Author Topic: Last American team to hold the official ALSR Blue Flame Oct 23 1970 622.407mph  (Read 110033 times)

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Offline N72727

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Where is the model today ? Preserved ?
From any angle, The Blue Flame is the most beautidul record car ever built. And the place where I can see it is about ~2 hours driving from my home.
The videos are fantastic. Thanks again for them.

Offline MAYOMAN

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The Blue Flame model is now in Chicago and being touched up for display. The photos attached are from the original project proposal.

The wind tunnel model is shown with some of the design variations we explored at Ohio State University in their transonic tunnel.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline kiwi belly tank

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Don't hold back on us Dick, we're hungry for all the history.
  Sid.

Offline N72727

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Thank you for the photos !
Here's a link to Tom Daniel's project with Gary Gabelich. Too bad that this couldn't happen.

http://www.tomdaniel.com/td_career/td_articles/rocketman_design/rocketman_home.html#

Offline tauruck

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When I was kid the astronauts, Gary Gabelich and Sprint Car drivers were my heroes.
I wish I'd never learned to read. :-D :-D :-D

Offline Glen

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  • SCTA/BNI timer 1983 to 2004, Retired,. Crew on Tur
My wife went to school with Gary, Gary and his dad were good friends and his dad and I set together several times at the drag races. Sure miss those days. RIP Gary. :cheers:
Glen
Crew on Turbinator II

South West, Utah

Offline MAYOMAN

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Kiwi Belly Tank - So, what would you like to know? I'd be happy to fill you in on what it takes to set the world land speed record.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline kiwi belly tank

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It's not that I'm looking for anything in particular Dick, I just like to see the history being shared before it gets lost to history.
My world is wheel driven & while I share everything on what it took us to get Betsy over 400, I share very little on the latest liner until it too becomes a part of the past.
  Sid.

Offline MAYOMAN

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Well, tell me what you think of this slice of history. This was generated from my correspondence files.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline Speed Limit 1000

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Very cool :-o
John Gowetski, red hat @ 221.183 MPH MSA Lakester, Bockscar #1000 60 ci normally aspirated w/N20

Offline N72727

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Seems that this is a smaller model than that on the photo in post #85 ?

Offline MAYOMAN

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That is the model we built with the final design for the rear struts and no wheel pants.
Gary carried that one around to various TV interviews.
That was certainly more practical than the big one.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline N72727

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Thank you. And where is this model today ?
I just noticed drag driver Don Garlits on the bigger model...?

Offline MAYOMAN

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That small model is lost.
Don Garlits had originally agreed to drive The Blue Flame after Chuck Suba was killed in a dragster accident. However, his family was uncomfortable with him driving a car he hadn't built himself, so he declined.
Gary Gabelich was later hired to drive - see the post above with The Blue Flame Timelines PDF attachment.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline MAYOMAN

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Sid,
The post #98 contained the PDF THE BLUE FLAM TIMELINES rev 4 which ended the day we arrived on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
This PDF starts when we arrived and chronicles 24 timed runs by the USAC/FIA crew headed by Joe Petrali.
Of note, run #3 was a 1/4-mile standing start performance check. We ran the distance in 6.724 seconds elapsed time. This computes to the AVERAGE SPEED of 133.849 mi/h. At a constant rate of acceleration that would produce a TOP SPEED, for example, of around 266 mi/h.
For comparison, Don Prudhomme was Top Eliminator at the 1970 U.S. Nationals in a Fuel Dragster with an elapsed time of 6.45 seconds and 230.78 mi/h.
Not too shabby, eh?
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast