8 ms·

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

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
        Go to a racetrack. Unlikely isn't good enough.
  - tempestn 6y ago
    I'm sure that's not legal, but then, neither are more conventional blasts down the highway.
  - trhway 6y ago
    >the occasional blast down the highway if he were to install the engine into the vertical position, he could have enjoyed occasional blast _over_ highway as the thrust of this engine (even without adding turbofan) seems to be just about enough to lift a stripped down VW Beetle.
- 0_____0 6y ago
  i mean.... where's the law that says that it's _illegal_?
  - extrapickles 6y ago
    Noise ordinances would be the easiest way it would be illegal, then hazard zone produced by the jet exhaust is not marked as that zone likely falls under same regulations as carrying a pole or other cargo that extends out back of the vehicle.
flyGuyOnTheSly 6y ago
It's definitely not street legal... not with the jet engine running at least. You're not allowed to incinerate the guy behind you when the light turns green.
- oedoedxef 6y ago
  Advertised as street legal in the post.
  - ARandomerDude 6y ago
    Sort of. It's advertised as legal with the gasoline engine. I take it "then, when you want to have some fun" means "when the Police aren't around." > The idea is that you drive around legally on the gasoline engine then, when you want to have some fun, spin up the jet and get on the burner (you can start the jet while driving along on the gasoline engine).
    - oedoedxef 6y ago
      It has a license plate on it.
nuclear_eclipse 6y ago
Most laws around street legality center around certification of the chassis, safety equipment, and emissions. Don't run the jet engine during a smog test, and prove that all the necessary safety equipment function (signals, airbags, seatbelts, etc), and you're going to pass. This is why most kit cars depend on a "donor" chassis that gets stripped down and have the new car built on top of.
- oedoedxef 6y ago
  California DMV said this was not street legal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faZT8JAq7Qw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faZT8JAq7Qw
- pixelpoet 6y ago
  > Don't run the jet engine during a smog test You wouldn't happen to work for a large German automotive company with the letters V and W in the name, would you?
  - dotancohen 6y ago
    Actually, the jet-powered car in question does just so happen to have those two letters adorning its crest.
tesseract 6y ago
I think pretty much anything with lights, brakes, and seatbelts can be street legal as a one-off. The stricter regulations come into play for series production.
- oedoedxef 6y ago
  Take a look at the Roadkill episode where they made the Monte Carlo and then took it to get registered and the DMV lady came out to inspect in and just walked away after looking at the color scheme. Everything was structurally fine, it just looked beat up with surface rust.
jordache 6y ago
well this jet car is also street legal https://www.motor1.com/news/131074/jay-leno-ecojet-window-lost/ https://www.motor1.com/news/131074/jay-leno-ecojet-window-lo...
marzell 6y ago
I'd imagine the majority of cases involve modifications to the existing powertrain and drivetrain, which is highly regulated in California. I think since the original engine is intact and (probably?) unmodified, it can be street legal as long as the jet isn't actually operating.

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
        Go to a racetrack. Unlikely isn't good enough.
- tempestn 6y ago
  I'm sure that's not legal, but then, neither are more conventional blasts down the highway.
- trhway 6y ago
  >the occasional blast down the highway if he were to install the engine into the vertical position, he could have enjoyed occasional blast _over_ highway as the thrust of this engine (even without adding turbofan) seems to be just about enough to lift a stripped down VW Beetle.
0_____0 6y ago
i mean.... where's the law that says that it's _illegal_?
- extrapickles 6y ago
  Noise ordinances would be the easiest way it would be illegal, then hazard zone produced by the jet exhaust is not marked as that zone likely falls under same regulations as carrying a pole or other cargo that extends out back of the vehicle.

flyGuyOnTheSly 6y ago

It's definitely not street legal... not with the jet engine running at least. You're not allowed to incinerate the guy behind you when the light turns green.

oedoedxef 6y ago
Advertised as street legal in the post.
- ARandomerDude 6y ago
  Sort of. It's advertised as legal with the gasoline engine. I take it "then, when you want to have some fun" means "when the Police aren't around." > The idea is that you drive around legally on the gasoline engine then, when you want to have some fun, spin up the jet and get on the burner (you can start the jet while driving along on the gasoline engine).
  - oedoedxef 6y ago
    It has a license plate on it.

nuclear_eclipse 6y ago

Most laws around street legality center around certification of the chassis, safety equipment, and emissions. Don't run the jet engine during a smog test, and prove that all the necessary safety equipment function (signals, airbags, seatbelts, etc), and you're going to pass. This is why most kit cars depend on a "donor" chassis that gets stripped down and have the new car built on top of.

oedoedxef 6y ago
California DMV said this was not street legal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faZT8JAq7Qw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faZT8JAq7Qw
pixelpoet 6y ago
> Don't run the jet engine during a smog test You wouldn't happen to work for a large German automotive company with the letters V and W in the name, would you?
- dotancohen 6y ago
  Actually, the jet-powered car in question does just so happen to have those two letters adorning its crest.

tesseract 6y ago

I think pretty much anything with lights, brakes, and seatbelts can be street legal as a one-off. The stricter regulations come into play for series production.

oedoedxef 6y ago
Take a look at the Roadkill episode where they made the Monte Carlo and then took it to get registered and the DMV lady came out to inspect in and just walked away after looking at the color scheme. Everything was structurally fine, it just looked beat up with surface rust.

jordache 6y ago

well this jet car is also street legal https://www.motor1.com/news/131074/jay-leno-ecojet-window-lost/ https://www.motor1.com/news/131074/jay-leno-ecojet-window-lo...

marzell 6y ago

I'd imagine the majority of cases involve modifications to the existing powertrain and drivetrain, which is highly regulated in California. I think since the original engine is intact and (probably?) unmodified, it can be street legal as long as the jet isn't actually operating.