15 replies to this topic

[Andrew Hope]

I know these kinds of threads are a bit annoying but I can't think of where else to ask. Through sheer luck of perusing another forum and reading one of those 'strangest race cars ever' topics I came across something mentioned in passing as an 'Airplane Special' that practiced at Indianapolis one year, sometime in the 1960s I believe. I can't find any solid information on this car, some saying it was made up to look like a fighter plane, some saying it actually had a turbine engine that produced 1,200hp, some saying it was pathetically slow in practice 'round the Brickyard and some saying it exceeded 200mp/h and the wheels were still spinning when it did so.

If anyone has any information to shed on this car I'd like to hear it. I've read it as being 'Jack Adam's Airplane Special', if that helps. No need to go digging through files or books or anything for me, this is out of nothing more than simple curiosity and a hope to see a picture of this apparent monster.

Cheers,

Andrew.

[helioseism]

It was a typical 1966 Indy Roadster with a gas turbine stuffed into it. There is a picture of it on page 139 of Roger Huntington's "Design & Development of the Indy Car". Except for under the hood, it looked like a normal Indy car of the day. It was actually know as the Jack Adams Aircraft Special, and its acceleration was the inspiration for Andy Granatelli's turbine car of 1967. According to Huntington, "The car never turned any fast laps, due to poor braking and throttle response".

Edited by helioseism, 10 July 2010 - 23:35.

[Andrew Hope]

Bit of a letdown, I was picturing a P51 Mustang with wheels. Thanks for the info mate.

[arttidesco]

Turbine Cars date back to at least JET 1 an experimental vehicle built by Rover in 1950.

The 1966 Jack Adams Aircraft Special was the first of a number of turbine powered vehicles that would include the 1967 Granetelli and 1968 Lotus 56 turbine powered cars which all proved fast but ultimately fragile.

The Jack Adams Aircraft Special despite being capable of 200 mph was withdrawn because the brakes were thought to be incompatible with the performance capabilities of the vehicle.

[Andrew Hope]

Above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks mate.

[arttidesco]

Above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks mate.

No worries the pleasure was mine :-)

[paulhooft]

The Granville Brothers, the famous makers of the Gee Bee racing planes,
had a plan to make an Indy race in 1934!
A streamliner with 3 wheels, almost a plane without wings...
Nothing came of it...
There is a short story and a plan in the book:
Mendenhall, Charles A. and Tom Murphy. The Gee Bee Racers: A Legacy of Speed.
North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 1994. ISBN 0-933424-05-1

Paul Hooft

Edited by paulhooft, 11 July 2010 - 08:59.

[Michael Ferner]

andrew.'s probably thinking of another car. The 1966 Jack Adams Aircraft Special was indeed an old Indy roadster, stuffed with a turbine, but two years later the team came back with a purpose built machine - it looked rather spectacular. I have pictures I cannot post because of copyright. The car ran at Indy for several years, until 1971, and in several configurations. If you search the net for pictures of Al Miller (1969 #72) or Jigger Sirois (1970 #54) you'll probably find the pics. Both Miller and Sirois qualified at Indy, but too slow to make the field. Rick Muther drove the car in several USAC races in 1970/71, but finished only once (in 8th), many laps down. They then put the turbine into a dirt track racer, and Sirois finished third with it at Du Quoin in 1972!

[D-Type]

andrew. are you certain the car you are looking for was turbine powered?

If not it might be Ken Hamilton's 1982 Eagle Aircraft "Cropduster" which looks like a four-wheeled F104, or possibly Smokey Yunick's "Sidecar". I'm afraid I can't post pictures, but a Google for images of either of these will find them for example you can find them both and a couple of others here

Edited by D-Type, 11 July 2010 - 18:00.

[Pete Stowe]

Some details and pictures of the 1969 Jack Adams Aircraft Special here

Searching Google Books for “Jack Adams” and “turbine” will bring up a couple of Popular Science magazine issues (vol. 192 no.5 & vol. 194 no.5) with pictures of the original concept, which looked even more spectacular.

Prior to Jack Adams’ 1966 Indy turbine car, in 1962 Dan Gurney failed to qualify John Zink’s turbine car. Probably the first turbine installation in an Indy car was in 1955 when a Boeing turbine was installed in a Kurtis 500K, although I believe this only appeared in a couple of drag races, and made a demo run prior to the 1955 Indy 500.

[arttidesco]

Some details and pictures of the 1969 Jack Adams Aircraft Special here

Searching Google Books for “Jack Adams” and “turbine” will bring up a couple of Popular Science magazine issues (vol. 192 no.5 & vol. 194 no.5) with pictures of the original concept, which looked even more spectacular.

Prior to Jack Adams’ 1966 Indy turbine car, in 1962 Dan Gurney failed to qualify John Zink’s turbine car. Probably the first turbine installation in an Indy car was in 1955 when a Boeing turbine was installed in a Kurtis 500K, although I believe this only appeared in a couple of drag races, and made a demo run prior to the 1955 Indy 500.

I had a feeling I should have said 'probably the first of a number of turbine cars' :-)

Top find Pete, here is a pic of the 'Trackburner' Zink and an article with pictures on the Kurtis Boeing which was good for 107mph from a standing start on the qtr mile, faster than an Chrysler Allard.

[Andrew Hope]

andrew. are you certain the car you are looking for was turbine powered?

If not it might be Ken Hamilton's 1982 Eagle Aircraft "Cropduster" which looks like a four-wheeled F104, or possibly Smokey Yunick's "Sidecar". I'm afraid I can't post pictures, but a Google for images of either of these will find them for example you can find them both and a couple of others here

All my questions have been answered and then some, but those early 80s Indy cars that all looked like jet fighters remain my favorite indycars ever. So badass looking.

[Mansell Madgwick]

Is Ken Hamilton the father of Davey Hamilton? I take it that the Cropduster was something of a dead end in terms of racing car design.

[arttidesco]

Is Ken Hamilton the father of Davey Hamilton? I take it that the Cropduster was something of a dead end in terms of racing car design.

Not only is Ken Hamilton Davey's farther it turns out that the Chevy stock block Eagle Aircraft Flyer nick named Cropduster which more or less terminated Ken's career in Champ Cars in 1981 was used as part payment by his son Davey to buy his first Champ Car seat at Hemelgarn Racing in 1991.

Not to be confused with the 1953 Stanton Special



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from New Zealand which used a 6124 cc 4 cylinder De Haviland Gypsy Major Aircraft engine, from a real crop duster,



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inverted so that the crankshaft was at the bottom, for racing, hill climbing and setting New Zealand land speed records to great effect.

[Michael Ferner]

Not only is Ken Hamilton Davey's farther it turns out that the Chevy stock block Eagle Aircraft Flyer nick named Cropduster which more or less terminated Ken's career in Champ Cars in 1981...

The "cropduster" may have ended Ken Hamilton's career in Indy Cars, but his Champ Car career went on until 1999 minimum. I stopped keeping records that year, I'm not sure he has stopped racing yet!

[arttidesco]

The "cropduster" may have ended Ken Hamilton's career in Indy Cars, but his Champ Car career went on until 1999 minimum. I stopped keeping records that year, I'm not sure he has stopped racing yet!

Corrected killed Ken's Indycar career :-)