Mad Props

摘要

The air-powered car on the cover of our December 1932 issue didn't look particularly rugged, but it was built for off-roading-climbing icy hills, traversing muddy roads, and generally driving on any surface where a conventional car would be unable to gain traction. The car's inventor said that the five-foot propeller generated four times the propulsive force of a conventional rear-wheel-drive configuration. A 100-horsepower gas engine powered the four-blade prop (which, to prevent death and dismemberment, was placed behind a metal guard). Incidentally, the car also got excellent gas mileage: 40 mpg. At least one prototype was built and tested, but the prop-car never made it into production. Today, with concerns about oil supplies and greenhouse gases paramount, the goal of nearly every alternative automobile design is to burn little to no oil. On page 46, we take a close look at Brigham Young University's Electric Blue, a lightweight battery-powered land-speed racer designed to reach 200 mph.