Autoblog

The Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss" Rocket Truck

Frank Filipponio — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Classics, Performance, Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Work, Specialty

The Proud American and Bonneville Boss - Click above for high-res image gallery

Before our favorite weekly Southern California car gathering this Saturday, we had been told by a friend that he'd be bringing his new rocket truck. Rocket truck? What the heck's a rocket truck? Visions of rocket-powered pickups and semis running the quarter mile immediately came to mind. Did some drag racer sell Tom his race truck? Is that what he was bringing to the show?

As soon as we came around the corner we knew he hadn't. We knew this with absolute certainty because we saw a giant nosecone towering above the treeline. There was, in fact, a rocket-powered land speed record (LSR) car positioned at a launch-worthy angle atop a most amazing truck. Rocket, truck... Rocket truck. Makes sense now. But what was this thing and where did it come from? You can read the whole wacky story after the jump.

Gallery: Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss"

Continue reading The Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss" Rocket Truck

The Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss" Rocket Truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Cadillac-powered Spectre SpeedLiner sets world record for gas-powered, wheel-driven vehicles

Noah Joseph — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Cadillac, Specialty

Click above to watch the videos after the jump

Different automakers seek out different bragging. The same goes for tuning houses. The bogey in question may be the quickest lap time around a given race track (usually the Nürburgring), a particular horsepower figure, a performance benchmark, or, in some cases, a world land speed record. That's what Spectre Performance was after with their SpeedLiner, and that's what they got. Well, one category of LSR, anyway.

The Spectre SpeedLiner is a purpose-built speed record car powered by a custom Cadillac V8 measuring 529 cubic inches (8.8 liters) in capacity, boosted by a pair of intercooled 88mm turbochargers, custom forged rods, solid roller cam, ported heads and oversized valves. The result is somewhere near 2000 horsepower, give or take. And on Sunday, the SpeedLiner clocked a 330.7 mph top speed on the Bonneville Salt Flats, claiming the record for the fastest wheel-driven, gasoline powered vehicle in the world.

Reports indicate that Spectre is looking to hit 400 mph, so this may very well not be the last we've heard from the SpeedLiner. In the meantime, you can check out a trio of videos after the jump.

[Source: SpectrePerformance via Auto-Focus.us]

Continue reading VIDEO: Cadillac-powered Spectre SpeedLiner sets world record for gas-powered, wheel-driven vehicles

VIDEO: Cadillac-powered Spectre SpeedLiner sets world record for gas-powered, wheel-driven vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: South African man sets speed record for blind - in 200 mph SL Black Series!

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Etc., Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black - Click above for high-res image gallery

Looks like Luc Costermans (a.k.a. the Blind Belgian) is no longer the world's fastest sight-challenged driver. The latest person to snatch the world land speed record for the blind is South Africa's Hein Wagner. Wagner, who has been blind since birth, pushed a borrowed Mercedes-Benz SL65 Black Series to 322.5 km/h, just a tick over 200 mph. That puts him in the Guinness Book of World Records, ahead of Costermans, and it's not the first record for Wagner, though.

This is the same man who became the first South African to set a world land speed record, sighted or not, back in 2005 when he pushed a Maserati to 167 MPH. The deposed champion, Costermans, can take consolation in being the first blind man to break the 300 km/h barrier. Wagner himself might have to be content with being the first to break 200 mph, as previous record holder Mike Newman hopes to take an 1,800-hp Keating TKR supercar well past that figure later this month. In fact Newman is going after the overall production car speed record of 257 mph currently held by the SSC Ultimate Aero.

For now at least, the record belongs to Wagner. His record run was achieved on the runway at the Upington International Airport in Northern Cape, South Africa, with copilot Ray Wakefield of Speedrecord SA riding shotgun. Wagner has always had an adventurous streak, having previously run the New York Marathon (in 4:27!), skydived (skydove?) from 10,000 feet, completed the Construction du Cap bike race solo, competed in the Cape-to-Rio yacht race, and he has even climbed the ten highest peaks in the Western Cape. Wagner is raising money for his Vision Trust organization, which makes technology more accessible to the blind.

So what's up next for Wagner? He plans to fly a Boeing from London to Johannesburg -- with passengers. It was probably hard enough to find one passenger for the drive in the Benz, getting a full load of passengers for the flight might take a bit more persuading. But what the heck, it's for a good cause, right? Thanks for the tip, Dean!

Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series

[Source: News 24]

REPORT: South African man sets speed record for blind - in 200 mph SL Black Series! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buckeye Bullet 2 claims land speed record for fuel cell vehicles, 300.992 mph

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Electric

We first heard about the Buckeye Bullet 2 about two years ago when we covering the Ford Fusion 999 land speed record project. The student engineering team from Ohio State University was collaborating with engineers from Ford and the two teams shared data on improving performance of the fuel cell and electric motor system. While Ford finished the Fusion program after setting a 207 mph record, the OSU team has soldiered on.

This week at the Bonneville Salt Flats the team made another attempt at hitting their target of 300 mph. After making the required two passes in opposite directions, the hydrogen fueled streamliner finally topped the magic mark. Over the flying mile, the car averaged 299.900 mph. In the flying kilometer, the average was 300.992 mph, with a top recorded speed of 304 mph. That makes this the first hydrogen vehicle to top 300 mph and the fastest FIA recorded speed for an electric drive vehicle. The original battery powered Buckeye Bullet 1 has a national record of 314.958 mph and maximum recorded speed of 321.834 mph.

[Source: Buckeye Bullet Blog]

Buckeye Bullet 2 claims land speed record for fuel cell vehicles, 300.992 mph originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Art Arfons' Green Monster LSR car

Frank Filipponio — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:54:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Auctions

Art Arfons' Green Monster - Click above for high-res image gallery

Are you the kind of guy who thinks top speed is everything? Want car that can be called the fastest thing on wheels without exaggerating? Think a Veyron is fast? How about a Top Fuel dragster? At 320 mph, nobody would call one slow, but it wouldn't be half as fast as the car we have for you today. It's a genuine Land Speed Record (LSR) car that has done 650 mph! Is that fast enough for ya, slick? Well, it was fast enough for one guy named Slick, who topped 650 mph with the car at Bonneville in 1978.

Based on the Green Monster that the legendary, jet-engine-pioneering Art Arfons built and raced in the '60s, this eBay Motors offering was built from the pieces of that three-time record holder after it was crashed by Arfons in 1966. Art had already run 576+ in the car but crashed trying for more. After rebuilding the Green Monster, minus its adjustable front wing, Arfons never raced it again, instead selling it to Slick Gardner who ran it frequently, ultimately topping 650 mph in 1978.

According to the listing, it features a 15,000-pound thrust, 17,500 horsepower General Electric J-79 jet engine from a B-58 Hustler bomber that Arfons bought for $5,000. When Arfons repaired and tested the engine, it "rattled windows over a wide area and incinerated his chicken coop." It has a padded cell for a cockpit (but no straightjacket as far as we can tell) and it rides on LSR grooved steel wheels. The car currently resides in the parking garage at The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and the the bidding so far has failed to reach the reserve at just $51,100.

Gallery: Art Arfons' Green Monster

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Art Arfons' Green Monster LSR car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Fast: Jesse James' hydrogen speed "record" challenged

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Celebrities, Electric

Did Jesse James really pilot a hydrogen-fueled vehicle faster than anyone else ever has in history? Possibly. Did he set a world record as claimed in doing so? Not so fast says noted world landspeed historian Louise Ann Noeth. It seems that Jesse's run wasn't quite up the the standards of a proper world record undertaking. Says Noeth:

The claim is without merit since the activities were conducted without benefit of any motorsports sanctioning authority. The vehicle was neither inspected, nor certified and all the timing personnel were on the James TV payroll. World speed records require two runs over a one-mile course within one hour. James was 5,148 feet short -- being timed one-way for a total of 132 feet; he made only three or four passes over an eight to ten-hour period. Any world record holder will tell you it's quite a technical feat to hold speed for a full mile.

Ouch. When given the opportunity to explain the apparent discrepancies between his so-called record run and the actual official record-holding BMW HR2, Louise says "James responded with a short crude retort that reminded her that vulgarity is indeed the refuge of a destitute mind." In conclusion, she adds:

Mr. James efforts count for absolutely nothing on the world motorsports stage and amount to little more than a self-promoting "TV racer" PR stunt since he chose to ignore the sport's sanctioning rules that have applied to all records certified for the past 80 years.

Click past the break for more from the official press release.

