Along For The Ride
The Bonneville project is on indefinite hold, so I thought I would run a cool old photo of how it was, back in the day. You can also find a cool 356 Bonneville post that I put on the blog a while back by clicking here. An update from Graham. The project is on hold at this time with planning continuing. Kent to start cutting one of about only 50 RHD 356A's known in existence . Good to hear back from you. I built my Bonneville car in the mid 80's. It set numerous records between 1998 and 1991. The '91 record was at 200.615 mph with a 3.0 engine and that record still stands today. We spent the next 10 years trying to break that record. The car was a total hand full over 180 mph and I had spun it at over 200 a number of times. In retrospect it is hard to get a car shaped like a jelly bean, pushed from the behind with a short wheel base to go those speeds. The surface of the salt is like hard packed snow with ruts and puddles.
Over those years we tried various wings and ground effect items. In 2001 I decided to go for it. We regeared for 250 plus and installed a nitoius system. I had lost my fear of the spin and hoped to hang on and get big numbers. We also added a few aerodynamic aids in hopes of keeping it stright. To make a long story short during the 2001 event I hit a puddle or rut in the forth mile. The car went left and right and trying to correct it lifted the front and went air borne. I may hold the record for maximum hang time in a 911. The car did not land well and I was lucky enough to survive. I even made the cocktail party that night after the trip to the hospital. The car was totally destroyed except for the engine. Even some of the gauges were oval from the impact.
All the safety systems SCTA requires paid off. The last recorded time was 229 mph at the four mile lights and I was still gaining speed before it flew. The nitrous bottle was not installed so we were running just turbos and race gas. No fuel, no ntro and no NOX. I can tell you many Bonneville stories, We made Bonneville a family and friends event for all those years. My three boys enjoyed their years on the salt. Attached is a picture of the car in 1998 trim. In this configuation it set a record in 1991 with a 2 liter at 211.714 mph. I still have the engines and have wanted to build a streamliner to see just how fast a Porsche powered car can go. Kent's put the car on a bogey and taken the wheels off and started to go over the car and make investigations on the condition of the shell . Graham had sent this letter to Prof. Piech to requesting information on aerodynamics advice.
As of yet no response. Graham reports that at the moment the car is at the back of the shop in Arizona. Kent has a few jobs to focus on before he'll get down to the "A". This is sort of a lull before we find out about the true condition of the shell and how some of the very strange shapes and sort of wobbles in the roof and sides of the car really got there. Now that Kent Porter has the 356 at his shop in Arizona here is the first order of business on the car. 1. Strip the car down completely and determine how severe the damage is to the tub. This will include a complete acid dipping of the entire chassis once the suspension is removed and the body fillers have been sanded/ground away. 2. Measure the chassis from the center line of the wheels forward to a realistic theoretical bulkhead to determine once and for all how much space there is for the powertrain. Once this is determined, we can finally decide on the engine that can be used. 3. Determine the exact suspension configuration that we will be using including brakes. Goal: To set a land speed record for the fastest 356, then be able to return the car to street use. That's just what Graham Henderson is setting out to accomplish, his dream car. To do this he has enlisted the help of Kent Porter of Precision Chassis Works in Arizona who understands the task well. The "Along For The Ride" blog will follow this adventure with Team HHR to record the story and show photo updates as the car is rebuilt to make a run at record speeds. A separate page (that can be found along the top header) will provide updates to follow all the way to "The Salt". Be sure to check it out and send your comments and questions here.
Our brief ride around the SpaceX facility was in a Dual-Motor AWD version of the Model Y, which can hit 0-60mpg in a claimed 4.8 seconds. 51,000. Thanks to the majority of mass being below the floor, where the batteries are lined, the handling appears class-leading for a mid-size SUV and the performance will satisfy point-and-squirt addicts. Slaloming past prototype versions of Musk鈥檚 Hyperloop and Falcon 9 booster rocket making for interesting if slightly unusual scenery. Musk says fun, space and safety are at the heart of the Model Y. 鈥淚t has the functionality of an SUV, but it rides like a sports car. It鈥檚 really tight in the corners. It鈥檚 expected that the Model Y will be built at Tesla鈥檚 Gigafactory in Reno, Nevada and, once it鈥檚 completed, the company鈥檚 new plant in Shanghai, China. Tesla has built 550,000 cars in 11 years, but Musk鈥檚 mission is to produce a million total in just 12 months鈥?time. The Model Y is set to take that eye-popping ambition further still and cement Tesla as a major mass-market manufacturer in the next few years.