Engineering:Thompson-Voight dragster
| Thompson-Voight dragster | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Designer | Mickey Thompson and Fritz Voight |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Top Fuel |
| Body style | Streamliner dragster |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Twin 392 cu in (6,420 cc) Chrysler hemis |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | None |
The Thompson-Voight dragster is a twin-engined streamliner dragster.[1]
Mickey Thompson collaborated with Fritz Voight in building the dragster, which had a fully enclosed body (except the steel front wheels), including a closed canopy.[1] It was powered by a pair of 392 cu in (6,420 cc) Chrysler hemis, one facing forward to drive the rear wheels, the other facing backward to drive the front ones.[1]
Wearing number 555, the car debuted in 1958 at Bonneville, after "an impromptu stop", where it achieved 242 mph (389 km/h) on its very first run.[1]
The next week, the car turned in a best speed of 294.117 mph (473.335 km/h), but broke a connecting rod, leaving Thompson unable to back up his speed to make it official.[1]
While a reasonable success in land speed racing, the car proved too slow for drag racing, never able to top high-9 second passes or 149.50 mph (240.60 km/h) (even with its body removed), when contemporary slingshot fuellers were routinely hitting mid-9s.[1]
Notes
Sources
- Taylor, Thom. "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone" in Hot Rod, April 2017, pp. 30–43.
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