20 ms·

Jet Powered Volkswagen Beetle – $550k (sunnyvale)

303 points by d136o 6y ago

millzlane 6y ago
I would love to see this race the Hoonicorn.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
notional 6y ago
I remember seeing this car on car tv shows all time years back. I can't imagine he'll get close to his asking price, but it's still a really amazing piece of engineering and the juxtaposition of a jet sticking out the back of an otherwise stock Beetle will always be fun. I wonder what it would fetch on BaT since that's kind of more the platform for these weird/unique cars
- birdyrooster 6y ago
  He’s probably hoping someone like Leno scoops it up after hearing about it in the news
ijustwanttovote 6y ago
There's videos too. https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/lifestyle/jet-powered-vw-beetle/ https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/lifestyle/jet-powered-v...
- waterside81 6y ago
  Usually when there's an "oddball" or "eccentric" person on, Letterman had his way with them, but I thought Ron more than held his own. Right mix of self-deprecation and confidence.
advisedwang 6y ago
More info: http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/ http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/
- h2odragon 6y ago
  The next project is a twin jet scooter. How appropriate :)
  - tyingq 6y ago
    It looks just as unwise as it sounds :) https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SCOOTE2PScopy.jpg https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/wp-content/uploads/2016...
    - systemvoltage 6y ago
      Gotta love the fuel tanks. Exactly how they stood on the shelf at the hardware store.
  - VectorLock 6y ago
    The jet car craigslist add says he wanted to thrill himself, not kill himself. I think he might not be satisfied with just thrilling himself any more.
    - BlueTemplar 6y ago
      Actually, it's for... his wife!
- GloriousKoji 6y ago
  I love how 90's his webpage is. Void of javascript and css and an earthlink email address.
  - VectorLock 6y ago
    If I recall correctly this was actually made in the late 90s or early 2000s so the website is period correct, not retro.
millzlane 6y ago
https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt.png https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt.png in case post is deleted.
- bahador 6y ago
  > If you're seeing this message, that means JavaScript has been disabled on your browser, please enable JS to make Imgur work. You need js to view a png. What a time to be alive.
  - dubcanada 6y ago
    No you need JS to view the site, to view the image just go to https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt.png https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt.png (add i. before imgur)
    - stonewareslord 6y ago
      Not sure what browser you’re on, but this redirects me to the page that requires JS on Firefox android
      - millzlane 6y ago
        They must be doing something tricky. I usually specifically link directly to the image for this reason. Or so I thought.
        jazzyjackson 6y ago
        I'm seeing it redirect me when I put the link in an iframe, stripping off the .png Whereas if I right click / save as, or put the link in an <img> tag, the image is served properly. Could be conditional on the accept headers.
      - hundchenkatze 6y ago
        Yeah, I don't know why but it redirects back to the m. mobile site. This link seems to work for me https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=high https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&...
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
klintcho 6y ago
I don't want to start another "SF vs Miami/Austin rest of the US" but! An awesome thing in the Bay-Area is all the insane stuff you get on eBay and Craigslist. I bought a Velodyne VLP-16 LIDAR for my mobile robot side project and met up with a guy in SF. He had a startup that ended up using vision only so they sold off their LIDARs.
- WanderPanda 6y ago
  Was that guy also building self landing rockets by any chance?
- dave_4_bagels 6y ago
  I've gotta' be honest, this post makes me miss my time living in the Bay Area, Los Altos specifically. I don't think I'll ever live anywhere else again where one neighbor couldn't fit his new McLaren 720s in his 70's ranchburger garage after a brief drizzle or my other neighbor who no joke - had a red VW bug with a bumper sticker that read "Ham Radio Saves Lives".
- the_only_law 6y ago
  > An awesome thing in the Bay-Area is all the insane stuff you get on eBay and Craigslist. I don't browse craiglist much, but I buy a bunch of retro computing / telecom / lab equipment stuff on ebay and the coolest stuff is always local pickup only on the west coast I swear.
  - tesseract 6y ago
    This varies by industry of course... the Bay Area is definitely the best place to score computing and electronics related stuff. But southern CA has way more aerospace stuff, New England (especially CT and MA) have a lot of precision instrumentation and manufacturing equipment, and for stuff like robots and heavy duty metalworking machinery you really want to be in the Rust Belt.
    - VectorLock 6y ago
      I haven't found much precision instrumentation or manufacturing stuff on MA craigslist. The MIT Swap Meet used to be THE place for that thing but the past couple years I've gone its all junk. I wonder if there is a new venue to find those things?
nodesocket 6y ago
Thanks for the great laugh. The picture at night with the flames and fire shooting out of a beetle is just amazing. Registration up to date.
- danw1979 6y ago
  "street legal" afterburners perfectly sums up how nuts America seems from over the pond.
  - nodesocket 6y ago
    USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!
- hinkley 6y ago
  I wonder how fast your eardrums would explode if you forgot to roll down your windows before firing up that engine.
