00:0001. Rock and Roll Car Museum The Rock and Roll Car Museum in Austin, Texas
00:27is home to a Chevy like no other. Modified by legendary Indy mechanic Andy Granatelli,
00:34this 1978 Corvette is powered by a Pratt & Whitney ST6-speed turbine engine. Packs 880 horsepower,
00:44pushes 0-60 in less than 3 seconds and is capable of speeds over 180 miles per hour.
00:5202. It's a marvel. It really is. It's an amazing piece. What we like to call the wolf in sheep's
00:57clothing. It uses a compressed gas to turn turbine blades. This one, instead of using thrust,
01:04actually uses a shaft that turns the drive shaft through the transmission just like a normal car
01:09would. But it is still a true jet engine. It's absolutely stunning. And being in a class of
01:17its own, it's no surprise that this is the pride of the museum's collection.
01:2203. When you have something that's so unique like this, it really stands out. You can have
01:27a lot of Porsches or a lot of Ferraris, but there's only one jet vet. This car approximately
01:32cost $550,000 and it was purchased in 2005. If I was to guess its value today and what it would
01:40cost to build this, I mean, you could spend $600,000, $700,000, $800,000.
01:4404. Because it differs so much from a normal V8 engine, the engine extends all the way from the
01:52very front of the car, where the radiator normally would be, all the way into the firewall. Under
01:58these covers would be the exhaust side of the turbine engine and the center is the compressor
02:04side. This series of fins that looks like a radiator is actually the condenser for the air
02:08conditioning. This car actually has functioning air conditioning. And because this engine acts
02:13like a giant fan, it sucks in the air at such a high rate. Even with a high ambient temperature,
02:19the AC in this car works flawlessly. And the turbine engine presents unique issues
02:25met with unique solutions.
02:2905. The biggest problem with this car is trying to vent the hot exhaust gases. The turbine engine
02:40will produce enormous temperatures. We're talking over a thousand degrees Fahrenheit.
02:45It has a very remarkable exhaust system that was very well engineered and built.
02:50The turbine engine, because they burn so much fuel at such high temperature,
02:55it has to have so much surface area in order to get this exhaust out of the car. So they built
03:00this massive flat exhaust system. It's all made out of a material called Inconel, which is similar
03:07to stainless steel in many ways, but it has a much higher operating temperature and it dissipates heat
03:12a lot better. So it enters right here, it comes around and then bridges back together and it fans
03:18out and then out of the diffuser. And there is nothing else that's ever been built this way.
03:25Up front here, we have a series of switches and gauges,
03:28which are completely different from the road going car.
03:38To drive this car, it's not easy. You have to put a little work in.
03:42There's actually a fifth brake that is installed in order to help slow this car down.
03:47You can start out by holding the brake very firmly. Some people maybe would have to use
03:52actually two feet. The car will idle between 70 and 90 miles an hour, depending on conditions and
03:59the road you're on. It can be a handful, but when you get on the throttle, it makes it all worthwhile.
04:04Once you drop the car into gear, you would slowly let off on the brake pedal and just
04:08like any other car, it'll actually start going without touching the accelerator pedal.
04:13When you do hit the accelerator pedal, you better be holding on because this thing is going to take
04:17off. It's going to snap your neck. This is truly one of history's most incredible street cars.
04:28This car accelerates so smoothly and so quickly that before you know it, you're
04:33surpassing 130 miles an hour. You have to be very careful when you're driving it because it just
04:39really wants to stretch its legs and run. Awe-inspiring. Just a marvel of engineering.
04:48It's scary fast. The sheer rawness of it, the excitement, and the acceleration. It'll put a
04:55smile on your face every time. It's a lot of fun to drive. Truly an amazing vehicle.
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