Today in Engineering History: Hemi-Powered Hot Rod Sets Land Speed Record
Thu, 11/12/2015 - 1:28pmCommentsby Kaylie Duffy, Associate Editor,
@kaylieannduffy
On this day in history, November 12, 1965, brothers Bill and Bob Summers set a world land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Their Goldenrod streamliner set the wheel-driven record at 409.277 mph over the flying mile, a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) record, which was held for 42 years, 9 months, and 14 days.The two brothers each brought a unique gift to the table. Bill was a sensible engineer, while Bob was the daredevil driver, who had been hot rod racing near their home in Southern California and at the Bonneville Salt Flats for many years. In 1963, the men decided to seriously pursue setting a land speed record. The brothers wanted their car to go as fast as possible due to its aerodynamics – not due to a jet or rocket. To purists like the Summers brothers, these jet vehicles were cheating.The completed Goldenrod was 32 feet long, 48 inches wide, and 42 inches tall, with a pointed nose and four 426-inch V8 hemi engines on loan from Chrysler. The final weight of the vehicle was almost 6,000 pounds, but the drag coefficient was only 0.117, based on Bill’s wooden models tested in Caltech’s wind tunnel.
Goldenrod on display at the Henry Ford Museum in 2012. Image credit: Michael Barera, Wikipedia Commons
On the morning of November 12, 1965, Bob strapped himself into the Goldenrod’s cockpit. Per FIA rules, he had to make an out-and-back trip within one hour. His official mark would be the average between those runs. Bob’s two-way average of 409.277 mph at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats broke the previous land speed record set by Englishman Donald Campbell at just over 400 mph.Because the brothers had to return the streamliner’s engines to Chrysler, they never tried to break their own record. Today, the Goldenrod is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Goldenrod on display at the Henry Ford Museum in 2012. Image credit: Michael Barera, Wikipedia Commons
Thu, 11/12/2015 - 1:28pmCommentsby Kaylie Duffy, Associate Editor,
@kaylieannduffy
On this day in history, November 12, 1965, brothers Bill and Bob Summers set a world land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Their Goldenrod streamliner set the wheel-driven record at 409.277 mph over the flying mile, a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) record, which was held for 42 years, 9 months, and 14 days.The two brothers each brought a unique gift to the table. Bill was a sensible engineer, while Bob was the daredevil driver, who had been hot rod racing near their home in Southern California and at the Bonneville Salt Flats for many years. In 1963, the men decided to seriously pursue setting a land speed record. The brothers wanted their car to go as fast as possible due to its aerodynamics – not due to a jet or rocket. To purists like the Summers brothers, these jet vehicles were cheating.The completed Goldenrod was 32 feet long, 48 inches wide, and 42 inches tall, with a pointed nose and four 426-inch V8 hemi engines on loan from Chrysler. The final weight of the vehicle was almost 6,000 pounds, but the drag coefficient was only 0.117, based on Bill’s wooden models tested in Caltech’s wind tunnel.
Goldenrod on display at the Henry Ford Museum in 2012. Image credit: Michael Barera, Wikipedia Commons
On the morning of November 12, 1965, Bob strapped himself into the Goldenrod’s cockpit. Per FIA rules, he had to make an out-and-back trip within one hour. His official mark would be the average between those runs. Bob’s two-way average of 409.277 mph at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats broke the previous land speed record set by Englishman Donald Campbell at just over 400 mph.Because the brothers had to return the streamliner’s engines to Chrysler, they never tried to break their own record. Today, the Goldenrod is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Goldenrod on display at the Henry Ford Museum in 2012. Image credit: Michael Barera, Wikipedia Commons