carapace 6y ago
Reminds me of the Darwin Award urban legend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO_Rocket_Car https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO_Rocket_Car
- hinkley 6y ago
  I recall reading an article by a guy who suspected a project he worked on might be the highly twisted origin of that story. He (and a friend?) did in fact mount JATOs on a vehicle, but they were really rather mature about the whole process. It was a rocket sled, not a car. It ran on rails extending from an abandoned mine shaft. They aimed the sled toward the mineshaft so it had a hard stop, and they built gravity-fed brakes into the sled: Between the wheels they cemented tire treads to the frame, then hydraulically lifted the entire chassis. Dump the fluid, and the entire sled weight settles onto the rails. The main things I don't recall are how the hydraulics get cut (dead man's switch?) and whether they managed to stop the sled before it slammed into the mine entrance.
jbrogers63 6y ago
I remember reading about this in Hot Rod magazine back in the day. Here's the article from their website: https://www.hotrod.com/articles/2000-volkswagen-beetle/ https://www.hotrod.com/articles/2000-volkswagen-beetle/
ece 6y ago
I would imagine insurance might have some questions, even if the DMV doesn't apparently..
rmason 6y ago
I'm out in the Valley quite regularly. People here in Michigan ask me all the time about the difference between the two places outside of weather. This is a prime example. I've tried real hard but I can't imagine seeing this ad in Detroit. If it happened the press would get ahold of it and make fun of the guy. ;<(
- notional 6y ago
  Detroit is an odd example given that it's 'Motor City'. Chrysler built a jet powered car back when the original Beetle was in production. Then again nowadays it's all about FCA putting the biggest engine in every model they can before they die off. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Turbine_Car https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Turbine_Car
  - rmason 6y ago
    Except this was a company R&D project not an individual. When I was at Michigan State in the early seventies there was an EE prof who drove a battery powered VW that he built himself in his garage. I thought that it was cool, overwhelmingly everyone else thought he was eccentric. He told me the entire industry will go electric once someone invents a better battery. He thought it would happen by the year 2000. Sadly he passed away before the birth of Tesla.
  - stickfigure 6y ago
    And the Chrysler turbine actually drove the wheels! Strapping a jet to a car is impressive engineering, no doubt, but mechanical propulsion is a whole different level.
    - pinewurst 6y ago
      That VW is actually powered by a helicopter turboshaft (a T58) that's been stripped of its shaft drive to just make thrust. In theory one could've driven the wheels.
josefresco 6y ago
Wait 'till you see what he's got planned next: http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/images/SCOOTE2PScopy.jpg http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/images/SCOOTE2PScopy.jpg
- quartz 6y ago
  Wow! I used to ride that model (Honda Metropolitan) scooter to work at Harvard years ago when I lived in Boston. The guy who owned it before me removed the restrictor so it would zip right up to ~40mph and I thought THAT was a bit too fast for such a little ride. ...can't even imagine what this beast would be like!
JKCalhoun 6y ago
I don't know, I feel like I can talk him down to $500K.
kirubakaran 6y ago
https://archive.is/5TCZH https://archive.is/5TCZH for posterity
oedoedxef 6y ago
I'm all for awesome engineering projects, in which this project is not deficient, however if this thing can be street legal then I don't understand why so many other cars are not allowed to be. Even when this thing is working as intended. it's shooting hot flames out the back.
- jey 6y ago
  I'm pretty sure it's only street legal while the jet engine is turned off. Then you're just transporting a jet engine on the back of a Beetle, right?
  - rococode 6y ago
    That's what I thought too, but then the post says "That said, I do enjoy the occasional blast down the highway." and suddenly I'm not so sure...
    - oedoedxef 6y ago
      I've also seen a mini-cooper on youtube with a jet in the back doing the same thing on the highway :)
      - soperj 6y ago
        It might be cool from an engineering perspective, but it's fucking stupid from a "there are other people on the road who's lives are now in danger" perspective.
        markkanof 6y ago
        Maybe. There are certainly places where you can find long straight runs of highway with no on ramps. Do that in the middle of the night and you are unlikely to encounter another vehicle.
        soperj 6y ago
alangibson 6y ago
I'll be interested to see what this sells for. Passion projects like this often have surprisingly little resell value.
a_t48 6y ago
I'm a little sad there's no video.
- proverbialbunny 6y ago
  There is! https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/lifestyle/jet-powered-vw-beetle/ https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/lifestyle/jet-powered-v...
intrasight 6y ago
