alt=photo of a drop tank on a P-51 mustang, An example of a drop tank on a P-51, though it is a 75-gallon tank, and mounted on a wing
hardpoint.
A Lakester is a
car with a streamlined body but with four exposed wheels. It is most often made out of a modified aircraft
drop tank
In aviation, a drop tank (external tank, wing tank or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often capable of being jettisoned. External tanks are commonplace on modern ...
. The main attraction is the drop tank's excellent
aerodynamics
Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dy ...
due to it being streamlined for its original use on aircraft. Building lakesters became popular after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
when surplus drop tanks were available cheaply.
History
During the late 1940s Bill Burke of the
So-Cal Speed Shop built the first "Lakester" from a surplus aircraft drop tank.
The idea of using a tank as an aerodynamic car body came to Burke when he saw some drop tanks on a barge being taken ashore at
Guadalcanal.
[Wilkinson, Stephan (2005)]
''Man and Machine: The Best Of Stephan Wilkinson''
Globe Pequot. p. 97. .[Christensen, Mark (2005)]
''SO-CAL Speed Shop: The Fast Tale of the California Racers Who Made Hot Rod History''
MotorBooks International. p. 66. .
Burke recalls thinking, "My god, what a beautiful piece of streamlining that is!"
With a
tape measure
A tape measure or measuring tape is a flexible ruler used to measure length or distance.
It consists of a ribbon of cloth, plastic, fibre glass, or metal strip with linear measurement markings. It is a common measuring tool. Its design all ...
, Burke went aboard and measured one of the tanks.
He knew the
dimensions of a
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
rear end and
engine block
In an internal combustion engine, the engine block is the structure which contains the cylinders and other components. In an early automotive engine, the engine block consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was attac ...
, and he could see that the automotive components would fit.
Production
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, surplus tanks were sold for $35 or $40 apiece, and hundreds of them were stockpiled in surplus yards.
Burke's first Lakester was created from a 168-gallon tank used on the
P-51 Mustang.
However, with experience it was found that the 315-gallon tank used on the
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...
was more practical due to its greater size.
The tanks consisted of two halves bolted together, however since the top half had fuel openings and all the necessary hardware to fasten it to the aircraft, usually only two bottom halves were used to create a Lakester.
Racing
The Lakester's first race appearance was at
Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats are a densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah. A remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, it is the largest of many salt flats west of the Great Salt Lake. It is public land managed by the Bur ...
. Even today, Lakesters can still be seen racing there.
See also
*
Drop tank
In aviation, a drop tank (external tank, wing tank or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often capable of being jettisoned. External tanks are commonplace on modern ...
References
External links
2003 So-Cal Lakester
Vehicles by type
