Video: SPEED pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare

Aaron Richardson — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Videos, Chevrolet, Dodge, Specialty

Jet-powered Dodge Caravan - Click above to watch video after the jump

There are two ways to do jet-powered vehicles. On one hand, you have the deliciously simple and effective method of strapping a used jet engine to a car or truck, and letting the thrust do the rest.

On the other, slightly more complicated side, you can attach a turbine to a shaft drive, translating the thrust to the rear wheels via a differential. Both are viable, albeit expensive, ways of adding jet propulsion to your car. But which is faster?

SPEED took it upon itself to find out, pitting a thrust-powered Chevrolet S-10 against a shaft-driven Dodge Caravan. The Caravan uses a helicopter engine hooked to its rear wheels in conjunction with its standard gas engine up front. The truck relies solely on good, old-fashioned thrust. Click past the jump to see who's faster over an eighth-mile drag strip.

[Source: Streetfire]

Continue reading Video: SPEED pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare

Video: SPEED pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEOS: Jet-powered Dodge Caravan earns its Sports badge

Chris Tutor — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, Dodge

Chris Krug has what we think might be the most bad-ass late-90's Dodge Caravan in the world. Like us, he apparently thought the 150-hp V6 just wasn't enough and added some supplemental power via a 1,000-hp helicopter jet engine. But he left the original piston powerplant in place to retain its street-legal status.

It's not easy to describe the rapidity at which Krug's green Caravan explodes off the line and down the track. It's seriously disconcerting to watch almost two tons of toddler-hauling mediocrity running an 11.17-second quarter mile with flames shooting out the back hatch. The black and white soccer ball sticker on the liftgate only further cements the surreal feeling that this van is just not right.

The turbine is government surplus and the flames are courtesy of judicious use of fuel sprayed into the helicopter engine's exhaust. Though the pyrotechnics make for a good show, Krug says they provide no boost in acceleration. The whole thing only cost about $17,000 to build. Krug says his Vanzilla tops out at only 113 mph because he still needs to do some work on the rear axle ratio. If it were us, we'd see about getting some wider rubber on those back wheels, too.

After you've watched the video above several times, click through to the jump for even more footage of this unholy amalgam of military might and mom-approved mobility.

[Source: Hacked Gadgets via Gizmodo]

Continue reading VIDEOS: Jet-powered Dodge Caravan earns its Sports badge

VIDEOS: Jet-powered Dodge Caravan earns its Sports badge originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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