Any other old-timers remember the "JATO Rocket Car" posting in Dawrin Awards on Usenet? From Wikipedia entry: You all know about the Darwin Awards – it's the annual honor given to the person who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way. Last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out of it. And this year's nominee is: The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded into the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. the wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene. The lab finally figured out what it was and what had happened. It seems that a guy had somehow gotten hold of a JATO unit (Jet Assisted Take Off – actually a solid fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra 'push' for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. Then he attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up some speed and fired off the JATO! The facts, as best could be determined, are that the operator of the 1967 Impala hit JATO ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0 miles [4.8 kilometers] from the crash site. This was established by the prominent scorched and melted asphalt at that location. The JATO, if operating properly, would have reached maximum thrust within five seconds, causing the Chevy to reach speeds well in excess of 350 MPH [560 km/h], continuing at full power for an additional 20–25 seconds. The driver, soon to be pilot, most likely would have experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners, basically causing him to become insignificant for the remainder of the event. However, the automobile remained on the straight highway for about 2.5 miles [4.0 km] (15–20 seconds) before the driver applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the tires and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface, then becoming airborne for an additional 1.4 miles [2.3 km] and impacting the cliff face at a height of 125 feet [38 m], leaving a blackened crater 3 feet [0.9 m] deep in the rock. Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable; however, small fragments of bone, teeth and hair were extracted from the crater, and fingernail and bone shards were removed from a piece of debris believed to be a portion of the steering wheel.
- BiosElement 6y ago
  Shame it's not true, makes for a good story. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/carmageddon/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/carmageddon/
meowster 6y ago
Someone's tailgating you? No problem! Just slag their engine.
ebrewste 6y ago
I used to work in the same complex where they used to keep this. My group was working late one night and was wondering why there were strange explosion sounds coming from nearby. I walked through the parking lot to see this beast on afterburner. It was even more amazing in person than in the pictures!
xbar 6y ago
It's too bad I refuse to buy a vehicle without a decent warranty.
del_operator 6y ago
Does it have self driving support? Jet planes come with auto pilot
thrower 6y ago
This is why I love the Bay Area, specifically South Bay. A suburban hell and technology goldmine all wrapped up into a neat little package.
- vmception 6y ago
  The suburban hell is a dealbreaker for me, ngl. And every time I'm around a college kid talking about how awesome downtown San Jose is on the weekends, there are always people behind them doing the "no" head shake with their hand making the cut it out motion under the chin, validating my existing perception. exhibit a: https://tenor.com/view/no-good-cut-it-out-stop-it-stop-jonah-hill-gif-17688006 https://tenor.com/view/no-good-cut-it-out-stop-it-stop-jonah...
syntaxing 6y ago
I can't imagine how loud this thing is. I stood close to an arm sized jet engine and it's loud. Enough to push the air too that you feel it in your chest
- dmix 6y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhCtOhmEDgo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhCtOhmEDgo Quite loud. Good day to bring your ear phones to the track.
mzs 6y ago
thought that was pricey, not what I expected: https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/turbonique-delivered-the-rocket-cars/ https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/turboniqu...
jordache 6y ago
Maybe sell it to Jay Leno?
beloch 6y ago
"It can be a little windy inside with the jet engine running but not too bad. " Now that is an understatement. Despite all the (self-described) obsessive engineering that went into this, the driver of this beast has the intake of a GE T58-8F helicopter turbine engine less than two feet from their head. HELL NO.
- sysalphUS 6y ago
  My thoughts exactly
cherylskylar 6y ago
I just emailed the seller (Ron Patrick) saying he is a legend and he replied with, "Then I went to Stanford for the PhD but the real reason to come here was to start a company and make lots of money so I could play around and build stupid things. / It worked out pretty well. I never had to work for anyone. Started my company (www.ecm-co.com) while at Stanford. / So I want you to go out there and do better that me! I bet you can do it." He is a real legend—really hoping someone will take his car off the market!
jdhn 6y ago
>The engine is a General Electric Model T58-8F with some internal modifications and a custom tailpipe. Car guys always have to have their custom exhausts, don't they? :)
- milchek 6y ago
  Definitely. It’s a finishing touch that can be cosmetic and also adds your own unique flavor to how the car sounds, so it’s not just visual. For me, cars have always been just as much about how they sound as well as look and drive. The rumble of a big V8, or a turbocharger spooling up.
not_real_acct 6y ago
Bob Lazar, is that you? https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34752972/1982-jul-30-bob-lazars-jet-the-santa/ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34752972/1982-jul-30-bob-laz...
yarosv 6y ago
One Russian youtuber put an APU onto an old BMW with two configurations, with exhaust off the trunk (https://youtu.be/O2azaxhO6U8?t=362 https://youtu.be/O2azaxhO6U8?t=362), but also connecting it directly to the clutch of the gearbox (https://youtu.be/gcJCY8kXEkw?t=199 https://youtu.be/gcJCY8kXEkw?t=199) English article on thedrive https://www.thedrive.com/news/24280/some-russians-built-a-mig-jet-fighter-powered-bmw-e30 https://www.thedrive.com/news/24280/some-russians-built-a-mi...
dr_j_ 6y ago
But how does it reverse? That’s what I’d like to know!

