jet powered vw beetle ??

do you guys think this is just an elaborate fake ? for once, i REALLY don't think this jet engine can suck enough air from the cabin.
where is Ove when we need some technical explanations ? :nerd:

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This is my street-legal jet car on full afterburner. The car has two engines: the production gasoline engine in the front driving the front wheels and the jet engine in the back. The idea is that you drive around legally on the gasoline engine and when you want to have some fun, you spin up the jet and get on the burner (you can start the jet while driving along on the gasoline engine). The car was built because I wanted the wildest street-legal ride possible. With this project, I was able to use some stuff I learned while getting my fancy engineering degree (I have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University) to design a street-legal jet car without the distraction of how other people have done it in the past - because no one has. I don't know how fast the car will go and probably never will. The car was built to thrill me, not kill me. That doesn't stop me from the occasional blast on the highway though.




The car is licensed here in California. In California, new cars have bi-annual smog inspections so if you modify the engine, it is likely to fail the inspection and you won't be able to drive it on the street. There are some exempt engine modifications (ex. after-cat mufflers - big deal) but none that will allow you to add 1350 hp to a new car.




[www.ronpatrickstuff.com]

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A physics truck just turned over outside. There's physics everywhere!

Most importantly: the cabin has to be real clean in order to suck air into the engine without harming it. No candy papers, no junk food containers, no cell phones, no loose CD's or USB sticks and no wearing ties.

yeah, he put some metal net in front of the engine, because it "sucks the rose from the dashboard". how full of crap can that be ?

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A physics truck just turned over outside. There's physics everywhere!

This car has been around for a few years. I've never seen it, but by all accounts I've read it is very real. Here's the guy's web site: http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/

I love the spirit that can create something as ridiculous as this.

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Dave
'91 325iX

I wonder where the fuel tank is? And what fuel? One doesn't feed a jet with gasoline.

Also, if this is not a ram jet, what starts the intake fan to 'suck' all that air to produce 1350 HP and that does take a long time to get past sritical speed. If it is a ram jet, then at the speeds he starts to ignite the jet all he will get is a spectacular flame, but not much thrust, since there isn't enough froward speed to 'ram' enough air to support much combustion.

I have my doubts.

Bob P.

The answers to your questions are in the guy's web page

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Bob P 325is 88
I wonder where the fuel tank is? And what fuel? One doesn't feed a jet with gasoline.

" Kerosene is stored in a custom 14 gallon, baffled, foam-filled kevlar fuel cell in the spare tire well."

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Also, if this is not a ram jet

"The engine is a General Electric Model T58-8F. This is a helicopter turboshaft engine that was converted to a jet engine by some internal modifications and a custom tailpipe."

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what starts the intake fan to 'suck' all that air to produce 1350 HP and that does take a long time to get past sritical speed.

" 24V starter motor is in the nose of the engine. 700 A of current goes into that motor for 20 seconds during start-up."

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I have my doubts.

Of course, we should all be skeptical, but if you take the info at face value, it makes sense, and if it's real, it's a helluva project, and as an engineer the guy is my hero.

If it's all just an elaborate hoax, then the guy is still my hero for coming up with such a great idea, background, and pictures.

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Dave
'91 325iX

Here's more reading on it:

http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/113_0703_2000_volkswagen_beetle/index.html

It's real.

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Dave
'91 325iX



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2010 05:56PM by Dave_G.

it's real as in "it exists", not real as in "it WORKS". come'on, there's no way that engine can suck enough air from the cabin, even with the windows open. not to mention the amount of gas it needs, where can he store it !?

and i REALLY think that, assuming that everything works, if he tries to use that blower he will die instantly, considering the 0 upgrades he made to the suspension and body. it's just a showoff toy - why there's no action video with it, just videos of it standing and blowing flames and "i'm an engineer and i know best" words ? :nerd:

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A physics truck just turned over outside. There's physics everywhere!

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Dave_G
Of course, we should all be skeptical, but if you take the info at face value, it makes sense, and if it's real, it's a helluva project, and as an engineer the guy is my hero.

If it's all just an elaborate hoax, then the guy is still my hero for coming up with such a great idea, background, and pictures.

That is my point, even at face value it DOES NOT make sense. Ideas are cheap, but the actual realization of the project is much more difficult.

I am heartened to see that you consider me to be your hero, since I am an engineer. Frankly I doubt that this person is!

At best this contraption is good for photos of a jet engine flame out.

salut, Bob P.