I'll give you some background later on...
'Star Wars' racer?
Started by
Hieronymus
, Mar 14 2006 05:42
2 replies to this topic
#1
Hieronymus
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- 2,032 posts
- Joined: May 02
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Posted 14 March 2006 - 05:42
Discovered the following photo in my files. Have any of you seen this vehicle before? Check the racing slicks...
I'll give you some background later on...
I'll give you some background later on...
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#2
dbw
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- 993 posts
- Joined: October 00
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Posted 14 March 2006 - 05:55
looks like a minesweeper of sorts..the slicks might be for hi flotation on sand..cab appears to be armored and placed way high...looks set up for desert work w/air filters on cab...vdub front end-rear engine with a big hose for cooling air to cab....i remember when highly armed dune buggys were considered for desert warfare..related?? neat unit for dune running tho.
#3
Hieronymus
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- 2,032 posts
- Joined: May 02
Member
Posted 14 March 2006 - 11:01
The photo shows the Rhodesian Pookie.
The Pookie was a small detection vehicle designed to travel ahead of military and civilian convoys and light enough not to detonate anti-tank mines. It was used during the Rhodesian bush-war in the 1970's.
Pookie, so named because of its resemblance to the small wide-eyed African bush baby, was constructed on a lightweight chassis and carried a one-person armour-plated cab. The cab had a V-shaped undercarriage designed to deflect any blast away from the driver and to combat centre blast mines. The wheels were positioned some distance from the cab, again to protect the driver in the event of detonation by offsetting the seat of explosion, and they were housed in Formula One racing tires, apparently bought in bulk from the South African Grand Prix. Pookie was set to run on slightly inflated Formula One racing slicks, delivering a weight distribution that exerts a pressure of only four pounds per square inch per wheel on the road surface. Wide with low pressure, they exerted a minimum ground force.
The vehicle was propelled by an engine from a Volkswagen Beetle that was capable of taking Pookie to mine detection speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour. Two drop-arm detectors were mounted left and right and equipped with a detection system that bounced magnetic waves into the ground as well as an acoustic signal to indicate metal.
http://maic.jmu.edu/...lielawrence.htm
The Pookie was a small detection vehicle designed to travel ahead of military and civilian convoys and light enough not to detonate anti-tank mines. It was used during the Rhodesian bush-war in the 1970's.
Pookie, so named because of its resemblance to the small wide-eyed African bush baby, was constructed on a lightweight chassis and carried a one-person armour-plated cab. The cab had a V-shaped undercarriage designed to deflect any blast away from the driver and to combat centre blast mines. The wheels were positioned some distance from the cab, again to protect the driver in the event of detonation by offsetting the seat of explosion, and they were housed in Formula One racing tires, apparently bought in bulk from the South African Grand Prix. Pookie was set to run on slightly inflated Formula One racing slicks, delivering a weight distribution that exerts a pressure of only four pounds per square inch per wheel on the road surface. Wide with low pressure, they exerted a minimum ground force.
The vehicle was propelled by an engine from a Volkswagen Beetle that was capable of taking Pookie to mine detection speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour. Two drop-arm detectors were mounted left and right and equipped with a detection system that bounced magnetic waves into the ground as well as an acoustic signal to indicate metal.
http://maic.jmu.edu/...lielawrence.htm
