Thanks to all who have pointed out that COSL used an Allison engine, NOT a Liberty, also those who questioned the source of the aircraft tank Athol used to fashion the bodywork. I'm planning an update to this video at some point in the future, when I'll correct these points! (NB the version of this video now showing next to the car in Wallsburg, Utah has already been corrected).
I noticed that as well,have several newspaper articles of Bert Munro from that era concerning his racing that were passed on to me by my late Father who was a fan of Bett Auckland New Zealand 2024
Thank you so much for this video. I remember reading about Athol Graham’s work and attempt in the Reader’s Digest, sometime in the early ‘60’s. I never knew about the other attempts or the final restoration for the museum. Thanks again.
I do not know if you read these comments. I just found one of your videos from my 4yo playlist and rewatched it, great content, and now going to check other videos while I am not interested in the subject matter beyond curiosity. I am surprised by low subscriber count compared to the quality of the content. Great job.
Brilliant ! I've watched in search of speed a thousand times and still get a tear in my eye, these people were truly special, different to todays F1 prima donners , still have mid sixties Hot Rod mags covering Bonneville, our only source of info over here in UK at the time , Art Arfons was my hero, still regret not traveling from London to Bournemouth airport to see him and Green Monster run , thankyou , Keith Powell.
The pursuit of a dream can end in many ways. The gods of speed deemed the City of Salt Lake not worthy of a record, but instead gave it a story to pass on through history. The car came back to the family, was rebuilt to its glory, and is being presented to those who enjoy these amazing machines. Such a beautiful car needs to be shown off to the world!
It's the rocket car jockeys that get me. Not content with getting mangled or burnt to death, they have a large bomb powering the car!... Nice vid. Ta, much appreciated.
The water speed record, if not cursed, is definately bloody dangerous! Have you considered a video on Aussie Ken Warby, whose back yard built boat broke the record in 1978. A record that still stands to this day, with two challengers both losing their lives attempting to beat it. I've seen Ken's wooden boat the 'Spirit of Australia' on display at the maritime museum in Sydney.
What a great story - Indeed what drives a record breaker? - These men of the past were proper men - Really enjoyed the video - Just watched a few more of your videos - great work and very informative !
Hi Butch - thank you for your comment! Glad you liked the video, hope I got the details right (except the engine, made a stupid error there!). Congratulations on finishing the rebuild, the car looks stunning!
@ScarfAndGoggles almost got everything correct, missed on the Allison and the picture of caynon motors . You did a great job telling the story, I've had people tell me it truly touched them . Thank you
Today,inflatable tires aren't used on the streamliners going for the top speed. Plain alloy rims are used instead. Also,most land speed racers are just people doing it on a very tight budget, the high dollar teams being the exception rather than the rule.
Not surprising the changes in design over the years for wheel driven LSR vehicles. Up into the 70’s they were all “flyers”. Al Teague was another Athol working on his own version of a streamliner which attained speeds of 430+ without a true stablizer like ones used today. Today Americans should be proud of the achievements in LSR with wheel driven vehicles by the Vescos, Danny Thompson, and George Poteet and their crews.
Great storytelling! You are one of my favorite content creators in motorsport. You tell a story that we might already know the end of, in a way that still keeps me rapt. I compare your videos to good literature. For example, when one reads 'The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit'. We know how the story ends, and while the reading is enjoyable, it's tinged with foreboding and melancholy. RIP Athyl Graham, Wolfgang Von Trips, and the others who lost their lives at Monza that day. Modern GP racing is a pale comparison. Thanks again for sharing this story of bravery and ingenuity!
You're quite right - it's an Allison. Kicking myself for making that error! Thanks for your comment, hope that mis-information didn't spoil your enjoyment.
@@ScarfAndGoggles Not at all, in fact you were close - the P39 Airacobra had it's engine behind the 'driver' too - the man built himself quite a 'salt-buggy'! : )
This is a fantastic story ,your information gathering us superb . I wonder how long it will be until we see the first 1000 mph car ? Or maybe the first 3600 mph car (a mile a second ). I don't think you could build a track long enough for that !!!!!!
