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VW Beetle Fitted with a Jet Engine

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the solid-gold-houses dept.

6031769 writes "Ron Patrick has decided to go that little bit further by souping up his VW beetle with a jet engine, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Serious planning went into the project. Patrick said, 'We did (computerized) structural analysis and we did stability analysis. And by God, you know what happens? It works!' Contrast with the Rocket Boy to see how it should not be done." Yes, the Darwin award winner was found to be bogus, but unlike the myth, Ron still lives!

4 of 283 comments (clear)

  1. It would NOT be a speeding ticket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
    He would get felony speeding, felony reckless driving, that kind of thing. He would be convicted of it. Any jury that reads this article and sees the arrogance of someone who thinks its reasonable and safe to take a jet-powered car on a public road up to 160mph would convict him. He could go to prison. He would lose his driving privileges for a year or more. He would lose his voting and gun owning rights for the rest of his life. I'm sure that cops who regularly patrol those roads will be aware of this article and will be looking out for this guy, hoping to score a felony speeding conviction on an arrogant rich guy.

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    California CCW reform

  2. Thanks for the info. Some more by Flying+pig · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I worked for a while in the 80s for one of the companies that were involved in the original Merlin development. I believe there has been more than one Meteor powered car (I really wouldn't want a full Merlin which would make the jet powered VW look pretty wimpy.) Our R&D people were involved in tractor racing, and one of the competitors had a Merlin powered tractor. We, on the other hand, had a turbocharged Diesel. They came back from one weekend somewhat elated having beaten the Merlin. Apparently the Diesel had been running at 5.8 atmospheres boost - that's about 85PSI.

    So I am afraid this jet car is actually a bit pathetic. It's no more powerful than the (street legal, normally drivable) VW Bugatti, which costs about the same, and it is less powerful than a suitable modded tractor engine.

    What I took away from that company was an in-dept knowledge of how to produce a hardened engine management system, and a lifelong passion for Diesels. As our Technical Director used to say, and history has proved him right, with the exception of power to weight ratio there is absolutely no measure on which a Diesel cannot be made to out-perform every other type of combustion engine.

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    Pining for the fjords
    1. Re:Thanks for the info. Some more by _bug_ · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So I am afraid this jet car is actually a bit pathetic. It's no more powerful than the (street legal, normally drivable) VW Bugatti, which costs about the same, and it is less powerful than a suitable modded tractor engine.

      The Bugatti Veyron retails for over a million dollars. This guy paid the cost of a VW Beetle and 250g more. So we're looking at under $300k for the whole deal. He could build three and still have enough cash left over for a more sensible car, like a Porsche, with the $$ it'd take to buy a Veyron.

      Although I have to say I think the Bugatti would be a helluva lot more fun.

  3. Re:Brazil by Bastard+of+Subhumani · · Score: 1, Insightful

    So did the Luftwaffe. Your point was what?

    --
    Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.