Puzzle #92 - Solved! Lear Vapordyne

[Otto Puzzell]

Know what it is?

Please, respond below and let us know what car you think you see here.

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Thanks!

[Ultra]

Smokey Yunick?

[Otto Puzzell]

No.

[Rich]

Looks like a Granatelli creation to me.....

[Otto Puzzell]

Similar to the STP / Novi car, but it's not one of those. 

[wilsongt]

Entered by Shelby?

Regards
Glenn

[Otto Puzzell]

Nope.

[MG]

Damn. With the offset cockpit and what certainly LOOKS like a turbine engine, its hard to imagine it is NOT related to the Andy Granitelli stable of advanced automotive design. Since USAC banned the STP turbo, one wonders why anyone else would spend time developping such a beast. But then, these ARE just sketches, so perhaps this is from someone who was intent on meeting the Granitelli challenge and then abandoned the project one the cars were banned.  Now WHO would DO such a thing?

Musta been one of the prominent Indy racing teams of the day, but other than that, I have no idea.   

[Otto Puzzell]

Or, somebody with an interest in turbines, perhaps. 

[wilsongt]

Howmet? But I only know their sports racer

An interest in turbines - GM? Or a turbine manufacturer like Allison or Pratt & Whitney?

Rgards
Glenn

[Otto Puzzell]

Not a Howmet or a GM product.

This car was conceived and built to compete in the Indianapolis 500, but rules changes brought about by the turbine cars of the late '60's made rating this car's non-turbine yet non-conventional engine impossible to certify, and the project was scrapped, some millions of dollars later.   

[Tifosi]

Lear Vapordyne...a steam-powered car that wa built to run at Indy in 1969.  The man in the white shirt and tie is Bill Lear, inventor of the Lear Jet and the car stereo of the same name.
  Lear supposedly wanted Parnelli Jones to drive the car, and was purported to have contacted Jones, and Parnelli checked into the machine, but rules changes made it impossible for the car to ever be competitive.

Lear claimed his car ran on a special fuel called "Learium"; plain old H2O was all it was.




Dan

[Otto Puzzell]

You are correct - well done!

[MG]

"Learium"

Naaaah. Prolly had a little STP added for internal lubrication.   

[grobmotorix]

Another contemporary photo:

[Otto Puzzell]

 

[Shrike Guy]

On the off chance anybody still cares about the Vapordyne I designed some of the chassis structures and have lots of photos and inside info.  Word was it that Lear went through three possible alternative working fluids, Learium A, B, C, and ended up with D-Learium.  The program was a non-starter from the beginning.  The heat transfer numbers just didn't work and Lear wouldn't hear it, rather listen to his yes-men.  Terrible waste of money and talent, but a hell of a lot of hard work and good times.  The car was, as of 2010, in the hands of a collector.

[Carnut]

Thanks Shrike Guy

It's always interesting to hear from someone 'in the know'!

[grobmotorix]

... and ended up with D-Learium...

You made my day, Shrike Guy

Cheers from Germany