303 points by d136o 6y ago

millzlane 6y ago

I would love to see this race the Hoonicorn.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

notional 6y ago

I remember seeing this car on car tv shows all time years back. I can't imagine he'll get close to his asking price, but it's still a really amazing piece of engineering and the juxtaposition of a jet sticking out the back of an otherwise stock Beetle will always be fun. I wonder what it would fetch on BaT since that's kind of more the platform for these weird/unique cars

birdyrooster 6y ago
He’s probably hoping someone like Leno scoops it up after hearing about it in the news

ijustwanttovote 6y ago

There's videos too. https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/lifestyle/jet-powered-vw-beetle/ https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/lifestyle/jet-powered-v...

waterside81 6y ago
Usually when there's an "oddball" or "eccentric" person on, Letterman had his way with them, but I thought Ron more than held his own. Right mix of self-deprecation and confidence.

advisedwang 6y ago

More info: http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/ http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/

h2odragon 6y ago
The next project is a twin jet scooter. How appropriate :)
- tyingq 6y ago
  It looks just as unwise as it sounds :) https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SCOOTE2PScopy.jpg https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/wp-content/uploads/2016...
  - systemvoltage 6y ago
    Gotta love the fuel tanks. Exactly how they stood on the shelf at the hardware store.
- VectorLock 6y ago
  The jet car craigslist add says he wanted to thrill himself, not kill himself. I think he might not be satisfied with just thrilling himself any more.
  - BlueTemplar 6y ago
    Actually, it's for... his wife!
GloriousKoji 6y ago
I love how 90's his webpage is. Void of javascript and css and an earthlink email address.
- VectorLock 6y ago
  If I recall correctly this was actually made in the late 90s or early 2000s so the website is period correct, not retro.

millzlane 6y ago

https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt.png https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt.png in case post is deleted.

