Goldenrod (car)
The Goldenrod is an American record car, the Bob Summers on November 12, 1965 was using, on the Bonneville Flats with 658.649 km / h speed record for about the wheels set up powered vehicles.
"Hot Rodders " Cooperation with aircraft engineers
A golden hue, the 1957 Chevrolet used for paint, gave the car the color and first half of the name. The ending was due to the fact that the two initiators - next to driver Bob 's brother Bill Summers was involved as team manager - "Hot Rodder " were and the car had dozens of appropriate precursors. Already from the name, the project was thus settled on a low-cost level - a quarter million dollar came to the conclusion together - quite the contrast to be beating Bluebird CN 7 ( 648.7 km / h ) of the British Donald Campbell, whose company 5 had devoured millions of dollars. But of the 4.5 x 12 meter shed in Ontario (California), formerly the seat of a vegetable trade, in which the vehicle was built, was not to be closed on a too naive approach to the task: George Hurst, owner of Hurst Performance Products had brought with a sponsorship check for $ 5000 movement in the scene, he was followed by Firestone, Mobil Oil, Chrysler, and the spark plug manufacturer champion. Aircraft engineer was used to develop and test a scale model of the car in the wind tunnel.
Four " elephant engine" under aluminum sheet
Unlike her fellow Mickey Thompson, whose four Challenger V8 engines were arranged in pairs side by side I in 1959, translated the buzzer on four machines, which were coupled to a line in pairs on the flywheel side via a transmission. Laterally, the power flow went past the motor on the front or rear axle individually suspended on wishbones wheels - included suspension. The Chrysler eight-cylinder naturally aspirated V- each with 426 cubic inch (7 liter) engine capacity were largely seriennah, only the mechanical Hilborn petrol injection has been changed. The performance of the known as the " elephant engine" aggregate was 700 hp nevertheless considerable, albeit accompanied by large structural dimensions and heavy weight. Bill and Bob Summers welded together by hand the steel frame and built the aluminum body. The 535 mm above the bonnet very low level of car related to the use of specially developed for the Goldenrod tires with 16-inch (406 mm) had a rim diameter, as he was so small not yet occurred in record-breaking car. The stress was calculated from a maximum engine speed of 6800 rpm and a gear ratio of 1.0 in the highest ( fourth ) gear.
Record run with Gifted "Salt - time "
It looked at first not look good for the Summers brothers when they loaded the Goldenrod to Bonneville in the fall of 1965, rain and wind seemed to frustrate all the plans. A late period of good weather fell on days when others had already posted the track on the salt. But then the tide turned: Art Arfons had his record hunt ended successfully time and left the excess " salt - time " the friend of his colleagues. With eight runs on the salt, everything went relatively quickly: On November 12, 1965, the Goldenrod presented with 658.649 km / h in its class a new record. The car ran in the truest sense of the word, like clockwork, a big advantage, since Bob Summers had to take off the steering wheel for switching both hands. The record attempt took place with large air intakes, recommended by the Chrysler engineers who took an aerodynamic disadvantage in favor of the air supply to the motors in purchasing. However, the Summers brothers swore by small air scoops with better aerodynamics of the car, and Bob Summers met again the next day to. 684 km / h he went in one direction, the required second run did not take place. Then, from a spectacular block team manager Bill for the future further: Given the cost and high risk, you should not tempt fate and leave it at that.
When the two " hot rodders " were started, they could assume that their performance would hardly reach to the absolute land speed record. After last year's controversy between Campbell and Breedlove, the FIA had granted the title clearly also recoil drive (eg jet engine ) moving vehicles, and those who drove in 1965 faster than 900 km / h The Summers brothers but were of the opinion that real cars are powered by friction between the tire and the ground. In this sense, was faster only in 1991 Al Teague with the turbocharged Spirit of '76 with 659.8 km / h over the flying mile.
In common with a bus from Montgomery
The borrowed engines were returned to Chrysler and the " cored " Goldenrod months on exhibition tour until he found his place on the free surface of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum for decades. Finally, he fell at an exhibition the curator of the Department of Transport of the Henry Ford Museum, Bob Casey, in the eye. In 2002, he managed to acquire the Goldenrod for this house. The restoration included, this was a very costly operation, and Casey asked with mild skepticism to the U.S. government a " Save America 's Treasures " grant, which is normally granted for the conservation of historic buildings. It was lucky, all the more remarkable, as next in automobiles such funds were only for the " Rosa Parks Bus ." The tooth of time had gnawed visible on Goldenrod, much had to be renewed: screws, nuts and washers. Otherwise, directed the restoration of the idea to get as much as possible in the original, even with less perfect results. The restoration was deliberately held in Southern California, where the vehicle was created and still people could be found who knew the car and had been working on him. Today, the Goldenrod is one of the exhibits in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.
Specifications
General data
Motor
Power transmission
Landing gear
Swell
- Rob Kinnan: American Treasure - Summers Brothers ' Goldenrod, Hot Rod Magazine ( excerpt on " johnbaechtel.com ", accessed on 15 December 2013)
- Steve Purdy: Goldenrod at The Henry Ford, published on " TheAutoChannel.com "