[Source: Landspeed Louise]

Continue reading Not So Fast: Jesse James' hydrogen speed "record" challenged

Not So Fast: Jesse James' hydrogen speed "record" challenged originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jesse James successfully sets new hydrogen land-speed record

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:25:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Green, Celebrities, Electric

Earlier this month, we caught wind of Jesse James' plan to set a new land-speed record in a hydrogen-powered vehicle. According to a press release issued by Spike TV, the daredevil motorcycle enthusiast was successful in his quest, hitting a top speed of 199.7 miles per hour on a run the El Mirage dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert in California.

Though ultimately successful, the run didn't go off without a hitch. Apparently, the car needed three passes before the crew was able to keep enough blowing dust out of the cockpit and feed enough air into the monster 740-hp hydrogen-fueled 572 cubic-inch Chevrolet V8 engine.

The previous mark for a hydrogen-burning car was set by BMW in Germany a few years back with its H2H race car. James seems pleased with his accomplishment, saying, "This, I honestly believe, is world-changing. We can't rely on gasoline forever. I'm paying it forward."

Want to see the whole thing go down? Tune in to Spike TV to watch Jesse James is a Dead Man on Sunday, August 9th at 10 pm Eastern.

Continue reading Jesse James successfully sets new hydrogen land-speed record

Jesse James successfully sets new hydrogen land-speed record originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Jesse James plans land-speed record for hydrogen-powered streamliner

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:32:00 EST

Filed under: Electric

Famous motorcycle builder and all-around celebrity Jesse James plans to attempt a new world record top speed run for a hydrogen-powered vehicle later this month on a dry lake bed somewhere in California. The actual car being used is a former land speeder called the Dees-Milodon Engineering-Davis B Streamliner, which had previously attained speeds as high as 237 mph at Bonneville.

Replacing the car's old Chrysler powerplant will be a brand new 572 cubic inch Chevy crate motor that's been converted to run on gaseous hydrogen and is force fed by twin turbochargers that add 50 pounds of boost. The fuel will be stored in 10,000 psi tanks sourced from hydrogen specialists Quantum Technologies.

If you think piloting a ~~ticking time bomb~~ land speed record car from the 1960s that's carrying a ton of compressed hydrogen and has been beefed up with a fully modern and ridiculously potent powerplant is crazy, that's what Jesse's going for. The actual event will be recorded as part of the upcoming series, Jesse James is a Dead Man.

[Source: AutoWeek]

REPORT: Jesse James plans land-speed record for hydrogen-powered streamliner originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Deal of the Day: Mazda 323 GTX Bonneville Salt Flats LSR racer

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Auctions, Hatchback, Mazda

While surfing eBay Motors we came across item number 170293663976. It's a Mazda 323 GTX with only 7,814 original miles on it, which makes the $6,500 Buy It Now price seems reasonable. Long before the Subaru Impreza WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution became household names by offering turbocharged, all-wheel-drive, Japanese rally car goodness to the common man, there was a similar offering from Mazda. From 1988-89, Mazda buyers could go into their local dealership and order a turbocharged, intercooled, sixteen-valve, 132-hp Mazda 323 GTX. That might not seem so remarkable to people growing up in the era of the Mazdaspeed3, but back then it was quite extraordinary. The 323 GTX was built to help Mazda meet FIA homologation rules so Mazda could go rallying. Despite that attractive package, only about 1200 GTXs ended up in American garages, mainly because they were kind of expensive compared to the competition. A similarly quick 16-valve VW GTI cost about $1,000 less, for instance.

When you read the description for this particular listing, though, you realize this little Mazda has a few extras. For instance, this particular GTX has a roll cage. It also has some stickers on it. There are a ton of auxiliary gauges inside as well. Okay, it's a race car. Peering under the hood you see that the owner has made a few modifications to the engine bay: instead of the stock 132-horsepower four-banger, there resides a 1.5L race motor that pumps out more three times as much chutzpah. In fact, it puts out 425 hp, enough to push this little pocket rocket to a top speed of 177 miles-per-hour. And that figure is verified.

You see, this is a Bonneville class record holder. Based on the 1987 factory WRC model, Don Marsh's Patrick Motors, of Dublin, Ohio had Roger Mandeville of Mandeville Auto Tech in Spartanburg, S.C. do the build. It still holds the N/R SCCA Land Speed Record. As the description says, "The car is incredibly versatile. It could be used in Land Speed Racing, Drag Racing, Road Racing, Rallying, Drifting and Solo events as well." You could even change the gearing and try to crack 200 mph. One thing you might have trouble doing with it is getting it registered for the road. Those Goodyear LSR tires don't look to be D.O.T. approved, but what do we care? We love the idea of owning the fastest example of anything for just $6500. The bidding ends January 18 at 18:30:00 PST, so get on it.

