BARRIER BROKEN: Turbinator Becomes First Wheel Driven Car To Break 500mph!


BARRIER BROKEN: Turbinator Becomes First Wheel Driven Car To Break 500mph!

Yesterday was one of the most incredible days in land speed racing and the storied history of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Dave Spangler, driving the Team Vesco Turbinator became the first human being in history to achieve a speed of more than 500mph in a wheel driven car. It was done in what should now rightly be considered the greatest backyard hot rod in American history. The combination of the salt conditions being literally perfect, the weather cooperating, and the mechanical end of the car being flawless allowed the magic to happen. Not to take Dave Spangler out of the equation because he was the dude who had the skill and gumption to keep the monster in its proverbial cage while going faster than any wheel driven man on Earth has ever gone. Heck, about the only man Spangler looks up to in the land speed world at this point is Andy Green!

The Turbinator is a great American success story and certainly not one that happened overnight. The car had run some of the if not the fastest speeds ever seen by wheel driven cars before this year and then they hit a little performance slump, shall we say. Bonneville Speed Week proved that the slump was not more and it also proved that with their massive 470mph speeds that the impossible…was suddenly possible.

Using a 4,300hp Lycoming T-55 turbine hooked to a transmission of their own design and construction, the massive Turbinator is about as home built as it gets. That’s not a shot but a reality and it makes the story all that much better in our eyes. The Vescos have wanted to see this happen for so many years and they finally were able to land the knockout below on the race to 500mph.

Having stood in awe of some huge speeds during Speed Week, we’re jealous of those that were on the salt to see this historic moment in person. THIS is amazing and it speaks to the fact that the salt is the salt is the salt and mother nature will dictate speed to US just has she has done for more than 100 years of competition at the remote and awesome venue.

The team needs to back up their run for an official record and they will be working on the 493mph as recorded in the 5th mile of their run. The 503 is an exit speed so not considered for records with the SCTA but the world sees it as a massive barrier kicked down.

Awesome!

Now THIS is a thing of beauty. Check out the time slip below –


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15 thoughts on “BARRIER BROKEN: Turbinator Becomes First Wheel Driven Car To Break 500mph!

  1. Andamo

    I thought they only had 1 hour to make a back-up run or is that just with the FIA organization ?

    1. Chris Pile

      FIA world record runs are run with the one hour turn-around.
      SCTA records are set by running the following day after a record attempt fast enough to set a record.

  2. mc1984ss

    It is a SCTA event so they run record return runs the next day. You are correct about FIA sanctioned events being rerun the same day, I forget if FIA has 1 or 2 hr turn around
    Congrats Team Vesco, I’ve been waiting for this!!!!

  3. Dave Gray

    Congratulations on a record exit speed. The effort to do this is monumental.
    It is just a matter of time until team Vesco or others with make 500 plus an
    official record.
    Truly amazing

  4. Gary Perkinson

    Congrats to the Vesco Team! Really, really awesome…and the salt conditions make me very happy… 🙂

  5. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    It has taken decades to reach that magic 500mph – now lets see a car powered by a PROPER motor break that record and not one with a junk helicopter motor in it!

    1. Gary Perkinson

      Christ, dude…do you know how much time, sweat and money goes into land speed racing at any level, let alone THIS level? Physics doesn’t give a shit about “proper” motors–if you want to explain to us how this car isn’t wheel-driven, or how it didn’t actually go 503 mph, go right ahead. In the meantime, feel free to start building your own “proper” 500-mph engine…

  6. Bus Pass

    Turbines are legit. If any of these giant turbo guys wrap their mind around a turbo shaft engine you’re gonna see some next level stuff. Congrats on your bad ass speed run.

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