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By Hollow Head - 18 Years Ago
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Hey folks! I'm writing an finnish article about Turbonique Inc. to our club magazine and I would be very pleased if any of you could give me some more information about that company and it's products. So far the story is based on to information from two different net sites and a few marketing ads. The story will be quite long and hopefully very informative to our finnish readers. Jim will of course get his copy of that magazine, but I doubt if he will understand anything about it  . So, if you have any experience, pics or stories about people who has used their Drag Axles, AP superchargers or Microturbo thrust engines, please contact me seppo.kokko@msoynet.com
And no... I'm not planning on to fabricate, install or to do anything similar to Hollow Machine  .
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By bird55 - 18 Years Ago
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As a young teenager I lusted after a Turbonique GoKart. Never did get one.
There is quite a bit of info on turbonique products and the legend through the H.A.M.B. website in case you don't already know. You'll have to do a search.
Minor problem with with turbonique products were the fuel was highly explosive…if that kind of thing bothers you. 
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By Hollow Head - 18 Years Ago
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Thanks about that HAMB thing. Have to go and study that too. As far as I have learned that Thermolene or N-propyl nitrate wasn't that dangerous exept when in contact with mild steel and in the presence of water .
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By DANIEL TINDER - 18 Years Ago
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Hollow Head,
In your research, if you turn up who it was that wiped out the xmas tree at US 30 dragstrip (ca.'65) driving a twin Turbonique powered Mustang funny car, let me know. Could have been Dick Brennan?
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By Hollow Head - 18 Years Ago
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Jep, I found a couple of great pictures about Turbonique equipped cars but no much technical information from that H.A.M.B. forum. Ok, I tried just the word thermolene to search, so more might pop up with different words.
Now I have 6 full A4 papers of text to explore. Interesting and this really gives me some ideas for the future
Rocket engines are so simple...
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By Hollow Head - 18 Years Ago
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Daniel, are you sure it was a Mustang? Or was it a '67 Cougar with Rauth & Venditti /ED PIKE Lincoln Mercury texts on sides? So far I haven't seen pics about Mustang with two rocket axles.
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By bird55 - 18 Years Ago
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You can also look here if you haven't already done so. It also talks about the rackets and drag axle set-ups.
http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2006/04/the_real_acme.html
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By Hollow Head - 18 Years Ago
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My story is highly based on that "The Real Acme" text and it is juiced up with additions from several other sources. So far there is no mark about anybody that has used Turboniques with Y:s
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By DANIEL TINDER - 18 Years Ago
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Hollow Head,
While the time when I could testify with any authority about what happened 40+ years ago is long gone, my recollection is:
It was a very light, white fiberglass shell, Mustang copy ('64 1/2 style) on a tube frame. I was especially curious as the driver/owner usually campaigned a 427 Thunderbolt. They ran US30 grudge-match promos on WLS AM Chgo. radio, and I may have been there for that event (the Mustang trial could have been a side-show). I examined the car in detail when they pushed it to the line and was standing about 15 ft. away (amongst the pit crew) when the driver pushed the ignition button. As the Turboniques made maximum torque at zero rpm, the instant he lit it up all hell broke loose and the car went totally out of control and wiped out the xmas tree lights!
It could have been the car's one & only run (since results were so catastophic), so there may not have been much about it in any publications.
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By Hollow Head - 18 Years Ago
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Thanks again Daniel. I belive you. I wish you could somehow send those sounds from your memory to me, so also I could hear that roar  . There was one Dodge Dart '66, one or two '64 Chevelles, two '65 FB Mustangs, '64 Galaxie, one Beetle and one '65 HT Mustang that are known to use those axles. And that '67 Cougar funnycar and that Mustang funnycar. And one dragster to my knowledge.
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By Hollow Head - 17 Years Ago
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Daniel, is this the Dick Brannan car that you talked about? This happened in US 131. Scroll down and the pictures will show up. Lots of great stories too... That car seems to "just regular Hilborn" car
http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/drags.asp?id=1342&type=6
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By pegleg - 17 Years Ago
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Hollow, Thank you for that site and the research. I met Dick Brannan a couple of years ago. Nice quiet guy. If you didn't know his history, you'd never guess!
