The tale of Turbonique and the most insane speed parts ever.

"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv) 01/31/2020 at 17:36 • Filed to: None

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Turbonique was started in 1962 by a former aerospace engineer who specialized in turbine engines and rockets. While he was an aerospace engineer, he fantasized about possible applications of rockets and turbines in the world of speed parts. So when he started his own company, that’s exactly what he started designing. Before long, you could mail-order various rocket-powered turbine engines that would bolt right on to your car, truck or even go-kart. And these things were utterly insane. They were powered by a monopropellant fuel called Thermolene, which Hot Rod.com describes as “Stable under certain conditions, Thermolene could quickly decompose, producing an exponentially uncontrollable hurricane of hot gases surely launching an unimaginable catastrophe from what looked like a can of mouthwash.” Their most well known engines were their Drag Axles, which bolted directly to the rear axle of your car and produced anywhere from 45 to 1,300 horsepower depending on which one you ordered.

This Chevelle met its demise when the Drag Axle seized up, causing the car to crash and roll over multiple times. The driver survived, though.

One of their publicity vehicles, the Drag Axle-equiped “Black Widow” VW Beetle, became somewhat infamous for at one point beating Tommy Ivo’s four-engined “Showboat” dragster, and later crashing after becoming airborne at 183 mph.

With the exception of the Turbonique Drag Axle, the Black Widow was just a stock VW Beetle. I think the idea was to show how good the axle was without any help, but it just made the car even more of a deathtrap.

Turbonique  actually advertised the crash, saying “We forgot our own strength for a split second”. It wasn’t long before word spread about these strange devices which could bolt onto your axle and cause mind-boggling acceleration. Many people wanted to try it. But very few cars that these drag axles got bolted to survived. It made your car extremely fast, sure, but there were so many ways for it to go wrong. For one thing, if you let off the throttle and then floored it again, the Drag Axle would become a bomb. There were also instances where the rocket would melt the turbine, causing the rear axle to suddenly lock up and the car to crash. And even if you could get the car to work well enough, you also had to handle the fuel extremely carefully because it could melt through plastic, rubber, and even metal if water was present. And it was toxic, too. Basically, any car with a Turbonique Drag Axle was a deathtrap. Also, some people fitted the things to go-karts, which were apparently capable of going from 0- 160 miles per hour   in four seconds.  

Here’s a surviving Turbonique go-kart. Either it somehow miraculously managed not to kill its driver, or the builder realized at the last second that this was a terrible idea.

Yeah, not everybody survived that...
But in the end, the company’s founder was brought to court and the company was no more. Oddly enough, though, it wasn’t because their products were super dangerous; it was because people complained that their products weren’t as easy to install as the advertisements claimed. It was probably for the best, though.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jim Spanfeller 01/31/2020 at 17:41

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0-160 mph in 4 seconds!!!!!!!

Jim Spanfeller > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 01/31/2020 at 17:44

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Yup. And with your butt two inches from the ground. Also, no roll cage, because safety regulations for go-karts weren’t really a thing. Needless to say, more than a few people who tried it didn’t live to tell the tale.

3point8isgreat > Jim Spanfeller 01/31/2020 at 17:50

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This sounds like a great idea that should be revisited with modern controls and materials.  And maybe not use a monopropellant as the fuel because of how bad they are.  Drag racers doing insane stuff just seems right.

NojustNo > Jim Spanfeller 01/31/2020 at 17:54

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>>>>>>One of their publicity vehicles, the Drag Axle-equiped “Black Widow” VW Beetle, became somewhat infamous for at one point beating Tommy Ivo’s four-engined “Showboat” dragster, and later crashing after becoming airborne at 183 mph

If  that was the wrecked c ar pictured it’s amazingly intact.

Too bad it wasnt certified as such. I bet that would be the world’s fastest B eetle ever recorded!

Does a nybody have any official top speed records for modified b eetles?

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Jim Spanfeller 01/31/2020 at 17:58

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Didn’t they use one of those in an Episode of CHIPs?  I Seem to recall they put them in a Split Pumper Camaro

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Jim Spanfeller 01/31/2020 at 18:01

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These were known for mediocre ETs but amazing trap speeds. No throttle basically made launching an act of faith. If you want something nearly on par with them, there is the R/FC class that lasted for exactly two races, and resulted in two deaths. The record from exhibition runs is Sammy Miller who did 3.54@386MPH.

Jim Spanfeller > 3point8isgreat 01/31/2020 at 18:06

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I agree. They also sold a device that was like a turbocharger, but instead of being spooled by exhaust gasses, it was spooled by a Th ermolene rocket. It could supposedly increase the horsepower of a Chevy 409 from 405 hp to 835. Now that’s an idea I want to see revisited. P referably configured so that it shoots a column of flames out the hood ;)
 

vondon302 > Jim Spanfeller 01/31/2020 at 18:29

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Well one survived. Mr Reynolds of tobacco fame owned it too.

Equipped with a ham radio too....odd

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > vondon302 02/01/2020 at 14:56

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The fact that this has a Latham supercharger is even cooler!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.axialflow.com/history.htm

vondon302 > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 02/01/2020 at 15:23

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OH yeah that too.

Too cool. Learned something.