Gallery: Bonneville Mazda 323 GTX

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Deal of the Day: Mazda 323 GTX Bonneville Salt Flats LSR racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: World's fastest Honda Civic

Merritt Johnson — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Tuners, Honda

Driving around the streets of Los Angeles, it is easy to spot a plethora of Honda Civics attempting to achieve the appearance of the world's fastest economy car. Huge shopping cart wings, monster tachometers and racing stripes often highlight the package. Legitimate world record speed isn't achieved on any city street, however, and not with any aerodynamic packages reminiscent of shopping. It is achieved on the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah. The latest records indicate that there is only one car with the claim to the title of World's Fastest Honda Civic. That car happens to belong to automotive writer Richard Holdener and it is currently available for sale on eBay.

Richard's Lucas Oil sponsored 1999 Honda Civic Si ran a top speed of 227.7 mph back in August of this year. Despite the Civic's ability to produce 728 hp at 29 psi of boost, the record was achieved with only 15.2 psi. Inherently weak stock Honda CV joints were apparently the hold-up in laying down the full power band. It certainly wasn't due to any failure of the engine components, since the parts list reads like a roll call of some of the best names in the American Honda tuning game. Any small-displacement four cylinder engine tuned to output in excess of 700 ponies has to be stocked to the gills with improvements. The cost to own this piece of history, and the potential to make some of your own, starts at $21,777.77. The car's located in Las Vegas, Nevada, so those must be some lucky 7's in the price.

Thanks for the tip Srihari!

Gallery: World's Fastest Civic

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: World's fastest Honda Civic originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bloodhound supersonic car shooting for 1,000 MPH and new Land Speed Record

John Neff — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

Click above for gallery of the 1,000-mph Blackhound SSC

The current land speed record (LSR) for an earth-bound motor vehicle is 763 mph, which was set by Andy Green behind the wheel of the Thrust SSC back in 1997. That car was designed by Richard Noble, among others, and he and his driver are teaming up again to build a new supersonic car (SSC) to shatter the old record on its way to a new LSR of 1,000 mph. The new car is called the Bloodhound Project, a curious name since "speed" doesn't readily come to mind when thinking about that particular breed of canine, but whatever. The new Bloodhound SSC will be powered by three engines: a hybrid rocket, Eurojet EJ200 jet engine and 800bhp V12 engine, the latter of which will pull the vehicle around at low speeds and act as a starter motor - the world's most powerful starter motor - for the jet engine. The car's design is also completely different from that of the Thrust SSC, which Green and Noble used to set the current LSR. That car had two outboard jet engines, but in order to reach speeds of Mach 1.4 on the ground, the Bloodhound SSC will use a narrower fuselage that's been aerodynamically optimized to safely travel at speeds approaching 1,000 mph. Since this is an engineering exercise, the Brit-based Bloodhound team will gear up to their ultimate goal by scheduling successive runs to reach 800 mph in 2009, 900 mph in 2010 and finally 1,000 mph in 2011. You can read more about the car from Noble himself at the project's website, or check out the current design mockup in our gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Qkthr!

Gallery: 1,000-mph Bloodhound SSC

[Source: BloodhoundSSC.com]

Bloodhound supersonic car shooting for 1,000 MPH and new Land Speed Record originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jet-powered record-breaker seeks petite woman

Noah Joseph — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising

Single-engine jet-powered dragster seeking female companion for thrilling adventure across salt flats. Petite build. Background in motorsports or aviation. With sponsors. Interested parties please contact Eric Ahlstrom (eahlstrom@pyramid.net), program manager, Steve Fossett World Land Speed Racing Team.

It's not exactly the kind of personal add you'd normally find in your local newspaper, but those are the criteria required by a team mounting the latest attempt at the land speed record. The 48-foot-long land-bound jet is powered by a 40,000-hp S&S LM-1500 turbine mounted in a sleek, aerodynamic body that is claimed to have less than a quarter the drag coefficient of the Trust SSC, the - ahem - "vehicle", if you could call it that, which currently holds the record.