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By DANIEL TINDER - 17 Years Ago
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Someone should contact him and get the timeline/details. Likely it was HIS twin Turbonique Mustang that wiped out the xmas tree at US 30 dragaway in Merrillville Indiana (I thought it was a white notch-back, but I suppose it could have been the same '65 fastback body in the wreck photos). Was that injected-motor car assembled with salvaged parts? Were there two different cars? Did the weird US 30 incident scare him away from turbines?
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By pegleg - 17 Years Ago
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Dan, I sent an eMail to his web site, and He's supposed to be at the Studebaker museum Mar 1st, might go ask.
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By Hollow Head - 17 Years Ago
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Frank, take a good and long interview with Dick and ask him everything about his experiences with turboniques. It would be nice to hear the truth and nothing but the truth. And tell him my best wishes from Finland.
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By Hollow Head - 17 Years Ago
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There is a picture of that dragster and Pegasus Mustang in that thread at H.A.M.B. Extremely long topic with about 100 pages full of old race cars in motion. And there in the middle of that topic is a picture of late fifties front engine dragster with Y-block too
The dragster and the Mustang is on page 82. Scroll down, it is the last reply on that page!
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228509&page=82
On page 41 is a blue dragster with what seems to be a Y-block with fuel injection, but I'm not sure about that.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228509&page=41
And the picture of 239 Y-block dragster is on page 38.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228509&page=38
Go and see, that is no waste of time. Great shots
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By DANIEL TINDER - 17 Years Ago
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Frank,
Is there some special event at the museum 3/1? Any more details/times?
If the streets are dry by then I might take the '55 out for a spring shake-down, and get the story firsthand.
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By pegleg - 17 Years Ago
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Daniel, It's a muscle car display. the '62 re-creation is there now. They had a movie thing going on Friday evenings during January, went and saw Bullet (again). He was supposed to be there then, wasn't. But at least I made my daughter sit through the movie, now she knows who Steve McQueen was, if nothing else. Google the museum for the schedule and updates.
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By cnaind - 15 Years Ago
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Hi Seppo: New guy here that just happened onto your thread. I have an original copy of Hot Rotor the promo mag put out by Turbonique to show off they're goodies. There's a sample of the photos at http://public.fotki.com/cnaind/1500hp-turboaxle-kit/ If you need a copy of the entire mag, let me know. I bought the original back in the '60s when it was on the rack. 
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By Hollow Head - 15 Years Ago
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Hey, thank's Alan! Nice photos. It's been awhile since I have had any thoughts on turboniques but it still interests me. Thank's again. And of course, if it's not too much work for you and if you could scan those pages and send those to me by e-mail seppo.kokko@msoynet.com is the addres.
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By nypan - 15 Years Ago
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Hi, writing from Sweden. In the sixties I was in contact with that company in order to set up a business in Sweden. Could not find sponsors, so the only thing I have left is a 48 page catalogue in acceptable shape. The number is "Catalog no. 67-A". May be someone is interested. Regards Bjorn
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By Hollow Head - 15 Years Ago
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Hi Björn. I am interested about that catalogue. Are you selling it or will you copy it? Somehow all that freak technology still tickles my mind . 
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By Hollow Head - 15 Years Ago
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Holy Smoke! Check out these Youtube videos. Never seen before, but now I have and the world is not the same anymore... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMW8PJjc5rM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiVRv1ZPtWw&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPkxd7PYmTA&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HwrJ23ZK-A&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ebbzZUa40&feature=related
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By aussiebill - 15 Years Ago
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Hollow heads, great youtube pics of these strange things, i can remember their adds in back of early hotrod mags , showing jet of smoke and all this HP increase, seemed improbable at the time but the videos really show that they go hard, we will all look forward to hollowheads version of these??????
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