We have repeatedly talked about the mechanics and riders, who flatly refused to follow the path of evolution, and a long search for competitive solutions for the benefit of non-standard configurations, many of which were so bold and unconventional, that their inconsistency on the strip, you can with a clear conscience to close his eyes. And while the best engineering minds of his time fought on aerodynamics, experimenting with the location of the power plant and the construction of cars, the most straight guys quite rightly decided that the odd engine dregster not spoil. All of them, sooner or later we faced with a very serious problem: how to turn the horse power in a second at the finish. And deal with it turned out not everyone.
Black's main passion Noel (Noel Black) was a record race on the dried salt lakes, so he created the Motion I was not dregster in the truest sense of the word. Honed to a maximum speed of the car had to be somewhere in the test, and a more suitable place than dregstrip, think hard. Plus at the races you can always earn a few extra dollars in the pursuit of new records will never be superfluous. In the tubular frame Noel hoisted two supercharged Hemi, each of which is driven by its own pair of wheels, and the distribution of power was in favor of the front axle. Thus, according to the Black's car was supposed to be more stable at high speeds, because more torque to the rear wheels will inevitably be unloaded front of the 2000-strong unit. Many experts believe that it is an asymmetric distribution of the draft and was the main cause of fatal accident in 1970 during Bonneville Speed Week. At a speed of over 400 mph shattered the rear gear and Motion I after a short skid off the ground, having lost along the way most of the elements of the aerodynamic body.
Legend sixties Tommy Ivo was very colorful personality, has successfully combined his acting career with auto racing, he loved to shock the audience and noted at the wheel of almost any technology, equipped with four wheels and an engine, the amount of which sometimes came to the number of wheels. It all began with the twin-engine dregster that caused furor at the event NHRA across America, becoming the first petrol unit to break the nine-second barrier. After that, it is reasonable to Tommy realized that if the audience loved the car with two power units, then four, they certainly will be delighted. Four big-block injection Buick, total capacity in 2000 «horses» were arranged on a tubular frame in such a way that each pair of engines supplied crazy moment one of the axes. Such madness itself had not allowed one, and the scarlet car, bristling with chrome pipes, immediately became a favorite of the public. A good half of Quarter dregster simply could not see because of the smoke that is generated tried in vain to cling to the asphalt four wheels.
Racer himself spoke on the matter as follows: «The first three hundred feet from the cockpit visibility was zero. I could only squeeze the steering wheel tighter and hope that this rattletrap going straight. » The success was phenomenal, Ivo has toured almost all year round in the states where Showboat steadily become a highlight of any event.
Everything was just perfect: the public rejoicing, burning tires, and the money was dropped into the pocket of the pilot. But at one point, the producer of the series, which starred Tommy at the time, came across an article in Hot Rod Magazine, dedicated to the fastest American actor and his invention.
After this fireball ruled many pilots, including the famous Don Prudhomme (Don Prudhomme), while bosses NHRA, fearing that Tommy could follow the example of others, do not have the regulations accordingly.
Hill Eddie (Eddie Hill) crossed the finish line with a score of 202.70 mph at the wheel of his petrol Double Dragon. In the frame of the classic perednemotornogo korotkobaznoy dregster Hill mounted parallel to the two engine equipped with a supercharger drive Pontiac, each of which was aggregated with its own clutch, driveshaft and gearbox positioned on a single bridge for both engines. For a better grip on the Strip Hill wore on each side of the drive axle with two slick but for demonstration rides using standard wheels to enough to burn rubber for the amusement of the audience. Eddie experimented with engine capacity, sometimes two at the same time setting a different engine cubic capacity, which according to him does not affect the behavior of dregster. Despite the impressive weight, Double Dragon repeatedly demonstrated outstanding dynamic characteristics, but it precipitated with two hundred miles per hour was very difficult even with massive brake parachutes. Project Eddie Hill forever entered the history of racing on the quarter mile as one of the best examples of a truly effective implementation of the twin-engine scheme, and destroyed the asphalt on numerous strips is the clearest proof of that.
Bill Coburn, like many others, sticking two feeding nitromethane supercharged Hemi in its dregster cab from a tiny Messerschmitt KR200, inevitably faced with a lack of grip at the appropriate level in terms of increased twofold impact of the power plant. And if Tommy Ivo made a bid for all-wheel drive, the Coburn liked 6x4. Torque each big block transmitted on a single axle, while the rear track was different axes. Went Iron Mistress in the end is not as fast as hoped, but broke down often. In today's reality, when the nuts regulations tightened very tight, these experiments seem wild and somewhat naive, but that's why we miss the sixties — a time when everyone can roll in the event anything, just to burning rubber and accelerated so that the pilot does not I had to blush for their mechanics.
Now forget everything you just read, because finally we have something in store beyond the scope of any adequacy and limits of the flight of design ideas. Jim Lytle (Jim Lytle) was a big fan of really major engines, and in the early sixties to find anything serious aircraft engines was impossible. Most of the designers on this and stopped, thinking that a couple of thousand horsepower and so abound. But Lytle in this majority did not go, and when he saw live Showboat Tommy Ivo, the ambitious head mechanic flown only one thought: «The challenge is accepted.» What was the Quad Al?
Four Allison V12 total volume of 106 liters (6480 cu. In) rained unimaginable 12,000 forces in the eight slicks (two doubles on each axis), based lay all the same farm, welded from square tubes, and was crowned the monument genuine engineering insanity box from the tiny Fiat Topolino. And if Allison defective at the time it was possible to buy almost a hundred dollars, the mission that can digest a gigantic time and adequately synchronize the four traction motors, cost quite other money that Jim at the time it was not simple. Quad Al never went, but was immortalized in the Guinness Book of Records (1974–1986 years of publication) as the most powerful car, equipped with a piston engine.
There are various ways to treat such an approach, which is itself in the majority of cases are not justified, but the idea to fasten to the vehicle another engine — is the quintessence of masculine extremism, when the size and number of paramount importance, and all problems are solved in the course of the play. These are stories of guys who did not go to bypass, and Purley ahead, not being afraid to make a mistake and start over. And we always will remember with affection these glorious times. The days when the pilots before the race left the self-preservation instinct in the pits, and the mechanics are ready to fit into any crazy, simply because to live differently unbearably boring.