Unfortunately, the design of the jetmobile necessitated a tiny cockpit, so they need a tiny driver to operate the thing. The pilot will be involved in each step along the road to the record attempt, including feedback on developmental runs and system tests slated for the next couple of months before they finally make a run at the record. Anyone have Danica Patrick's number? Oh wait, we do!

[Source: Inside Line]

Jet-powered record-breaker seeks petite woman originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford's Hydrogen Fusion 999 qualifies for top speed run at Bonneville

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:04:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Green, Ford

Click the Fusion for high-res images from Bonneville

Matt Zuehlk and his team comprised of engineers and technicians from Ford, Roush and Ballard Power Systems finally hit the Bonneville Salt Flats this past weekend after months of preparation and weeks of vehicle integration testing. On Sunday, Driver Rick Byrnes made a qualification run at over 161 mph with the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Fusion.

Now the team will be spending the rest of this week working their way up to over 200 mph as they try to establish a land speed record for a production-bodied fuel cell car. The Ford team is also working with the Ohio State University team who are trying to get their Buckeye Bullet 2 streamliner up over 350mph.

[Source: Ford, via AutoblogGreen]

Ford's Hydrogen Fusion 999 qualifies for top speed run at Bonneville originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Ford starts testing the Hydrogen Fusion 999

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Green, Videos, Ford

Click on the Fusion for a gallery of shots from the first track test of the 999

Finished off in gray primer, the Ford Hydrogen Fusion 999 rolled out of the garage at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio this weekend. The team checked out all the systems on the vehicle, started up the fuel cell in the vehicle for the first time and then started some un-powered runs to check out the brakes and steering. A series of runs with a push start up to 60mph from a truck confirmed that details like the ability to stop in a timely manner did indeed function. Once they confirmed it would stop, it was time to see if it would go. For the full story on the development and testing of the hydrogen Fusion head over to AutoblogGreen. There's also a video after the jump.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ford starts testing the Hydrogen Fusion 999

VIDEO: Ford starts testing the Hydrogen Fusion 999 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jul 2007 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford attempting land speed record with Fusion Hydrogen 999 Racer

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:05:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Green, Ford

click above image for more high-res pics of Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 Racer

Ford thinks it's time to make hydrogen sexy. Capitalizing on its 10 years of hydrogen research expertise, the automaker is headed to the Bonneville Salt Flats in August to go for a few world land speed records with a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Ford Fusion. Actually, there will be two vehicles going to Bonneville. The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 pictured above is a collaboration with Ballard, Roush and Ohio State University. It features a 770-hp electric motor and is going after the production-based fuel cell-powered vehicle title. We're not sure what the current record is (ha ha, current), or if one even exists, but with 770 hp, we're guessing this Fusion should be good for some serious speed.

The second car is a bit more radical. Ford is working with student engineers from Ohio State University on the Buckeye Bullet 2. This one is a fuel cell-powered racer that will compete in the unlimited class. The "2" in the name should be a tip-off that these guys have tried this before. In 2004, the BB1 ran 315 mph and set the unlimited land speed record for an electric vehicle.

Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford attempting land speed record with Fusion Hydrogen 999 Racer

Ford attempting land speed record with Fusion Hydrogen 999 Racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Letting off some steam: vapor-powered car goes for land speed record

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:02:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Green

A British team is out to demolish the land speed records for a steam powered vehicle in both the kilometer and the mile. The records are 121.6 mp for the kilo, set in 1906, and an unofficial 145.6 mph for the mile, set in 1985. As if using tap water to go stupid fast wasn't cool enough, they're doing it in a vehicle straight out of Buck Rogers' garage. The chief designer worked on both the Thrust 2 Jet Car and the ThrustSSC. The "car" in question is made of aluminum and carbon composites sitting a tubular steel frame. Out back, there's a two-stage, LPG-fired Curtis-type steam turbine fed by four boilers. Total output is only 325 bhp, but the team expects to break 200 mph using an output shaft gear ratio of 5:1. No word on whether Peter Gabriel is providing the official theme song.

Thanks for the tip, sr20boston

[Source: Steam Car]

Letting off some steam: vapor-powered car goes for land speed record originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed: Land Speed Record cars

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:02:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

The theme of the 2007 Festival of Speed was Spark of Genius - Breaking Records, Pushing Boundaries, and so it's fitting that Land Speed Record (LSR) vehicles were given a special display at this year's event. A group of the vehicles was arranged on the cricket pitch, including several from Bonneville Speed Weeks past. There was the 1960 Challenger 1 (4 engines, 400+ mph), The Blue Flame, which managed better than 630 mph in 1970, a Ford Coupe, some MGs, the 1949 SoCal belly-tank car (198 mph), and even the newest -- the JCB DieselMax that we have written about fairly extensively in the past year or so. There were many others as well, but none could top Babs.

