Goldenrod (car)

The Goldenrod is an American land speed record streamliner car, The car was owned by Bob and Bill Summers, of Ontario, California. Bob Summers drove the car to set the land speed record. The Goldenrod is powered by four wheel-driven fuel injection Chrysler Hemi engines, mounted inline and created a total output of 2,400 bhp. The car was originally built in Southern California and the team included James Crosby.

Before finding their final success, the two brothers contacted a fuel specialist and racing equipment pioneer and inventor named Tony Capanna, owner of Wilcap Co. (at that time in Torrance California). They were having trouble getting the speed they wanted with the 4 engines set in 2 rows of 2 side by side. Tony suggested they put the engines in one long row and have it streamlined. This was when it became the Goldenrod. Tony advised them to get advice from a Northrop engineer who worked with aerodynamic design. The brothers heeded the advice and found success on November 12, 1965, when the Goldenrod set the land speed record at 409.277 mph (658.64 km/h), in one mile for an FIA record which was held for 27 years until it was broken in 1991 by Al Teague with his supercharged Hemi powered Spirit of '76 that went 409.986 mph (659.81 km/h).

The Goldenrod was not supercharged like the Spirit of '76 so it actually still holds the record to this day in its class. The car went on tour for many years all across the US, then first ventured outside the country in 2000, when it was placed at where the cricket pitch is, in the Goodwood Festival of Speed with the other land speed record cars, the surviving half of the Summers, Bill attended (Bob died in 1992).

The Henry Ford, Michigan's enormous history museum bought the car in 2002, restored it and had it on display as of September 2006.

External links

* [http://www.summersbrothersracing.com/home.htm Summer Bros Page]
* [http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/113_0505_gold/ Hot Rod Magazine feature]