The Setzer streamliner dragster is an unusual

streamliner A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor " bullet trains". Less commonly, the term ...

dragster built in 1972.Taylor, Thom. "Barry Setzer Monocoque Streamliner", in "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone", p. 40. Built at

John Buttera John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

's shop, and conceived by Buttera and body man Louie Teckenoff, the car was an unusual

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ...

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

(rather than the more commonplace tube

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpa ...

). The body panels were -thick sheet, fastened with adhesives and over 5,000

rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched ...

s; the inner and outer skins were separated by high-density foam. It had full-enclosed front wheels, cockpit, and engine, with a winglet ahead of the front axle and a low wing, just above the rollbar, in back.Taylor, p. 40 photo. (The wings were designed and positioned by

Nye Frank Nye Frank is an American dragster builder in the 1960s and 1970s. Among others, Frank worked on the twin-engined dragsters ''Freight Train'' and ''Pulsator'' (as designer) the Setzer streamliner (designing and positioning the wings), ''Flying ...

.) The car took six months to build. It was sold to Barry Setzer for US$15,000 in 1972. In test runs at OCIR, driver Pat Foster experienced a sudden, unexpected

wheelstand In vehicle acrobatics, a wheelie, or wheelstand, is a vehicle maneuver in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground due to sufficient torque being applied to the rear wheel or wheels, or rider motion relative to the vehicle. Whee ...

. Buttera tried to solve the problem, some reporting the engine was moved, and other changes made; nevertheless, the car still had a tendency to what would now be called "blowover". The car is now on display at the

Don Garlits Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932, Tampa, Florida) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Considered the father of drag racing, he is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. A pioneer in the field ...

Museum of Drag Racing in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home t ...

Notes

Sources

* Taylor, Thom. "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone" in ''Hot Rod'', April 2017, pp. 30–43. 1970s cars Drag racing cars Rear-wheel-drive vehicles {{automobile-stub