With its huge 27-liter Liberty engine, it set a record of 170 mph in 1926 before crashing the next year. The driver didn't survive and the car itself was buried in a hole in the beach for a number of years. It was finally dug up in 1969 and restored. And Babs was here this weekend, all 20-something feet of her. The best part of that story is that Babs was fired up, to the appreciation of the crowd, and run up the hill all weekend. Oversteering in the rain and everything. It was an absolutely amazing vehicle amidst so many other great stories here at Goodwood.

Gallery: 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed: Land Speed Record cars

2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed: Land Speed Record cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ABG Exclusive: Ford and OSU team up for fuel cell land speed record

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 23 May 2007 22:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Green, Technology, Ford

Ford and Ohio State University are teaming up to attempt a double land speed record for fuel cell-powered vehicles. Ohio State already holds the land speed record for electrically driven vehicles at 315 mph with the battery-powered Buckeye Bullet. Now they are providing the motor and fuel cell that will power the Ford Fusion XV1 and the Buckeye Bullet 2 when they head out to Bonneville to try and set dual records for fuel cell powered vehicles in the unlimited and production classes. AutoblogGreen has the information and will be providing more coverage over the coming weeks and months.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

ABG Exclusive: Ford and OSU team up for fuel cell land speed record originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 May 2007 22:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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French V150 tops Veyron by more than 100 mph

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:56:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Europe

Sister blog Gadling just posted this video of a French assault on the worlds fastest vehicle title. Forget the Veyron's 253 mph or the projected 273 that the SSC Ultimate Aero TT will do, this Gallic bullet just hit 357.2 mph! While the Bug and Aero have around 1,000 hp to help push them towards glory, this puppy packs a whopping 25,000 hp. And it's not just about top speed here, this baby corners like it's on rails. OK, it literally corners on rails because it's a train. It still rides on wheels. Fine, its a stretch, but it is a pretty amazing speed for a train. Although a Japanese bullet train still holds a slightly higher overall speed record at 361 mph, that was a mag-lev with no wheels touching the ground during the run. Semantics, sure, but fun none-the-less.

Actually, top-fuel dragsters are approaching these speeds, albeit in just a quarter mile, and various Land Speed Record streamliners have hit speeds in excess of 400 mph, but seeing something this huge hustling along the French countryside is breathtaking. This specially equipped TGV was pulling three double-decker cars and had larger diameter wheels fitted, plus it had a boosted engine and increased voltage in the overhead lines. But even the regular TGV motors along at around 300 km/h on a typical run. High speed trains are increasingly being pitched to markets as varied as China and California, so these tests serve not only to draw attention to this mode of transportation, but to test updates in track and engine configurations. The full video of the record run is after the jump.

[Source: Gadling]

Continue reading French V150 tops Veyron by more than 100 mph

French V150 tops Veyron by more than 100 mph originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JCB Dieselmax honored with Dewar Trophy

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:35:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Green

Along with the LeMans sports racers from Audi and Peugeot, the JCB Dieselmax is probably the best poster child for how well a diesel can perform at the highest levels of motorsports. You may remember the JCB Dieselmax, as it was the streamliner that set a new Land Speed Record (LSR) for diesel cars last August by going more than 350 mph. We covered it quite extensively, as it was a pretty amazing feat. And we're not the only ones who took notice. The Dieselmax just won a fairly prestigious award.

This award is known as the Dewar Trophy, and it was presented by the Royal Automobile Club. They are pretty selective about handing out the trophy, as well. In the last hundred years, the trophy has only been awarded 39 times. Ricardo was the last to receive it for its work on the dual clutch transmission used in the Bugatti Veyron, among other vehicles. Coincidentally, Ricardo was also involved in the JCB Dieselmax project. It was one of the companies that helped construction giant JCB achieve a whopping 750bhp out of each of the Dieselmax engines. That level of thrust was good enough to push the LSR car to a two-way average of 350.092mph. And as test driver Andy Green explained, he never even had a chance to grab top gear!

[Source: Car Keys]

JCB Dieselmax honored with Dewar Trophy originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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