|
TURBO-SONIC
Built
in the early 60’s, the Turbo-Sonic was designed as the 25th
century three-wheel racing car to develop speeds of 300 mph in
a quarter mile racing strip powered by a 50 pound fuel burning
turbine engine that can reach 1,000 horsepower.
This car was engineered in a combination of monacoque and crossframe
construction using alloy tube frame plus a lunamite sheet stock
also fiberglass fireproof light weight wings. Controls are operated
on a four stage solenoid electrical system for safety, with inner-cockpit
fuel mixture switches, and can be operated with a remote control
unit for testing stages 50 feet away from the automobile. Driver
sits in a complete safety fireproof cockpit and encased in a unitized
cross tube frame roll bar. Two-way radio will be used to transmit
dial readings and car controlling effects between driver and pit
crew. Total weight of the car dry is 850 pounds with a wing span
of 7 feet 9 inches and a v-shaped length of 17 feet encased in
a spear-headed delta v-shaped aero-dynamic design fuselage and
streamlined wing tip wheel covered pads.
Engine operates through a v-drive gear reduction unit and directly
into a reversed ring and pinion rear end which drives each wheel
independently turning 92,000 revolutions per minute and reduced
16 to 1 developing 8,000 revolutions per minute at the wheels.
For stopping the vehicle, a combination of an offset blown parachute
plus four stabilizer wing flaps are used, and for low speed stopping
are Airheart spot disc brakes. To finish off this ultra sonic
design, the color is 40 coats of transformation in a turbine fire
effect flame of pearl and fire frost flakes from a white pearl
nose into a translucent yellow into an after-burning orange finishing
off into fire red. Designed and built by Barris Kustom City, co-owned
by Mr. R. E. Barrett. Engineering and styling contributions are
by Mr. Les Tompkins, Mr. Dick Dean and Mr. Tom Daniels. Test driver
was Mr. S. P. Torgeson. |
