
A jet car is a
car
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...
propelled by a
jet engine
A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...
. A jet dragster is a jet powered car used for
drag racing
Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...
. They are most commonly seen at race shows.
Land speed record
Jet powered cars are commonly used for
land speed record
The land speed record (LSR) or absolute land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. By a 1964 agreement between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de M ...
attempts, after an
FIA rule change that permitted them in 1964.
Drag racers
Some cars such as
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. The wall is from home plate at the left-field Foul line (baseball), foul line, making it a popular target f ...
and
Vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
raced as dragsters (as well as also achieving or attempting land speed records).
In 2006, while filming an episode for the series
Top Gear, presenter and driver
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, and author. He co-hosted the BBC Two motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James Ma ...
was critically injured in a crash with the jet dragster, Vampire, that he was piloting.
More modern jet dragsters such as Robert Albertson's "Blazing Angel" are capable of reaching over in a quarter of a mile.
Most of these modern cars are powered by the
Pratt & Whitney J60 or the
General Electric J85
The General Electric J85 is a small single-shaft turbojet engine. Military versions produce up to of thrust dry; Afterburner, afterburning variants can reach up to . The engine, depending upon additional equipment and specific model, weighs fro ...
jet engine.
See also
*
Aero-engined car
*
Drag racing
Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...
*
Electric dragster
*
Jet engine
A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...
*
Jet Train
*
Jet Truck
*
Turbojet train
*
Rocket dragster
References
External links
Jet car archive
Drag racing cars
{{Motorsport-stub