BOLD RIDE
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Most people don’t build massively powerful jet engines. Then again, Robert Maddox isn’t ‘most people’. Rather, he’s the brain behind a number of modern pulsejet engines, creator of numerous jet-powered vehicles, and an overall do-er of daredevilish things.
This jet-powered ‘lakester’ is one of his stunning builds. It packs bits from a fighter plane drop tank, features an 11-foot custom-built pulsejet engine, and outputs 550 pounds of thrust. If this sounds like your type of cocktail, you’re in luck, because Maddox has put his salt flat racer on eBay, and it could be yours for right around $30,000.
The pulsejet – a type of jet-engine which combusts fuel in pulses – is no modern creation. Its roots trace back to the 19th century, though it’s remembered best for its role in World War II as the powerplant behind the German V-1 cruise missile. Though not the most efficient engine in the world, it can produce some serious speed, which explains why Maddox decided to build a salt flat racer around one.
At its core the ‘lakester’ is comprised of a P-38 Lightning fighter plane drop tank, worked over by legendary custom car builder Randy Grubb. Inside, a steel space frame supports the body as well as the stainless steel pulsejet engine fitted in the back. Upon ignition, six high pressure fuel pumps shovel gasoline into the jet, generating up to 550 pounds of thrust and eating between two and six gallons of fuel every minute.
In the listing, Maddox describes the car as more of an art piece than actual record breaker, especially given its classic post-war styling cues. But after seeing and hearing this thing fire up, you can be pretty sure it has the speed checkbox pretty well ticked.
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