Jet car

Blazing Angel jet dragster
A jet dragster in action
Two jet dragsters

A jet car is a car propelled by a jet engine. A jet dragster is a jet powered car used for drag racing. They are most commonly seen at race shows.

Land speed record

Jet powered cars are commonly used for land speed record attempts, after an FIA rule change that permitted them in 1964.[1]

Drag racers

Some cars such as Green Monster and Vampire raced as dragsters (as well as also achieving or attempting land speed records).

In 2006, while filming an episode for the series Top Gear, presenter and driver Richard Hammond was critically injured in a crash with the jet dragster, Vampire, that he was piloting.[2]

More modern jet dragsters such as Robert Albertson's "Blazing Angel" are capable of reaching over 300mph in a quarter of a mile.

Most of these modern cars are powered by the Pratt & Whitney J60 or the General Electric J85 jet engine.

See also

References

  1. "from our motoring correspondent" (December 12, 1964). "Land Speed Record Agreement". The Times (Issue 56193). p. 7, col E.
  2. "Top Gear presenter 'nearly died'". BBC. 2006-10-23. Retrieved 2008-11-23.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jet-powered automobiles.


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