Great story...but I question the use of the words " belly tank " as a description of the body style. Even though Athol may have used a B-29 belly tank in its construction...I always thought belly tank cars used only the tank as the body...and had open...not closed wheels. Wasnt Athol's car more like a streamliner?
It looks like what he did was take a belly tank, split it longitudinally and used one half as the lft side and the other half as the right. Other panels were fabricated in between.
Was there another car bearing the name "City of Salt Lake"? I remember seeing a car in a museum(?) in the downtown area and it was red. But for some reason I can not remember if that was during the mid 50's or 1962 Neither of those dates match this video's given time line. Keep regreting I did not have a camera back then...
Something not right in the research here. P38 lightning did not have Liberty engines. Liberty V12 was pre WW2 400hp Aero engine. This car probably had an Alison V1710 engine that the P38s used. Good for over 1000hp. Also B29 drop tank doesn't sound right either. B29s didn't have drop tanks.
Hi - thanks for your comment. You're absolutely right about the engine - that was my error and since it was first pointed out I've been kicking myself! It was indeed an Allison engine. Regarding the B-29 drop tank, all of the material I researched mentioned the B-29. Someone has also commented that the B-29 carried extra fuel tanks in the bomb bay...
That's pretty f'd-up that his wife watched her husband die, her husband's protegee almost crash and her 2nd husband crash and nearly die. If I were her, I would have gleefully watched that car be crushed after Athol's death.
I lose interest after 40 minutes but because people I'll probably never see again cared I'm a third of the way to 40 years clean. See you all at the finish line in the sky.
We have the "City of Salt Lake" in our museum, in Wallsburg Utah. Your video is fantastic and very informative and really well done ! We would like to put in a video player on the wall above the car and play your video on a loop. Are copies available ? can I get an e mail or text info?
Hi, thanks for your comments, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Email address is on the RUclips channel (use a computer, this won't work on the mobile app) - go to the channel, click on "Welcome to Scarf & Goggles" and the email address is on the About page that will pop up. Alternatively, I have a page on Facebook and you can message me there. I look forward to hearing from you!
Not just an "Allison", but the Allison run in Bill Boeing's Unlimited hydroplane Miss Wahoo. When Boeing's team shifted to Rolls Merlin Power the race developed Allisons were sold.
Also, the canopy arrangement isn’t from a P-51. The Mustang canopy was pretty distinctive, and the one used on this car is quite different. Apart from that, this is certainly a fascinating story! Thanks much for sharing.
And here I was thinking that you've already covered everything related to LSR. I'm thrilled that I was wrong. Hope to see more in the future. I love your content.
I always expect stories of speed records to be a combination of incredible achievement and gut wrenching tragedy, and sadly this was no different. However, the sad passing of 20 year old Otto Anzjon from leukemia just felt so desperately unfair. Speed pioneers and motorsports competitors understand and accept the inherent risks in their chosen pursuits, and ultimately no-one* should be able to tell them what they can or cannot do in realising their dreams. (Obviously they have to consider the safety of others, whether they are participants or spectators, but I'm sure that's should be a given). Even though the end result would have been the same it'd maybe have been marginally less awful if Otto Anzjon had passed in the pursuit of a dream, rather than of leukaemia...at 20 years old. *When I say "no-one" of course I understand that speed pioneers have families and friends, and they are part of the decision making process. I get quite angry when I see people saying that TT racers have a "death wish" - it's always people who've never seen anything other than a five minute clip, and they don't appreciate that the racer's families and friends are with them, and it's a huge team effort - certainly not what someone with a death wish would subject their loved ones to.
Absolutely fascinating! And yet another story of which I was unaware, despite following LSR activities for over 50 years (albeit casually). Thank you so much for keeping these stories alive, with your outstanding research and production. Cheers from Canada.
Hello. I like watching your videos. Speed records on land and on water are remarkable especially in the golden era of records in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century. However, there were also speed records in the sky, everything.. for example, a dramatic attempt to set a record on a gee bee z aircraft in 32, or a speed record on a gee bee r1 aircraft in 1933, which for the first time in history exceeded the speed of 500 km per hour .. these are beautiful cars are no less brutal and beautiful than Campbell's blue bird ..