bahador 6y ago
> If you're seeing this message, that means JavaScript has been disabled on your browser, please enable JS to make Imgur work. You need js to view a png. What a time to be alive.
- dubcanada 6y ago
  No you need JS to view the site, to view the image just go to https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt.png https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt.png (add i. before imgur)
  - stonewareslord 6y ago
    Not sure what browser you’re on, but this redirects me to the page that requires JS on Firefox android
    - millzlane 6y ago
      They must be doing something tricky. I usually specifically link directly to the image for this reason. Or so I thought.
      - jazzyjackson 6y ago
        I'm seeing it redirect me when I put the link in an iframe, stripping off the .png Whereas if I right click / save as, or put the link in an <img> tag, the image is served properly. Could be conditional on the accept headers.
    - hundchenkatze 6y ago
      Yeah, I don't know why but it redirects back to the m. mobile site. This link seems to work for me https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=high https://i.imgur.com/zM5gMjt_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&...

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

klintcho 6y ago

I don't want to start another "SF vs Miami/Austin rest of the US" but! An awesome thing in the Bay-Area is all the insane stuff you get on eBay and Craigslist. I bought a Velodyne VLP-16 LIDAR for my mobile robot side project and met up with a guy in SF. He had a startup that ended up using vision only so they sold off their LIDARs.

WanderPanda 6y ago
Was that guy also building self landing rockets by any chance?
dave_4_bagels 6y ago
I've gotta' be honest, this post makes me miss my time living in the Bay Area, Los Altos specifically. I don't think I'll ever live anywhere else again where one neighbor couldn't fit his new McLaren 720s in his 70's ranchburger garage after a brief drizzle or my other neighbor who no joke - had a red VW bug with a bumper sticker that read "Ham Radio Saves Lives".
the_only_law 6y ago
> An awesome thing in the Bay-Area is all the insane stuff you get on eBay and Craigslist. I don't browse craiglist much, but I buy a bunch of retro computing / telecom / lab equipment stuff on ebay and the coolest stuff is always local pickup only on the west coast I swear.
- tesseract 6y ago
  This varies by industry of course... the Bay Area is definitely the best place to score computing and electronics related stuff. But southern CA has way more aerospace stuff, New England (especially CT and MA) have a lot of precision instrumentation and manufacturing equipment, and for stuff like robots and heavy duty metalworking machinery you really want to be in the Rust Belt.
  - VectorLock 6y ago
    I haven't found much precision instrumentation or manufacturing stuff on MA craigslist. The MIT Swap Meet used to be THE place for that thing but the past couple years I've gone its all junk. I wonder if there is a new venue to find those things?

nodesocket 6y ago

Thanks for the great laugh. The picture at night with the flames and fire shooting out of a beetle is just amazing. Registration up to date.

danw1979 6y ago
"street legal" afterburners perfectly sums up how nuts America seems from over the pond.
- nodesocket 6y ago
  USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!
hinkley 6y ago
I wonder how fast your eardrums would explode if you forgot to roll down your windows before firing up that engine.

carapace 6y ago

Reminds me of the Darwin Award urban legend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO_Rocket_Car https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO_Rocket_Car

hinkley 6y ago
I recall reading an article by a guy who suspected a project he worked on might be the highly twisted origin of that story. He (and a friend?) did in fact mount JATOs on a vehicle, but they were really rather mature about the whole process. It was a rocket sled, not a car. It ran on rails extending from an abandoned mine shaft. They aimed the sled toward the mineshaft so it had a hard stop, and they built gravity-fed brakes into the sled: Between the wheels they cemented tire treads to the frame, then hydraulically lifted the entire chassis. Dump the fluid, and the entire sled weight settles onto the rails. The main things I don't recall are how the hydraulics get cut (dead man's switch?) and whether they managed to stop the sled before it slammed into the mine entrance.

jbrogers63 6y ago

I remember reading about this in Hot Rod magazine back in the day. Here's the article from their website: https://www.hotrod.com/articles/2000-volkswagen-beetle/ https://www.hotrod.com/articles/2000-volkswagen-beetle/

ece 6y ago

I would imagine insurance might have some questions, even if the DMV doesn't apparently..

