Larsen Motorsport's Florida Tech Jet Car

A jet car is a

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

propelled by a

jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine discharging a fast-moving jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition can include rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and hybrid propulsion, the term ...

. 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, most c ...

. 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 (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...

attempts, after an

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backst ...

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 and is a popular target for right-handed hitters. Overview The wall was part ...

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 creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

raced as dragsters (as well as also achieving or attempting land speed records). In 2006, while filming an episode for the series

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...

, presenter and driver

Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, mechanic, and writer. He is best known for co-hosting the BBC Two motoring programme ''Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and Jame ...

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 The Pratt & Whitney JT12, (US military designation J60) is a small turbojet engine. The Pratt & Whitney T73 (Pratt & Whitney JFTD12) is a related turboshaft engine. Design and development The J60 conception and project design began in July 1957 a ...

or the

General Electric J85 The General Electric J85 is a small single-shaft turbojet engine. Military versions produce up to of thrust dry; afterburning variants can reach up to . The engine, depending upon additional equipment and specific model, weighs from . It is one ...

jet engine.

References

External links

Jet car archive
Drag racing cars Jet cars {{Motorsport-stub

Land speed record

Drag racers

See also

References

External links