Thanks for your comment! I’m kicking myself over this - a few others have pointed it out. Hope the misinformation didn’t spoil your enjoyment of the video.
If memory serves, The City of Salt Lake was featured in Rodder's Journal magazine a few years ago, with pics taken in the early 1960's prior to it's first crash
Didn’t know the backstory to this car, splendid video. My very favorite channel, thank you so much for celebrating speed racers of yesteryear❤ 👏🏻👍🏻 Please keep up the great work!
Man, I remember the fatal crash the day it happened. We were visiting friends in Los Angeles and it came over a local radio station and the next day it was in the newspapers. Really sad. But without big $$$$ things like wind tunnels and stress analysis of critical parts as you approach the forces present at the 300+ mph threshold it's simply very very dangerous 💀☠
My uncle build a twin hemi engined car in the mid to late 60's that crashed at Bonneville I believe in 1972, killing his business partner. My understanding was it happened at 429mph. I got to sit in the cockpit shortly before this happened. Was a very snug fit. RIP Noel Black. You left a huge impression on a 12 year old boy!
This is why I became interested in motorsport. Not just for the technology, but for the stories of the people and their creativity. There is still a lot that can be covered. Sterling Moss's records. The Cobra coupe 24 hour session. And a lot of motorcycle attempts as well. Looking forward to future videos.
I was just reading about Athol Graham in my February 1960 issue of hot Rod magazine… it’s interesting because the article was written months before his crash when he was still sorting out his car and making his first attempts at the record… because he was a Mormon ex-missionary they called him an ex-missionary on a mission lol…
Side view clearly show the car resembled an aeroplane wing - and they are designed to fly. Tail end bodywork should just extend to cover the differential and the rear wheels should have long fairings to act as stabilisers.
Great stuff, another obscure land speed car I'd never heard of. I hope there are plenty more, did you cover Challenger mentioned at the start of this video?
Thank you for a great video. I often think the wrecked cars would be more poignant to see unrestored. Other old race cars that were not destroyed in a wreck are restored. To me it takes something away.
That car had a very unfavorable aerodynamic design for the front end. Too much air got compressed under it, and it would lift front end. Front tires lose traction, and the rear drive tires try to pass the front end. Hence the car is now sideways. Even though the understanding of fluid dynamics was just coming out of its infancy. This knowledge was not as accessible as it is in modern times back then. So aerodynamic design was basically, "It looks good".
It's almost a wonder many more speedheads haven't died of leukemia. The testside of Nevada's above-ground nuclear tests is less than 300 miles to the southeast. The Geiger counters of that time would sometimes have jumped in the triangle because of the high radioactive levels.
I belive there´s a race track up there where there´s no harm, just blue sky and a prime parking spot for all who died at the tracks. Where all the cars and bikes run just like intended.
you can see the reason why it crashed so much with the design of the rear body of car,it would promote lift of the rear end with downforce reducing as speed increased.
Thanks to all who have pointed out that COSL used an Allison engine, NOT a Liberty, also those who questioned the source of the aircraft tank Athol used to fashion the bodywork.
I'm planning an update to this video at some point in the future, when I'll correct these points! (NB the version of this video now showing next to the car in Wallsburg, Utah has already been corrected).
Hey guys I'm just amazed at the number of views this thing is running up . Thank you again!
@@butchgraham8409 you're welcome - so glad people are learning the story of your Dad and his car!
Interesting to see in the newspaper clipping at 6.20, mention of Bert Munro, the worlds fastest Indian.
I noticed that as well,have several newspaper articles of Bert Munro from that era concerning his racing that were passed on to me by my late Father who was a fan of Bett Auckland New Zealand 2024
344mph is incredibly for a home built out of scrap machine .
The current world water speed record of 317.59 mph was set in 1978 by Australian Ken Warby in a home built boat with a jet engine from the scrapyard.
At the Italian F1 qualifying…350 kmh
We talk MPH
@@fredherfst8148 Was the car home built out of the scrapyard?
@@fredherfst8148That’s only 217.5 mph. There’s stock production cars that are faster.
