Author Topic: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car  (Read 15895 times)

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Offline tallguy

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Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« on: June 04, 2015, 08:05:20 PM »
This car never accumulated a lot of fame and/or speed records,
as it crashed in 1962, soon after it was built, killing the driver,
Glenn Leasher.

I recently read several articles about this, and apparently some
of them misrepresented what actually happened.

No, I don't have any new or different information on this.

One article mentioned film of the event itself.  I'm trying to find
a video of this, and have run out of ideas.  Can anyone help
point me in the right direction?

RIP, Glenn.

velocity

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #1 on: June 05, 2015, 02:15:23 AM »
Romeo, who built the car, left LSR after this tragedy. He set-up shop in Chicago on Western Avenue where I got to know rather well. He never spoe of the car.

The film may very well be the one at the Universoty of Utah's Marriott Library. Bewtween they and the Utah State Historical Society ther are many primary piece of research and photos. horrible photos too.

Robin UK

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2015, 04:22:28 AM »
Guess you've checked the Sam Hawley blog - scroll down to the Infinity section for a few article links. One from Vic Elischer mentions film is his possession. Short clips of the crash have been included in a couple of commercially available LSR documentaries but mine are on VHS and consigned to "storage" long ago. One day I will copy to my digital storage library but I suspect Nelson will get his eye back before I get around to that.

Robin

Offline SaltShaker54

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Glenn Leasher very loss to one amazing driver
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2015, 12:47:09 AM »

Just seen this post of Glenn

This is from the two old "Stude Dude" brothers. My dad now passed was a friend of Glenn Leasher racing back in the old Vaca Valley Drag Strip days. The man had great talent in driving jet powered cars I think the salt flat Jet car Infinity was a great project for its time. The issue was I feel the lack of aero technology data and not doing enough low speed runs. I know if he stayed with drag racing running jets he would still be with us today. They just pushed it to hard to quick a tragic loss of one great person that most don't remember today
"Salt Shaker 54"

The Studebaker Over The Hill Gang

Project Blown Fuel Altered Coupe 54 Stude

velocity

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2015, 11:39:25 PM »
Salt Shaker

You have surmised the precise reason Mr. Leasher dies in the Infinity jet: too much too fast.

Jets, rockets and even turbines require a respectable "get to know you" process perios. Glenn had no patience and paid the price for it; he is one of the first but sadly, not the last. A pity to as the man and car had so much more to do.

Offline ricks garage

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2015, 07:19:14 PM »
R.I.P.

Offline J79

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2016, 07:59:09 PM »
Here are the 2 photo link pages on the SamuelHawley.com website which shows the Infinity Car.

http://www.samuelhawley.com/lsrphotosinfinity1.html

http://www.samuelhawley.com/lsrphotosinfinity2.html

and the link to his Land Speed Record pages

http://www.samuelhawley.com/lsr.html

"My, people come and go so quickly here." Dorothy, from the movie Wizard of Oz.

"I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure, and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety." Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer, 1874-1922.

From the movie Dr. Strangelove, General Jack D. Ripper:

"Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt boy... Mandrake, come over here, the Red Coats are coming!"

"He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious "automotive" bodily fluids."

Offline manta22

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2016, 08:36:20 PM »
J79;

Thanks for the link to those photos; I had not seen them before.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ
Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

Offline J79

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2016, 12:14:43 AM »
Some photos of the car Infinity. Imagine the noise from sitting in front of the intake.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2016, 12:16:46 AM by J79 »
"My, people come and go so quickly here." Dorothy, from the movie Wizard of Oz.

"I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure, and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety." Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer, 1874-1922.

From the movie Dr. Strangelove, General Jack D. Ripper:

"Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt boy... Mandrake, come over here, the Red Coats are coming!"

"He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious "automotive" bodily fluids."

Offline J79

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #9 on: June 09, 2016, 12:24:23 AM »
Is the model we see in the pictures available?
« Last Edit: June 09, 2016, 12:32:46 AM by J79 »
"My, people come and go so quickly here." Dorothy, from the movie Wizard of Oz.

"I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure, and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety." Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer, 1874-1922.

From the movie Dr. Strangelove, General Jack D. Ripper:

"Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt boy... Mandrake, come over here, the Red Coats are coming!"

"He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious "automotive" bodily fluids."

Offline J79

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2016, 12:27:05 AM »
Was there a written report on how/why the crash occurred? Did the front end fly up and it went over? Was it a high speed wobble or yaw, then it tumbled/rolled...?
« Last Edit: June 09, 2016, 12:43:36 AM by J79 »
"My, people come and go so quickly here." Dorothy, from the movie Wizard of Oz.

"I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure, and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety." Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer, 1874-1922.

From the movie Dr. Strangelove, General Jack D. Ripper:

"Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt boy... Mandrake, come over here, the Red Coats are coming!"

"He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious "automotive" bodily fluids."

Offline PorkPie

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Re: Glenn Leasher and the Infinity jet car
« Reply #11 on: June 11, 2016, 06:34:28 AM »
ugofadini.com

Ugo is the producer (it runs under Omicron, but the master is actually made by Ugo Fadini, who also build this model) of this model....go on the website....and contact Ugo....maybe he got one leftover....otherwise is this model currently on the list - waiting for enough order to start another production run......
Pork Pie

Photoartist & Historian & 200 MPH Club Member (I/GL 202.8 mph in the orig. Bockscar #1000)