Lemay Jet Car (sort of.)

IN THE WORLD OF THE AUTOMOBILE, THERE ARE CARS THAT PRETEND TO BE JETS AND THEN THERE’S THE REAL DEAL. THE FIRST OF THE POSEURS APPEARED AS EARLY AS THE LATE 40’S, THOSE NASCENT “BUMPS” ON THE REAR FENDERS OF CADILLACS. THEY WERE ACTUALLY INSPIRED BY A PROP DRIVEN P38 NOT A JET.

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By the late 50s/early 60s the faux jet car thing had gotten positively goofy—Chevys with inset ‘gun sights,’ cars with B47esque hood ornaments, grills that aped fighter jet air intakes and at the pinnacle of the preposterous—the ‘Buck Rogers-mobile’—the 1959 Cadillac! Fins soaring to the ionosphere, set above jet exhaust ports that wouldn’t look out of place on a V-2. The ‘59 Caddie is the exclamation point at the end of the sentence. It’s like Liberace—who must have owned one—you have to love it, if for no other reason, its.

We’ll leave the era of the bemused and befinned for another issue. The subject of this installment of AutoBiography is of the later noted breed...a 1932 Ford Roadster that just happens to be a true-blue, bonafide “Jet Car.”

The car’s long time owner/ builder Len Williams, a former Boeing Engineer, is a bit more precise when describing the car, “It’s not really a jet car, we just call it that. Technically, the engine is a turbo shaft gas turbine with a free power turbine. There are two sections, the gas producer section and the output section.”

“In the gas producer section air enters at the front where it is compressed. The air then enters the two burners where fuel is burned, heating the air and expanding it. The expanded gas then travels at a high rate of speed and spins the first turbine wheel, like a windmill. This turbine wheel is directly connected to the compressor so the gas producer operation is continuous. In the output section the high velocity gas spins a second turbine wheel and goes out the exhaust. The second turbine wheel is connected to the output shaft through a system of planetary gears.

“The engine idles at 15,000 rpm. Maximum rpm is 37,000. The output turbine wheel turns 30,000 rpm at full power. This is reduced to 3,000 rpm at the output shaft by the planetary reduction gears. The engine output section is directly connected to the drive shaft. The car’s rear end ratio is about 2.8 to 1 so the top speed is about 95 mph. With taller gears in the rear end the top speed would be about 115 mph. The 2.8 ratio is a compromise between top speed and acceleration. The engine is rated at 180 HP with all the accessories operating. There is no transmission (and no reverse gear) so all of this power goes directly to the rear wheels.”

Those of you born with bulging left hemispheres no doubt find all this perfectly understandable and quite fascinating. For the rest of us, suffice to say this is not your typical “deuce” roadster.

The history of the car is every bit as fascinating as its power plant. Mr. Williams first became interested in cars while attending the University of Michigan in the late 1940s. During a summer vacation, Len and some friends motored back to Watkins Glen to watch the SCCA road races. The car that caught Len’s eye was not the exotic stuff on the track— Jags, Ferraris, Porsches and the like— rather, a 32 Highboy Roadster that a young couple had driven down from M***achusetts. “It was meticulous with a flathead Merc, hydraulic brakes and a black lacquer paint job.” recalls Williams.

A military service bonus combined with an understanding young wife (still tolerating his eccentricities to this day) led to Ypsilanti and the son of Preston Tucker—yes, that “Preston Tucker!” “He had a beat up, rusted out 32 roadster that he had given up on,” muses Williams. “I gave him fifty bucks for it!” After transplanting an engine, transmission, brakes, wheels and tires froma 41 Ford, Len “had me a Hot Rod.” As an aside, it’s one of those curious little ironies that 60 plus years later one of father Tucker’s cars and son Tucker’s ex-32 roadster have found a common home—The LeMay Museum, Marymount.

The car was licensed and on the road by graduation time and then towed out to Seattle where Len went to work for the Boeing Airplane Company in 1950. It wasn’t long before he was immersed in the local Hot Rod scene. He joined the Dragons Hot Rod Club, one of many clubs in the Western Washington Timing ***ociation and raced the car at the Arlington Airport north of Seattle. “This was a typical drag strip of the 1950’s” Says Len, “We measured off 1,250 feet and that was about it, no timing lights, no speaker system, no grandstand, no protective barriers, no trophies and no roll bar.”

In 1951, 52, and 54 he drove down to the Southern California Timing ***ociation Speed trials at Bonneville, Utah. In 1954 Len turned a respectable 134 MPH on gasoline and then drove the car back home to Washington. Though impressive, it was no match for the California cars that ran radical cams and fuel and were towed to and from speed events. In his engagingly positive fashion, Williams simply says, “it was a lot of fun and we made some good friends.”

Three trips to the Salt Flats had worked its chemical havoc on the car in the form of rust and corrosion so it was taken down to the frame, sandblasted and given a fresh red and white paint job. Len was in the process of re***embly when he heard about a Boeing 502-8 gas turbine engine for sale at a surplus yard in New York. A friend purchased the engine for him and had it shipped to Seattle.

Len continues the story, “When it came time to install the engine, I had to see where to cut and weld the frame. I had the engine on the chain hoist and I slowly lowered it into the ch***is. Unbelievably, it settled right in place. It cleared the front cross member by a half inch and looked like it would clear the hood by and inch on both sides. The narrow part of the engine was where the steering box was located so there was plenty of room. I did have to split the radius rods but that was common in those days. It was almost like this is the engine Henry had in mind when he built the 32 Ford.”