Wonderful piece of work, as usual. You truly have the gift to tell their story.
Thank you!
And b29s don't have belly tanks.
Thank you so much for this video. I remember reading about Athol Graham’s work and attempt in the Reader’s Digest, sometime in the early ‘60’s. I never knew about the other attempts or the final restoration for the museum. Thanks again.
Fascinating story, thank you. And a nice 'cameo' by Burt Munro on one of those newspapers from the 60s there!
Your dives into the history of these amazing vehicles are always respectful and informative. Thanks.
Always enjoyable and thorough 😊
It's so great to see another great documentary from you. Thank you.🙏
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great story. Never heard of this guy until now. Thanks for the heads-up.
I do not know if you read these comments.
I just found one of your videos from my 4yo playlist and rewatched it, great content, and now going to check other videos while I am not interested in the subject matter beyond curiosity. I am surprised by low subscriber count compared to the quality of the content. Great job.
Hi - thanks for your comment! I read them all, glad you’re enjoying my content.
Fantastic as always! Love your channel.
Well, that was first class! Thank you for your hard work.
Brilliant ! I've watched in search of speed a thousand times and still get a tear in my eye, these people were truly special, different to todays F1 prima donners , still have mid sixties Hot Rod mags covering Bonneville, our only source of info over here in UK at the time , Art Arfons was my hero, still regret not traveling from London to Bournemouth airport to see him and Green Monster run , thankyou , Keith Powell.
The pursuit of a dream can end in many ways. The gods of speed deemed the City of Salt Lake not worthy of a record, but instead gave it a story to pass on through history. The car came back to the family, was rebuilt to its glory, and is being presented to those who enjoy these amazing machines. Such a beautiful car needs to be shown off to the world!
Another excellent post from S&G. The City of Salt Lake's story was previously unknown to me and you told it superbly well, as per usual.
Another amazing tale! Well done sir!!!
Glad you enjoyed it
It's the rocket car jockeys that get me. Not content with getting mangled or burnt to death, they have a large bomb powering the car!...
Nice vid. Ta, much appreciated.
A touching story, every bit as well told as we have come to expect from Scarf and Goggles. Thank you!
The water speed record, if not cursed, is definately bloody dangerous! Have you considered a video on Aussie Ken Warby, whose back yard built boat broke the record in 1978. A record that still stands to this day, with two challengers both losing their lives attempting to beat it. I've seen Ken's wooden boat the 'Spirit of Australia' on display at the maritime museum in Sydney.
The Canyon Motors building is still there and houses the iconic snowboard shop "Milosport" in Salt Lake.
Thanks for the info! Good to know that it's still standing!
Lovely story and video guys. One of the best channels on RUclips this.
Thank you so much! Glad you're enjoying my videos.
What a great story - Indeed what drives a record breaker? - These men of the past were proper men - Really enjoyed the video - Just watched a few more of your videos - great work and very informative !
Thank you - welcome aboard!
Thank you for telling my family story, well done.
Hi Butch - thank you for your comment! Glad you liked the video, hope I got the details right (except the engine, made a stupid error there!). Congratulations on finishing the rebuild, the car looks stunning!
@ScarfAndGoggles almost got everything correct, missed on the Allison and the picture of caynon motors . You did a great job telling the story, I've had people tell me it truly touched them . Thank you
You just look at the cockpit and say NAH
Another fabulous story ❤️. Thank you so much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great look back at a brave pioneer of Land Speed racing. GOD BLESS everyone involved in Mr Graham's "City of Salt Lake City."
That was a great video thank you very much.
Its amazing any thing at some point can maintain traction to have a driven wheel speed attempt on salt
Not much room for safety equipment when every ounce is critical. Hope to see another attempt one day.
Today,inflatable tires aren't used on the streamliners going for the top speed. Plain alloy rims are used instead. Also,most land speed racers are just people doing it on a very tight budget, the high dollar teams being the exception rather than the rule.
Not surprising the changes in design over the years for wheel driven LSR vehicles. Up into the 70’s they were all “flyers”. Al Teague was another Athol working on his own version of a streamliner which attained speeds of 430+ without a true stablizer like ones used today. Today Americans should be proud of the achievements in LSR with wheel driven vehicles by the Vescos, Danny Thompson, and George Poteet and their crews.