rmason 6y ago

I'm out in the Valley quite regularly. People here in Michigan ask me all the time about the difference between the two places outside of weather. This is a prime example. I've tried real hard but I can't imagine seeing this ad in Detroit. If it happened the press would get ahold of it and make fun of the guy. ;<(

notional 6y ago
Detroit is an odd example given that it's 'Motor City'. Chrysler built a jet powered car back when the original Beetle was in production. Then again nowadays it's all about FCA putting the biggest engine in every model they can before they die off. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Turbine_Car https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Turbine_Car
- rmason 6y ago
  Except this was a company R&D project not an individual. When I was at Michigan State in the early seventies there was an EE prof who drove a battery powered VW that he built himself in his garage. I thought that it was cool, overwhelmingly everyone else thought he was eccentric. He told me the entire industry will go electric once someone invents a better battery. He thought it would happen by the year 2000. Sadly he passed away before the birth of Tesla.
- stickfigure 6y ago
  And the Chrysler turbine actually drove the wheels! Strapping a jet to a car is impressive engineering, no doubt, but mechanical propulsion is a whole different level.
  - pinewurst 6y ago
    That VW is actually powered by a helicopter turboshaft (a T58) that's been stripped of its shaft drive to just make thrust. In theory one could've driven the wheels.

josefresco 6y ago

Wait 'till you see what he's got planned next: http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/images/SCOOTE2PScopy.jpg http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/images/SCOOTE2PScopy.jpg

quartz 6y ago
Wow! I used to ride that model (Honda Metropolitan) scooter to work at Harvard years ago when I lived in Boston. The guy who owned it before me removed the restrictor so it would zip right up to ~40mph and I thought THAT was a bit too fast for such a little ride. ...can't even imagine what this beast would be like!

JKCalhoun 6y ago

I don't know, I feel like I can talk him down to $500K.

kirubakaran 6y ago

https://archive.is/5TCZH https://archive.is/5TCZH for posterity

oedoedxef 6y ago

I'm all for awesome engineering projects, in which this project is not deficient, however if this thing can be street legal then I don't understand why so many other cars are not allowed to be. Even when this thing is working as intended. it's shooting hot flames out the back.

jey 6y ago
I'm pretty sure it's only street legal while the jet engine is turned off. Then you're just transporting a jet engine on the back of a Beetle, right?
- rococode 6y ago
  That's what I thought too, but then the post says "That said, I do enjoy the occasional blast down the highway." and suddenly I'm not so sure...
  - oedoedxef 6y ago
    I've also seen a mini-cooper on youtube with a jet in the back doing the same thing on the highway :)
    - soperj 6y ago
      It might be cool from an engineering perspective, but it's fucking stupid from a "there are other people on the road who's lives are now in danger" perspective.
      - markkanof 6y ago
        Maybe. There are certainly places where you can find long straight runs of highway with no on ramps. Do that in the middle of the night and you are unlikely to encounter another vehicle.
        soperj 6y ago

alangibson 6y ago

I'll be interested to see what this sells for. Passion projects like this often have surprisingly little resell value.

a_t48 6y ago

I'm a little sad there's no video.

proverbialbunny 6y ago
There is! https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/lifestyle/jet-powered-vw-beetle/ https://www.leithcars.com/blogs/1421/lifestyle/jet-powered-v...

intrasight 6y ago

Any other old-timers remember the "JATO Rocket Car" posting in Dawrin Awards on Usenet? From Wikipedia entry: You all know about the Darwin Awards – it's the annual honor given to the person who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way. Last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out of it. And this year's nominee is: The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded into the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. the wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene. The lab finally figured out what it was and what had happened. It seems that a guy had somehow gotten hold of a JATO unit (Jet Assisted Take Off – actually a solid fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra 'push' for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. Then he attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up some speed and fired off the JATO! The facts, as best could be determined, are that the operator of the 1967 Impala hit JATO ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0 miles [4.8 kilometers] from the crash site. This was established by the prominent scorched and melted asphalt at that location. The JATO, if operating properly, would have reached maximum thrust within five seconds, causing the Chevy to reach speeds well in excess of 350 MPH [560 km/h], continuing at full power for an additional 20–25 seconds. The driver, soon to be pilot, most likely would have experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners, basically causing him to become insignificant for the remainder of the event. However, the automobile remained on the straight highway for about 2.5 miles [4.0 km] (15–20 seconds) before the driver applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the tires and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface, then becoming airborne for an additional 1.4 miles [2.3 km] and impacting the cliff face at a height of 125 feet [38 m], leaving a blackened crater 3 feet [0.9 m] deep in the rock. Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable; however, small fragments of bone, teeth and hair were extracted from the crater, and fingernail and bone shards were removed from a piece of debris believed to be a portion of the steering wheel.

