Bonnevile 1954
In 1951, 52, and 54 we drove down to the Southern
California Timing Association Speed trials at Bonneville, Utah. In 54 I turned a respectable 134 MPH on gasoline and drove back home. This was
no match for the California cars that ran radical cams and fuel and were
towed there and back but again it was a lot of fun and we made some good
friends. Years later, they did establish a class for street roadsters.
Here's some photos taken at Bonneville.
About this time I purchased a thirty three 5
window coupe and the roadster was put into hibernation. I put a 283 Chev
with a Corvette cam and manifold with a Ford transmission, 26 tooth
Zephyr gears, and a 3.54 rear end. By this time Chev engines to Ford
transmission adapters were readily available so this simplified matters.
The coupe did an easy 95 mph in second gear and made a nice street
machine.
By the time I got back to the roadster, it had gotten pretty rusty from
three trips to the Salt Flats. I took it down to the frame and had the
frame and body sand-blasted and then gave it the red and white paint
job. I was in the process of reassembly when I heard about a
Boeing 502-8 gas turbine engine for sale in a surplus lot in New York.
This opened up a whole new set of possibilities so I had a friend in New
York purchase the engine and ship it to me in Seattle and now we get to
the real story of the "The Turbine Roadster"
Return to Top and click on Turbine