Another fantastic video! Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Great storytelling! You are one of my favorite content creators in motorsport. You tell a story that we might already know the end of, in a way that still keeps me rapt. I compare your videos to good literature. For example, when one reads 'The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit'. We know how the story ends, and while the reading is enjoyable, it's tinged with foreboding and melancholy. RIP Athyl Graham, Wolfgang Von Trips, and the others who lost their lives at Monza that day. Modern GP racing is a pale comparison. Thanks again for sharing this story of bravery and ingenuity!
Thank you very much - glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome.. more LSR facts
Interesting as always
Glad you enjoyed it
Good video; but a 'Liberty' engine - in a P38? - an Allison perhaps? : )
You're quite right - it's an Allison. Kicking myself for making that error! Thanks for your comment, hope that mis-information didn't spoil your enjoyment.
@@ScarfAndGoggles Not at all, in fact you were close - the P39 Airacobra had it's engine behind the 'driver' too - the man built himself quite a 'salt-buggy'! : )
This is a fantastic story ,your information gathering us superb . I wonder how long it will be until we see the first 1000 mph car ? Or maybe the first 3600 mph car (a mile a second ). I don't think you could build a track long enough for that !!!!!!
Great story...but I question the use of the words " belly tank " as a description of the body style. Even though Athol may have used a B-29 belly tank in its construction...I always thought belly tank cars used only the tank as the body...and had open...not closed wheels. Wasnt Athol's car more like a streamliner?
It looks like what he did was take a belly tank, split it longitudinally and used one half as the lft side and the other half as the right. Other panels were fabricated in between.
Was there another car bearing the name "City of Salt Lake"? I remember seeing a car in a museum(?) in the downtown area and it was red. But for some reason I can not remember if that was during the mid 50's or 1962
Neither of those dates match this video's given time line. Keep regreting I did not have a camera back then...
I needs a tail fin
Something not right in the research here. P38 lightning did not have Liberty engines. Liberty V12 was pre WW2 400hp Aero engine. This car probably had an Alison V1710 engine that the P38s used. Good for over 1000hp. Also B29 drop tank doesn't sound right either. B29s didn't have drop tanks.
Hi - thanks for your comment. You're absolutely right about the engine - that was my error and since it was first pointed out I've been kicking myself! It was indeed an Allison engine. Regarding the B-29 drop tank, all of the material I researched mentioned the B-29. Someone has also commented that the B-29 carried extra fuel tanks in the bomb bay...
That's pretty f'd-up that his wife watched her husband die, her husband's protegee almost crash and her 2nd husband crash and nearly die. If I were her, I would have gleefully watched that car be crushed after Athol's death.
Yeah you’d have to more-than-slightly question either her sanity or morals
😛😛😛😛❤❤❤👍👍👍👍👍
With those sponsors, of course its going to be cursed. Two loser sponsors equals bad karma.
I lose interest after 40 minutes but because people I'll probably never see again cared I'm a third of the way to 40 years clean. See you all at the finish line in the sky.
We have the "City of Salt Lake" in our museum, in Wallsburg Utah. Your video is fantastic and very informative and really well done ! We would like to put in a video player on the wall above the car and play your video on a loop. Are copies available ? can I get an e mail or text info?
Hi, thanks for your comments, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Email address is on the RUclips channel (use a computer, this won't work on the mobile app) - go to the channel, click on "Welcome to Scarf & Goggles" and the email address is on the About page that will pop up. Alternatively, I have a page on Facebook and you can message me there. I look forward to hearing from you!
Will do !
P-38 lightning used an Allison V-1710, not a liberty engine.
It's frustrating to make mistakes like that! Can't believe I didn't spot that in my research - thanks for taking the time to comment.
The car of Ray Keech used liberty engines I do believe. They were WW1 era engines.@@ScarfAndGoggles
Not just an "Allison", but the Allison run in Bill Boeing's Unlimited hydroplane Miss Wahoo. When Boeing's team shifted to Rolls Merlin Power the race developed Allisons were sold.