BiosElement 6y ago
Shame it's not true, makes for a good story. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/carmageddon/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/carmageddon/

meowster 6y ago

Someone's tailgating you? No problem! Just slag their engine.

ebrewste 6y ago

I used to work in the same complex where they used to keep this. My group was working late one night and was wondering why there were strange explosion sounds coming from nearby. I walked through the parking lot to see this beast on afterburner. It was even more amazing in person than in the pictures!

xbar 6y ago

It's too bad I refuse to buy a vehicle without a decent warranty.

del_operator 6y ago

Does it have self driving support? Jet planes come with auto pilot

thrower 6y ago

This is why I love the Bay Area, specifically South Bay. A suburban hell and technology goldmine all wrapped up into a neat little package.

vmception 6y ago
The suburban hell is a dealbreaker for me, ngl. And every time I'm around a college kid talking about how awesome downtown San Jose is on the weekends, there are always people behind them doing the "no" head shake with their hand making the cut it out motion under the chin, validating my existing perception. exhibit a: https://tenor.com/view/no-good-cut-it-out-stop-it-stop-jonah-hill-gif-17688006 https://tenor.com/view/no-good-cut-it-out-stop-it-stop-jonah...

syntaxing 6y ago

I can't imagine how loud this thing is. I stood close to an arm sized jet engine and it's loud. Enough to push the air too that you feel it in your chest

dmix 6y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhCtOhmEDgo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhCtOhmEDgo Quite loud. Good day to bring your ear phones to the track.

mzs 6y ago

thought that was pricey, not what I expected: https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/turbonique-delivered-the-rocket-cars/ https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/turboniqu...

jordache 6y ago

Maybe sell it to Jay Leno?

beloch 6y ago

"It can be a little windy inside with the jet engine running but not too bad. " Now that is an understatement. Despite all the (self-described) obsessive engineering that went into this, the driver of this beast has the intake of a GE T58-8F helicopter turbine engine less than two feet from their head. HELL NO.

sysalphUS 6y ago
My thoughts exactly

cherylskylar 6y ago

I just emailed the seller (Ron Patrick) saying he is a legend and he replied with, "Then I went to Stanford for the PhD but the real reason to come here was to start a company and make lots of money so I could play around and build stupid things. / It worked out pretty well. I never had to work for anyone. Started my company (www.ecm-co.com) while at Stanford. / So I want you to go out there and do better that me! I bet you can do it." He is a real legend—really hoping someone will take his car off the market!

jdhn 6y ago

>The engine is a General Electric Model T58-8F with some internal modifications and a custom tailpipe. Car guys always have to have their custom exhausts, don't they? :)

milchek 6y ago
Definitely. It’s a finishing touch that can be cosmetic and also adds your own unique flavor to how the car sounds, so it’s not just visual. For me, cars have always been just as much about how they sound as well as look and drive. The rumble of a big V8, or a turbocharger spooling up.

not_real_acct 6y ago

Bob Lazar, is that you? https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34752972/1982-jul-30-bob-lazars-jet-the-santa/ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34752972/1982-jul-30-bob-laz...

yarosv 6y ago

One Russian youtuber put an APU onto an old BMW with two configurations, with exhaust off the trunk (https://youtu.be/O2azaxhO6U8?t=362 https://youtu.be/O2azaxhO6U8?t=362), but also connecting it directly to the clutch of the gearbox (https://youtu.be/gcJCY8kXEkw?t=199 https://youtu.be/gcJCY8kXEkw?t=199) English article on thedrive https://www.thedrive.com/news/24280/some-russians-built-a-mig-jet-fighter-powered-bmw-e30 https://www.thedrive.com/news/24280/some-russians-built-a-mi...

dr_j_ 6y ago

But how does it reverse? That’s what I’d like to know!