I wonder how the Bonneville Salt Flats are still flat! Yes, I do remember something about this in Popular Mechanics back in the Cretacic I belong in. Apparently some guys still like those Read this! (before I am accused of extensive copy/paste work with no reference, wink wink, nudge nudge ) * IN 2007, the belly-tank Lakester was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA. It was estimated to sell for $450,000 - $600,000. It is a very successful land-speed racer that achieved a Record on its inaugural debut. It was the Fastest SCTA Lakes Racer of the Season from 1951 to 1955, and again in 1959. It set records at Bonneville in 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1962. It is the Fastest Belly-Tank Lakester ever created, having achieved a two-way run of 243.438 mph. This aerodynamic WWII-surplus tanker is a big piece of history; being offered for sale at auction represented a rare opportunity and thus, the half-million dollar estimate was appropriate. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold. The estimates had not been achieved, yet a high bid of $440,000 including buyer's premium, was enough to sell the lot. p-38 Belly Tank, WW ll Drop Tank Shell, Mark ll Drop Tank Shells Belly Tank Racer - Scratch Made Cars - Car Blueprints Forum * For the Bootless and Unhorse, see this
Another rocket bike. Fritz von Opel's 'Monster' From a fine blog, packed with many unusual two-wheelers: the vintagent: August 2008
I noticed there was already some strange aircraft in this thread. I found this one last night. Looking at it again....Is someone taking the pee with a photoshop
Drew, that's a Lysander P.12. It was built to test-fly the Delanne tandem wing configuration in an attempt to sort a centre-of-gravity problem that had arisen when a turret was fitted behind the trailing-edge of a wing. The turret was a weighted mockup. That's one of very few pics extant of the P.12, from July 1941. I've yet to see a reason given why they wanted a turret on a Lysander of all things! For some strange reason it didn't make it beyond the design stage; it might have been because it was shi....
Nice OSS film on the Weasel, but perhaps more interesting for those intrigued by obscurities the first part is footage of a variety of snow vehicles, from Screw-drive to the Aerocar & swamp buggy. Really nice concentration of oddballs in action. OSS Briefing Film - The Weasel (The parachute dropped Weasel 9 minutes in is faintly alarming...)
Drew, that's a Lysander P.12. It was built to test-fly the Delanne tandem wing configuration in an attempt to sort a centre-of-gravity problem that had arisen when a turret was fitted behind the trailing-edge of a wing. The turret was a weighted mockup. That's one of very few pics extant of the P.12, from July 1941. I've yet to see a reason given why they wanted a turret on a Lysander of all things! For some strange reason it didn't make it beyond the design stage; it might have been because it was shi.... I have a coffee table book at home called something like "Strange Aircraft" and it has a page about the Lysander abortion. This book claims that it's role was to fly the length of the invasion beaches, strafing enemy positions with the four gunned tail turret.
Stig, I think that's someone putting the cart before the horse That explanation would have made more sense if it was some sort of British Stuka we were looking at. In the end they did pretty well with the same boring old aircraft types...!
Hee are a few that equipped 2nd Tactical Air Force Mobile Radar Units in Normandy. They were even stranger when they nodded, or rotated (especially if you were inside them with the access door closed):mellow:
Very nice Les - Strange indeed! Something of a technical improvement over the sound-based listening devices though (like post #149).
RE the 2TAF radar vehicles - Hadn't realised that the cabs were demountable - I had always assumed that they had a "soft top" cab. Also I have never seen the type in the first photograph before - could you give some more details on this one please. Noel
Noel They didn't travel on the road like that, of course, the paraphenalia had to be assembled after demounting the cab. Having been debarred from Radar Engineering training due to defective colour vision, I'm no expert on the 50centimetre aerial array - except to vouch for the state of alarm I experienced in once looking out from the guts of one of them to find the world moving gently by, when somebody decided to test the selsyn. Luckily they weren't transmitting! Les
Just stumbled across this beautiful example of the bodymakers art. Postmans Pat's mail van from 1935. A streamlined Morris 30cwt specially produced for the air-mail service, used in conjunction with separate blue pillar boxes. Have you got one like this Owen? Some very 'of the period' footage here. >>>>>>>>>>>>> British Pathe - G.P.O STREAMLINED <<<<<<<<<<<<< more info here too Royal Air Mail vehicles — The British Postal Museum and Archive RecoverToy :: Die-cast Toy Car & Truck Spare Parts & Repairs Toy Collector - White Metal Copies of Early Dinky Toys
Some nice footage of the T28/95 actually rumbling about: Not sure I've ever seen it moving before. Sadly, no film of it towing it's extra tracks behind...