I wish my recall was a bit better on this subject ..... wasn't the
Turbonique
rear axle unit produced by Air Research and / or Garrett Industries, somewhere
in Arizona, probably the Phoenix area ? Many years ago I sent for their
literature, and that resides this very moment >somewhere ?< in my automotive
archives ...... many hours for me to find any specific subject or article
without
a complete index system ! Popular Hot Rodding Magazine ran some articles
on these axle twisters in the '60s . I think Hollywood stuntman Hal Needham,
a buddy of Burt Reynolds and Stan Barrett, ( remember his disputed LSR record
attempts ? )made a run or two in a Turbonique assisted vehicle ( was it
a pickup truck? ) and ended up in the boonies with it ........ possibly
at the dry lakes, or some other remote course, I can't recall exactly
where he looped it .......
We saw the Fisher / Greth SpeedSport guys out of Tucson run a
beautifully constructed rear engine turbine car at the '62 Nationals at Indy
.....
a very impressive car to look over, but the restrained 'woooooosh' of these
cars in action can never replace the thunder of a big blown V8, especially
one on a healthy load of nitro. The 1962 Nats were run under the NHRA
nitro ban, so the incredible-sounding fuel-burning rear engine 27'T' Speed
Sport roadster, dubbed "Old Noisy", was left at home in either Tucson, or
Blue Island, Illinois. To hear that crowd pleasing little orange car run was
to never forget it ........ for sure !
Oooops, again I ramble ..... sorry, seems to come with age !
Bruce
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