Who'd have thought Christies future interest would turn to tank design? Check out one of his racing cars. Doesn't look exactly flighty when compared to the competition does it? Though apparently Not half bad. From: http://www.usfamily.net/web/stauffer/Minnrace.htm Cheers, Adam.
I think you'll find it was front-wheel drive. Very advanced thinking, like his tanks. It wasn't the very first front-wheel drive car though, there was one running in 1898.
It was being reminiscent of the M3 & M4's transmission cover that first made the pic stand out to me.
Who'd have thought Christies future interest would turn to tank design? Check out one of his racing cars. Doesn't look exactly flighty when compared to the competition does it? Though apparently Not half bad. View attachment 560 From: http://www.usfamily.net/web/stauffer/Minnrace.htm Cheers, Adam. I don't think they will be trying to edge him out on the corners! lol.
More strangeness from old 'J.W.' : View attachment Christie aerial tractor.pdf From Patent Searching Database - I'm guessing there's dozens more from him on there, but it seems to have crashed for the moment .
Nice footage of a Christie M1938 at full chat: [YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE] Well... full-ish if that quoted top end of 80MPH is to be believed. Bit more on his cars: The Vanderbilt Cup Races | Blog | Saturday, November 14, 2009: John Walter Christie: Front-Wheel Drive Pioneer
He also did a lot of front wheel drive and four wheel drive design and manufacture before he got to tanks. Here's one of his fire trucks from 1911. The 20 liter four cylinder looks very small for the displacement.
Yeah, he made a boo-boo there but his videos are so good that he can be forgiven, at least by me, anyway He shows the engine block from the Burbank Christie that he blew up and then repaired at the 2:50 mark in this video. Note the Rolls Royce chassis with a Merlin in the background that he building
In the 11 years since this thread was born, lots more JWC stuff out there. Some very nice pics of his racing monsters: Grand Prix Cars - Christie I'm getting sucked into the Leno thing, Dave. Needed a break from Gun Jesus , so cheers for that.
Some good stuff on that strange Front wheel Drive/Gearbox/exhaust/sledgehammer design: THE BRUTAL AMERICAN 20-LITRE V-4 FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CHRISTIE RACING CAR OF 1907
enjoy The Amazing Automobiles of John Walter Christie – Part I | The Old Motor never realized Christie raced against Camille "Red Devil" Jenatzy...
The world's first ever powered road vehicle Cugnot’s Machine á Vapeur artillery tractor of 1770 was front wheel drive.
