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Separated At Birth: We find the 2000 HP twin brother of Leno's tank car

Drew Phillips — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:28:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Etc., Misc. Auto Shows, Specialty

1946 Aero Packard Flyer "Dream Rod" - Click above for a high-res gallery

We thought a vehicle like Jay Leno's Tank Car would be a one-off. After all, how many hot rods out there are thirty feet long and have a 1792 cubic-inch turbocharged V12 underneath the hood putting out 1600 horsepower? Well, this bad boy that we spotted at the Los Angeles Concours this past weekend doesn't exactly have that powertrain, but as you can see from that massive engine poking out of its fuselage, it does have some rather impressive hardware. What is it, you ask? A 2500 cubic-inch Packard supercharged V12 originally used in a PT boat from WWII.

The 41-liter motor produces an astounding 2000 horsepower and 3000 lb-ft of torque. That's right, this thing is actually even more bad ass than Leno's tank car. Known as the "Dream Rod", it was constructed by Rodney Rucker, one of the three Blastolene Brothers also responsible for building the tank car and the insane Hemi Trike we spotted at the Grand National Roadster Show earlier this year. Check out our high-res photos in the gallery below.

Update - we've added a video of the Dream Rod starting up after the jump.

Gallery: 1946 Aero Packard Flyer Dream Rod

Continue reading Separated At Birth: We find the 2000 HP twin brother of Leno's tank car

Separated At Birth: We find the 2000 HP twin brother of Leno's tank car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2008: Leno's Tank Car storms Pebble Beach

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Chrysler, Misc. Auto Shows, Celebrities

Click above for high-res gallery of Jay's Tank Car in Monterey

We were as surprised as anyone to see Jay Leno's name on the entry list for this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Then we saw that he would be arriving in a 1953 Chrysler. As nice as 1953 Chryslers may be, Jay's is pretty special. It's an imposing custom hot rod that is powered by a 28.4-liter Chrysler built tank engine. Most people call it the Tank Car, and last year this time it was on display across the country at the Woodward Dream Cruise. The heart of the Tank Car is the 1792 cid V-12 Continental-designed, Chrsyler-built tank engine that in turbocharged form puts out something like 1,600 hp and 3,000 ft-lbs. of torque. The engine alone weighs 2,000 lbs and easily qualifies Jay's car in this year's featured 20+ liter class.

While performance isn't this car's main goal, it can scoot along pretty well with all of that power being routed through an Allison 6-speed transmission. Switching from the original 3-speed trans doubled Leno's gas mileage, which now stands at around 5 mpg. As bad as that might seem, it comes across as almost reasonable when you hear it guzzles 80 quarts of oil every time Jay swings through a Jiffy Lube. We have to admit that we were among the many fans who rushed to see the car as Jay entered the Pebble Beach fairway. It's really a spectacular sight, even at an event that is known to stop even seasoned auto afficianados in their tracks every few seconds.

Gallery: Jay Leno's Tank Car at Pebble Beach

Monterey 2008: Leno's Tank Car storms Pebble Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jay Leno's tank car gets twin turbos

John Neff — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 19:03:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Etc.

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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