Other Cars
This page has nothing to do with Austin Healeys. It
is here to give you a feel for the WIDE VARIETY of hardware (cars & motorcycles)
that show up to run at Bonneville. |
Some
people show up with their cars still being built.
Happy for the rain delay,
this crew spent 2 full days
finishing their car in the hotel parking lot.
These guys didn't run, but they look as if they are straight out of the movie "Grease".
Betty Boop and a 1948 Crosley.
This
car is owned and driven by an optometrist from Denton, TX.
Note the Texas flag
on the tail.
THIS car was powered by a Volkswagen Rabbit diesel engine
This is the "Buckeye Bullet" in its trailer
The
Buckeye Bullet has been built by engineering students of Ohio State University.
It is powered by feeding 5000 PSI hydrogen and oxygen into fuel cells that
produce
900 amps of 3 phase current. That current is then fed into an 800
HP electric motor.
It ran 303 MPH. Visit their
web site at http://buckeyebullet.com
This car was sponsored by a group of U S Marines
I suppose even kids show up in Dad's car
This
car has a motorcycle engine and transmission and
will have its body panels
reinstalled before running.
This old Jaguar has a big Buick 6 cylinder in it.
This
car is made from a old airplane wing tank.
These designs go back to the 1950's.
When
not being moved, X arms at the rear and front of the trailer are
swung outward
to support a canopy to keep the sun off the car.
Even diesel trucks show up. This is "The Dragon" .
Diesels are smokey things.
Some people have been coming here for a LONG time.
This
was the most unusual vehicle we saw. It is called a "Street Luge". It
has a 100 HP Harley Davidson
motorcycle engine. The driver lies down on his
back with his feet behind the nose, his shoulders
against the pads, and his
head on the pillion. Like a skateboard, he steers by rolling his body side-to-side.
The driver's daughter broke 130 MPH on a Susuki powered luge. He was hoping
to break 150 on this one.
NOT ME ! ! !
This one has textured aluminum treads on the wheels. No rubber tires !
It is a TIGHT fit for the driver.
We
were struck by how really SMALL some of these cars are. Even though they have
pointed
noses, they are still pushing air aside. The smaller the frontal area,
they faster they can go.
The "Black Line to the Horizon" that we have all seen in the movies.
These are the pits on the left and the starting line is on the right as seen from Interstate 80
One
of the men who was with Donald Healey and was part of the team
of
record breaking drivers in 1954 was fellow Brit. and veteran
Bonneville record
holder Captain George Eyston (Easton).
Compared with the cars of today, his
car was HUGE !
Read more about Cpt. George Eyston and his Thunderbolt - HERE
"Bonneville is something that EVERY gearhead ought to do once !" - Tim Moran
The End