The build process proceeded quickly from that point on. The body, electrical and fuel systems, oil cooling and throttle system were installed and the car was on the road a few months later. Len informed the lady at the License Bureau that the car had a gas turbine engine. She just smiled and gave him the new tabs.

The turbine engine is surprisingly vibration free. A favorite trick of Williams was to balance a half dollar on the hood with the engine idling. Contrary to popular belief, the turbine does produce a fair amount of engine braking. One of the more distinct characteristics of the car is its sound, best described as a “high-pitched scream”— an attention getter to say the least.

In 1986, the car became part of the LeMay Collection. The “jet car” is still in operating condition after 42 years and is occasionally taken out for a demonstration run at various functions. One such recent appearance was at the acclaimed Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Other than the flame paint job and the pleated upholstery, it’s the very same car Len Williams put on the road back in 1962.

DID YOU KNOW?
Jet powered cars have been around a lot longer than you might think. We tend to think of them as a phenomenon of the 1950s and early 60s. In fact, the first experiments with turbine power occurred much earlier. In the 1930s, General Motors and Chrysler began to research the idea. It was a case of innovative thinking preceding practical feasibility. The basic principles were in place, the necessary technologies and materials were not.

Around 1950, GM began building a series of turbine powered cars, the most well known of which were the three Firebird experimental vehicles. The futuristic Firebirds toured America, delighting crowds wherever they were displayed. The trio of flame emitting birds, though remarkable as design, were conceived more as a marketing exercise rather than a practical transportation option. Two significant problems plagued ‘jet’ powered cars: a tendency to gulp gas and searing exhaust heat.

The last significant attempt to meld turbine power with a m*** market automobile occurred in 1963. Chrysler built 55 prototype vehicles and loaned them out to the public for testing and evaluation. The recommended fuel was diesel but the cars would run on just about any flammable liquid. To prove it, fuel sources as diverse as home heating oil, kerosine, tequila and Chanel No. 5 were successfully tried.

Though public reaction to the cars was generally favorable, ever-tightening EPA emissions restrictions forced Chrysler to shift its development focus to cleaning up the company’s breadand- ****er piston line of engines. The turbine car planned for 1966 got a conventional engine and became the “1966 Charger Fastback.” Strange but true—the Charger was originally designed to be turbine powered.
See more pics and info at
http://www.lemaymuseum.org/

 

Great story. I'd love to see that collection!
Clark

 

This info is cool! A couple years ago I was reading in the back of an early Hot Rod Magazine and saw a letter to the editor from Preston Tucker Jr. asking about Milan (Kinmont) brakes and other things for his 32 roadster. Then a few issues later he had a for sale ad in the back with the car for sale. I posted a request here for any info about this car, but nobody knew anything. Now I know.


Edit: Wait this can't be the same car, cause Williams says it was rough and he had to do lots of work to it. Oh well.

 

Len was talked into bringing that roadster to a small car show in Silverdale in about 1980. The car had been sitting in his garage for years and was still covered with lots of dust and crud, but it started and ran across the ferry and up to the show. You should hear it-just like a jet helo taking off without any muffling. The Early Irons got together and cleaned it up when it arrived, and it looked great for the weekend. Come Sunday night, we all waited for it to start and drive out with our fingers in our ears. The sound in an enclosed area is awesome! He sold it to Harold Lemay a few years later, and it was one of the few cars I ever saw Harold driving around in, smiling all the time.

 

I went to the LeMay Museum this year for the first time. It is simply amazing. That car was sitting not 20 feet from a "real" Tucker...(production car).

Love it.

 

a guy back home who builds turbines for various applications, tried to convince me to put a turbine in my jeep j10. Told me it wo uld be lots of fun to pull up beside someone i didnt like hit the gas and sear his paint off...only problem it would cost 10 grand just for the engine...its the same guy who supplied the jet engine for the car in BC canada that is trying for the land speed record.

 

To have seen Harold drive it was something else, and better yet was to watch him get out of it wearing bowling shoes.

 

I remember when R&C did a report on the Lemay collection and a small feature on this amazing roadster, the August 1991 issue I believe. The Lemay collection is impressive, even has early toy vehicles! Speaking of jet cars, wasn't a three wheeled turbine car featured around '53 in Hot Rod, as well as the SAC Fireboid which appeared to be a Kurtis Indy car with a turbine!

 

I have known Len since 1953 when we met at Bonneville.
I have ridden in his ex turbine roadster. I was with him at the LeMay
show last fall to help answer questions about the car.
We are currently looking for a turbine to put in my model A.
Any help on this will be appreciated.
Pete

 

I have some vintage photographs from the 1950's of the SAC Firebiod with Boeing turbing. Some up close of car and one of General Griswold driving the Fireboid. I have not ever seen any others like these. If you know anyone who might be interested in purchasing these and other photos from Sebring, Watkins Glenn, Turner AFB from 1950's....send me a note. Photos are in great condition and professionally mounted. 16 x 20 overall size. Thanks

 

I can't believe this post went this long without a picture. Well, Here you go. I saw, and HEARD this thing taxi into the All Ford Show at Husky stadium years ago.

 

Dang this thread is old! Seen the car in person but it gets a little lost with the rest of the cool stuff at the Lemay Museum.