Flying Caduceus jet car heads to auction as a landmark in land speed record history
A pioneering jet-powered car that never broke records but reshaped the future of land speed record attempts heads to auction
Bonhams
Back in the 1950s the FIA was decidedly particular about the type of vehicles used for speed record attempts, insisting they should be ‘wheel driven’ as per Henry Segrave’s Golden Arrow and Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebirds.
1. 8ft ribbon parachute helps bring the car to a halt
But others thought it time to embrace the jet age and to push the boundaries of automotive technology in a bid to see some real speed – hence the creation of this, the Flying Caduceus, the original, purely jet-powered record car.
2. Tailfin was added after the initial build to combat crosswinds
The man who made it happen was Californian physician Nathan Ostich who, together with a group of hot rodders, set out in 1958 to build a jet car that could top 500mph. Ostich put up the cash and Firestone was tasked with developing a wheel and tyre combination up to crossing the Earth at such a prodigious speed without being ripped to shreds.
The car remains in 1960s condition – and needs a new home
While the Firestone boffins beavered away, Ostich and his team procured a General Electric J47-19 turbojet capable of producing almost 7000bhp – as used by the Convair B-36D Peacemaker bomber – fitting it inside a cylinder made from steel tubes topped with an aluminium skin.
3. Spare turbojet engine for display comes with the car
The cockpit was positioned well forward in jet-plane style, while ‘handling’ was taken care of by independent suspension from a modern Chevrolet and braking by four 14in diameter discs matched to suitably large Halibrand calipers.
4. Wheels and tyres are the very ones used at Bonneville in 1963
The Flying Caduceus – which is being sold from the collection of the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada – ran at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1960, 1962 and 1963, clocking a maximum of 359.7mph but failing to set any records.
5. Cockpit is decidedly cosy
5. Cockpit is decidedly cosy
It did, however, establish jet power as the route to serious speed, paving the way for everything from Craig Breedlove’s Spirit of America to Richard Noble’s Thrust and Andy Green’s Thrust SSC – and that makes it a true piece of automotive history.
6. Speedometer is graduated up to 700mph
1960 flying caduceus On sale at Bonhams, National Automobile Museum, Nevada, June 13. No reserve. bonhams.com