Fast Flathead at Bonneville

On opening day the Costella-Yacoucci-Papas & Stevens Turbocharged Fuel Flathead Streamliner went 309.199 off the trailler. This is with the orange car #788 in the attached picture using the Jimmy Stevens Ford Flathead shown while under construction. Rich Yacoucci drives and maintains the car built by Jack Costella of San Jose, Ca. Fastest flathead I have ever heard of.

 

Thats going to set the cat a****st the pidgeons

 

Oooooooooooooh!!!

 

Don't those guys typically run motorcycle powerplants in their stuff?

 

very Impressive considering I know of some who are trying to break a 214 record with a big block chubby and have just now mustered 210.

............ 309 with a Flathead speaks volumes for Henry's finest irregardless
of Not having overhead valves and/or a bowtie (slowtie?)




.

 

Rick started with a Turbo 'Busa going very fast riding it. The 988 car started out with a Honda V4 bike engine. Then a Yahama five valve bike motor and finally Ricks 'busa motor. The 788 car has always run flatheads or SBC engines except for a short stint with my Nissan 3 liter six and Jacks 2 liter Toyota 4. This year there are also Jack built cars running in 500cc lakester cl*** with a Yahama V4. A 750 Honda powdered 'liner and a Toyota V6 mod Sports. Jack likes to stay busy.

 

Some one just asked me on the weekend is that 85 horsepower sidie???
I'am simply telling them google world fastest flathead....
I can get up from the floor now.

 

A square tube ch***is? Now that must have been a nightmare to weld. I'm surprised it is legal.

 

UNBELIEVABLE!!! I'm sure there are many that figured long ago the flathead had reached it's zenith. I, for one, scoffed when I heard they were going for 300. Now, I'll just sit back and wait for them to go 350-400.

Frank

 

Maybe but I think they are gonna stop.

 

Here is the lakester. Rick went 280 last year with the same car/engine unblown. So 3 isn't to much of a surprise. Off the trailer is something I didn't see coming. And of course Ron Main went 301 years ago in the Flatfire 'liner

 

Mod Sport

 

Wow! That is totally impressive - what I'd give to see the block, cam valvetrain and lower-end of that engine! It takes some serious money, skill and time to build a streamliner capable of those speeds - with any powerplant.

The most impressive thing with a flathead is keeping it together at those horsepower levels (block and lower end) - it has to be pushing 500+ HP to attain those speeds.

Sometimes when I think I know a thing or two about flatheads, I just have to look at a post like this.

If I was reinCARnated, I think I'd come back as a Bonneville builder/racer . . . with a couple trunks of $100 bills to play with.



Thanks for the post!

Dale

 

Wow, very impressive. If that's right off the trailer, it will be interesting to see what the week brings.

Any idea how many HP on the dyno?

 

I don't know how much money is in the Stevens Flathead. I do know Jack is very tight with money. There is a lot of work in his cars. Not much money. That's why he has engine partners. He could never live with the expense of all those motors and all those entrys.

 

Very cool, glad to hear of some early succes from the Costella camp!

 

In 1997 Jack went 313 one way with Al Liest's 302 inch SBC on gas, unblown, inthe same car. As I remember Al was claiming 600-620 hp. It went 231 in 2000 with my Nissan with 240 HP. Those are sea level numbers.

 

And the 8080 car

 

Thats simply amazing! I'd love to see whats inside the block.

 

I noticed that exhaust out the top. is that a cad flatmotor or one of the mods to a ford block?

 

I remember that engine photo you posted from awhile back, is the one there running now that same setup?
It sure is cool ………. Nice to see another go over 300

 

I don't know how much of this is true and how much of it is exaggerated, but we were next to some guys that knew these folks. They said the old 301mph record was on a $2 million budget. The new record was on backyard mechanic money, but the guy is a flat out mechanical genius. COOL! I saw the run. Really cool!

 

Only Ford/Merc engines allowed in this cl***. The Jimmey Stevens ans also the Ron Main flatheads have been modofied to run the exhaust out the top

 

Same engine as went 280 last year but turbocharged now.

 

that's what I thought!

 

Burned a piston unable to make return run. Updates to follow, maybe. Lakester runs 181 or so for cl*** record and 8080 'liner with 750 motor runs 212 or so for it's new record.

 

That has to be a heartbreaker!

Rich, is it the fact that they can't get the piston changed in the 4 hour time limit, or is that type of repair not allowed between runs?

 

It was allowed and I thought they had it handled. I think it really was that they had also burned a hole in the head that was the killer. Hopefully the head can get welded and Rick can try again.

 

wow, thats impressive! didn't garlits try to run in this cl*** with swamp rat 33, what speed did he run he had a blown flatty as well!

 

Thanks for the updates. We first met Jack back in 2001 when we drove the 34' hotrod to the salt. I bet Ron Main/Poteet are not very happy.

Chris