection. One of the most famous is his Tank Car, which was featured as a driveable vehicle (video) in Gran Turismo 4. The imposing hot rod is powered by a 1792 cid V-12 Continental-designed, Chrsyler-built tank engine (hence the name) producing 810 hp and 1,560 ft-lbs. of torque. In these days where a $1.25 million Bugatti Veyron puts out 1001-hp, however, a Tank Car needs to be packing a piece with more than 810 hp. Right?

Wrong, according to Leno, who enlisted his friend and turbo legend Gale Banks to address the Tank Car's glaring power deficiency. The solution was a pair of turbos source from Honeywell/Garrett Turbo Technologies that cost 10 grand a piece and are normally used by Toyota's CART program. Many of the turbo systems components were custom made by Banks and his team out of solid billet aluminum and Robert Bosche company was tapped to convert the engine to fuel injection. The outcome should be an output in the neighborhood of 1,600 horsepower and 3,000 ft-lbs. of torque, more than enough to embarrass a Bugatti Veyron on paper. Not all of that power can be channeled though the Tank Car's 6-speed Allison transmission, though, so the motor will need to be limited at least in First, according to Popular Mechanics.

The Twin-Turbo Tank Car will be making its first public appearance at the Woodward Dream Cruise in a few weeks, and we'll be sure to stop by and check it out on our way up and down Woodward Ave.

Thanks for the tank tip, Tim!

[Source: Popular Mechanics via RideRoom]

Jay Leno's tank car gets twin turbos originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jul 2006 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay... our love for rattling heavy-duty pickups notwithstanding, the idea of a Duramax-powered GMC race truck still seems odd, even though a half-year has passed since we first mentioned this monster. But with Audi's oil-burning R10 taking the checkered flag last month at Sebring, maybe Gale Banks doesn't have a proverbial loose rod bolt or two.

To prove that progress has been made on this monster over the winter, Banks has posted an update with some video clips on the company's website. None of them will raise goosebumps like Climb Dance, but it's still pretty cool to see a big red pickup truck doing skidpad testing without looking like one of those Consumer Reports rollover tests. And we definitely feel sorry for the Miata driver at Buttonwillow that was overtaken by the D-Max - that had to be a somewhat scary (and humbling) experience.

Video: Banks D-Max Type-R GMC race truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 May 2006 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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