MIckey Thompson's Challenger I

A little different topic today................... I recently read and article about the latest Land Speed Record attempts, and it jogged my memory. There was a time that Land Speed Record was a hot topic even among drag racers. In the real heyday, it was drag guys (the ARFONS Brothers. MICKEY THOMPSON, et al) that were carrying the LSR torch. In two memorable back to back years, they slugged it out on the Bonneville Salt Flats for LSR supremacy.
Mickey Thompson, as well as the Arfons Brothers, were just Hot Rodders, designing building and driving these cars by the seat of their pants. In retrospect their acoomplishments are all the more impressive for this reason. This is the story of the Challenger I. Micxkey so named it in recognition of his quest to bring the land speed record to America after it had been held for years by John Cobb, an Englishman.
Mickey Thompsons Challenger I was built around four supercharged Pontiac Engines. Like every Mickey Thompson car before it, the frame was laid out in chalk on his garage floor. Following this template, his instincts, and the necessity of cradling four V-8 engines he welded the tube frame up a piece at a time. Mickeys work was first rate, especially considering he didnt have access to CAD or any of the modern metal working tools we take for granted today. His Challenger One looked the part of a landspeed car. Streamlined and mysterious looking , it was the pinnacle of years of his playing with and racing multi engined cars.
Power was transferred to the axles by way of four La Salle three speed transmissions. The linkage was difficult and finicky as four clutches were to be operated by a single pedal. The process of shifting gears on all four LaSalle three-speed transmissions was rigged to go through a single hand lever positioned in the thingypit.His only view of the salt came through a 4-inch square piece of glass that had been taken from a face shield of a welder's helmet. Imagine how much easier this would be today, with computer controlled automatic transmissions!
The chassis was laid out with the two front engines facing backward and propelling the front wheels. The two rear engines were linked to the rear wheels.
In August 1959, Thompson and nearly all volunteer crew were at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The standing recodr was 394 miles per hour. After several attempts it was clear that Challenger needed more horsepower. They did reach speeds of 362 miles per hour, but "hit the wall" at that speed. The faster an internal combustion engines revs, the less volumetric efficiency is realized. This means less and less percentage of the cylinder is filled with air and fuel. At a certain point the engine "runs out of breath" and can make no more horsepower. (That is why an engine can't keep making more and more power by simply turning faster and faster. Most engines make peak horsepower at LESS than 100 per cent of the RPM they can turn.)
It was Mickey's good fortune that Captain George E.T. Eyston (how's that for a car guys initials...."E.T.") was at the salt that year. He had set land speed records himself with his Thunderbolt racer. ""We had run 362 with no problem," Voigt said. "We had a little trouble with this and a little trouble with that, and Mickey usually didn't tell people the true numbers when they asked about horsepower, but for some reason, he decided to give Captain Eyston our true numbers. Eyston reaches into his pocket and pulls out a slide rule and starts moving it in and out. After about 10 minutes, he tells Mickey, `I don't know the exact amount, but you're going to need at least another 300-400 hp if you want to break 400 mph.'"
As a result, for 1960 the Challenger 1 was modified extensively. To try and cut down on drag the nose and tail were redesigned. To increase the horsepowe four 6-71 GMC blowers were added to the engines. This addition of the superchargers required a scoop be built atop the engines which while it increased drag was a neccessary evil. On September 9th 1960 Mickey Thompson and his crew made a one way record run of 406.60 MPH which was faster than any man had drive a car before. He was not able to do required back up run within one per cent to validate thte record. He had succeeded in a way, and yet not.
The last running of the Challenger 1 was on July 24, 1962. There was a 10 1/2 mile course set up running North and South. His first attempt that day was from the South end of the course well this run was halted by the washboard conditions of the salt flats, with no suspension in the Challenger it was so rough not only was it beating him to death in the car he could not get any traction. After a small rest he went to the North end of the course and made another try, for a trial run, he did a respectable 357 mph.
When Mickey returned after the second run he announced that Challenger had rolled on the salt under its own power for the last time. He had also stated he would never again drive a car capable of 400 mph speeds.
The Challenger Is part of the Wally Parks NHRA museum at the Los Angeles/Pomona Fairplex which also hosts the first and last race of every NHRA season.
The Challenger is also commemorated as a 1/25th model kit by Revell. If you like to build models it is well worth aquiring one, hjust to see how all that machinery was put together.
The Challenger was one of the last of land speed record cars to emply what was basically drag race technology. The piston engine record was indeed set later by the Summers Brothers with their own four engined car. Current land speed record attempotys invoilved jet and/or rocket powered vehicles.

til next time.............. The Drake