Also, the canopy arrangement isn’t from a P-51. The Mustang canopy was pretty distinctive, and the one used on this car is quite different. Apart from that, this is certainly a fascinating story! Thanks much for sharing.
@@relectric69 You're right. I was thinking about the later design. :-)
And here I was thinking that you've already covered everything related to LSR. I'm thrilled that I was wrong. Hope to see more in the future. I love your content.
More to come!
I always expect stories of speed records to be a combination of incredible achievement and gut wrenching tragedy, and sadly this was no different.
However, the sad passing of 20 year old Otto Anzjon from leukemia just felt so desperately unfair.
Speed pioneers and motorsports competitors understand and accept the inherent risks in their chosen pursuits, and ultimately no-one* should be able to tell them what they can or cannot do in realising their dreams.
(Obviously they have to consider the safety of others, whether they are participants or spectators, but I'm sure that's should be a given).
Even though the end result would have been the same it'd maybe have been marginally less awful if Otto Anzjon had passed in the pursuit of a dream, rather than of leukaemia...at 20 years old.
*When I say "no-one" of course I understand that speed pioneers have families and friends, and they are part of the decision making process.
I get quite angry when I see people saying that TT racers have a "death wish" - it's always people who've never seen anything other than a five minute clip, and they don't appreciate that the racer's families and friends are with them, and it's a huge team effort - certainly not what someone with a death wish would subject their loved ones to.
Absolutely fascinating! And yet another story of which I was unaware, despite following LSR activities for over 50 years (albeit casually). Thank you so much for keeping these stories alive, with your outstanding research and production. Cheers from Canada.
Thanks so much for your kind words - glad you enjoy my videos!
Hello. I like watching your videos. Speed records on land and on water are remarkable especially in the golden era of records in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century. However, there were also speed records in the sky, everything.. for example, a dramatic attempt to set a record on a gee bee z aircraft in 32, or a speed record on a gee bee r1 aircraft in 1933, which for the first time in history exceeded the speed of 500 km per hour .. these are beautiful cars are no less brutal and beautiful than Campbell's blue bird ..
Incredible content and storytelling. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
I am always amazed how Scarfe & Goggles finds these obscure and fascinating land speed stories. Great pictures.
In terms of sheer storytelling you are one of the best out there keep them coming 😊
Wow, thank you!
Amazing story and beautifully told. I never tire of LSR content, thank you for continuing to tell the stories regardless of success and glory.
Glad you're enjoying the channel!
Ah maybe this will be one of the few times where it doesn't end in trage.....oh
Smashing the content out lately and as always it's of top quality 👏.
Much appreciated!
2:05 The P-38 Lightning used the Allison V-1710 engine. Not the late WWI Liberty.
Thanks for your comment! I’m kicking myself over this - a few others have pointed it out. Hope the misinformation didn’t spoil your enjoyment of the video.
You bring these cars, drivers and those moments in time, to life again.
I've had a few possessed motorcycles. Just looking to hurt me.
Excellent piece (apart from a little glitch in the engine department) on a man and his car that both deserve to be remembered.
Thank you.
If memory serves, The City of Salt Lake was featured in Rodder's Journal magazine a few years ago, with pics taken in the early 1960's prior to it's first crash
Very nicely presented and a great story...
That White Tri-plex Special at 4:04 looks very interesting!
Thanks for telling the interesting and tragic story of "The City of Salt Lake".
A nice little extra was the paragraph about Bert Munro in the newspaper clipping.
Didn’t know the backstory to this car, splendid video.
My very favorite channel, thank you so much for celebrating speed racers of yesteryear❤ 👏🏻👍🏻
Please keep up the great work!
Thank you very much!
The car is now where it belongs
Man, I remember the fatal crash the day it happened. We were visiting friends in Los Angeles and it came over a local radio station and the next day it was in the newspapers. Really sad. But without big $$$$ things like wind tunnels and stress analysis of critical parts as you approach the forces present at the 300+ mph threshold it's simply very very dangerous 💀☠
Fantastic thanks for posting
Great story, amazing craftsmanship and engineering. Thanks for the video. Well done.
My uncle build a twin hemi engined car in the mid to late 60's that crashed at Bonneville I believe in 1972, killing his business partner. My understanding was it happened at 429mph. I got to sit in the cockpit shortly before this happened. Was a very snug fit.
RIP Noel Black. You left a huge impression on a 12 year old boy!
Anyone else notice the guy wearing a pistol at 5:03?
This is why I became interested in motorsport. Not just for the technology, but for the stories of the people and their creativity. There is still a lot that can be covered. Sterling Moss's records. The Cobra coupe 24 hour session. And a lot of motorcycle attempts as well. Looking forward to future videos.
I was just reading about Athol Graham in my February 1960 issue of hot Rod magazine… it’s interesting because the article was written months before his crash when he was still sorting out his car and making his first attempts at the record… because he was a Mormon ex-missionary they called him an ex-missionary on a mission lol…
Great , if tragic, story and huge respect to all involved.
It is screaming for a tail fin though - CoP in front of the CoG? No wonder it was unstable.
Side view clearly show the car resembled an aeroplane wing - and they are designed to fly.
Tail end bodywork should just extend to cover the differential and the rear wheels should have long fairings to act as stabilisers.
Great stuff, another obscure land speed car I'd never heard of. I hope there are plenty more, did you cover Challenger mentioned at the start of this video?
Fascinating. The "nearly-but-not-quites" are often more interesting than the ones that actually break the records.
Thank you for a great video. I often think the wrecked cars would be more poignant to see unrestored. Other old race cars that were not destroyed in a wreck are restored. To me it takes something away.
I Enjoyed This One... So Much Determination... But Not archiving the Hoped For Results. Crazy
Correction: The engine is a WW II Allison unit. The Curtiss V-12 Liberty engine had its origins in WW I.
its insane that the car was built well enough that it was able to survive wrecks at high speed and come back for more after some TLC
Thanks, a wonderful story well told, I knew nothing of this before this video.
That car had a very unfavorable aerodynamic design for the front end. Too much air got compressed under it, and it would lift front end. Front tires lose traction, and the rear drive tires try to pass the front end. Hence the car is now sideways.
Even though the understanding of fluid dynamics was just coming out of its infancy. This knowledge was not as accessible as it is in modern times back then. So aerodynamic design was basically, "It looks good".
It's almost a wonder many more speedheads haven't died of leukemia. The testside of Nevada's above-ground nuclear tests is less than 300 miles to the southeast. The Geiger counters of that time would sometimes have jumped in the triangle because of the high radioactive levels.
P-38s didn’t use the Liberty engine; they used a turbocharged version of the Allison V-1710.
I belive there´s a race track up there where there´s no harm, just blue sky and a prime parking spot for all who died at the tracks. Where all the cars and bikes run just like intended.
Another good video. I wonder how this car would have done in a wind tunnel.
Athol Graham's car had no gearbox. Instead a torque convertor taken from a bus coupled the Allison engine to the rear axle.
Got to the point where Graham kissed his wife and went "uh-oh"... and sure enough
It's resting place at The Richard W. Erickson museum is a Fantastic place for it to be.
Interesting to See Burt Munro from NZ mentioned in the posted newspaper article. From my home town👍
you can see the reason why it crashed so much with the design of the rear body of car,it would promote lift of the rear end with downforce reducing as speed increased.
“Two words my boy; vertical stabilizer”
At first glance it looks like that design might not be stable at speed. I'd have a vertical fin at the rear to give it stability, like an arrow.
gAS GUY NO KNOWLEDGE aero flips
I've seen this car. It's in a hidden car museum in the middle of nowhere in Utah.
Sorry, B-29’s had no belly tanks. Great story however.
Your the best
Aww, shucks. Thank you!
Are you familiar with the history of Don Vesco and Team Vesco at Bonneville? I think that would be a great mini doc.@@ScarfAndGoggles
All those years and they never added a tailfin for stability. Interesting.
3 truck loads of spares 😂 way to exaggerate the facts for dramatic effect
A beautiful car that looks like it has more lift than downforce.