EVER wondered what happens when you mix a classic VW van with a single engine fighter jet? Look no further than Oklahoma Willy. Weighing in at 6600lbs and boasting a horsepower speed of 5,000, the vehicle was built by Perry Watkins from Buckinghamshire. After a night at the pub with friends, the idea of Oklahoma Willy was born. Perry told FutureStudiosCars: “We sit at the pub and come up with stupid ideas, I’ll then lock myself in the garage for five years and build it.” The owner of Perrywinkle Customs, Perry is no stranger to wild automotive creations. “It’s a bit like riding on top of a firework,” Perry explained. Taking around six years to build, Perry first bought a Rolls Royce Viper 535 jet engine, originally made in 1978. He stripped it down, polishing everything in aluminum, taking about two years to complete. Next, he added the after burner which took another six months work. Finally, he bought the VW pickup which had spent most of its life on a farm in Oklahoma, taking a further three years to finish. This rare and iconic vehicle is a prized possession of Perry, who doesn’t like to do something that has been done before.The top speed for the vehicle is 300mph, although the fastest Perry has gone is 157mph, an experience he describes as “exhilarating” but a “bit hairy”. The original engine sits in place making the vehicle street legal, providing you don’t fire up the jet. Perry describes the power as “one of the most incredible things you can ever experience.”
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MotorTranscript
00:00 It's a bit like riding on top of a firework, it's really, really fast.
00:08 Jet power is great fun, just one of the most incredible things that you can ever experience.
00:13 It is exhilarating but once you get up to 160mph it's a bit hairy.
00:20 I'm a bit of a shell off I suppose, I don't like to do something that somebody has already
00:27 done.
00:28 From a stranger to wild automotive creations, this idea was born in classic Perry fashion.
00:34 We sit in the pub, we all get drunk, we come up with a stupid idea and whoever comes up
00:37 with the stupidest idea, I'll go away and lock myself in the garage for five years and
00:41 build it.
00:42 To build Oklahoma Willy, I first of all bought the jet engine, a Rolls Royce Viper 535.
00:48 It was made in Bedford in 1978 and it was originally in a BAC Strikemaster, which is
00:54 a single engine fighter jet.
00:55 I stripped that down and rebuilt it, chromed everything in polished aluminium and that
01:00 took me two years to complete.
01:02 Then we added the afterburner, which was about another six months work.
01:04 Following that I bought the VW bus to put it on and that took me another three years,
01:08 so all in all about six years work.
01:10 It's a pretty rare, iconic vehicle.
01:12 It's been restored to the highest of standards.
01:15 Most people who come and see it have never seen anything like it in their life.
01:18 A fine build indeed.
01:20 This 1958 split screen VW is one of only 60 in the UK, but none pack as much punch as
01:28 Oklahoma Willy.
01:30 Weighing in at 6,600 pounds, its jet engine is packing 5,000 horsepower, giving this beast
01:38 a potential top speed of 300 miles per hour.
01:41 It would probably fall over, but in theory it would do about 300.
01:46 The top speed that I have done is 157 miles an hour.
01:50 And the original engine still sits in place, making it street legal, providing you don't
01:56 fire up the jet.
01:57 Physically you could start the rocket in the centre of London, but I think it probably
02:00 wouldn't pass the emissions or the noise regulations.
02:03 But yeah, I do drive it regularly on the road.
02:05 We go shopping in it, but we don't tend to buy many groceries because there's nowhere
02:08 to put them.
02:09 There's a maintenance tray here, so you can see the entire thing pulls out and there you
02:15 can see the computer and all of the controls that keep the jet running and keep it safe.
02:19 We're looking inside the cab.
02:25 First impressions when you get in the vehicle is quite what you'd expect to see in a 1958
02:29 Volkswagen.
02:30 Normal steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake, ignition, speedometer, clutch, brake, accelerator
02:38 on the floor.
02:39 However, I have added a jet, so we have some more controls.
02:42 Here we have the main controls for the jet, and here we have all the monitoring gauges
02:46 and starting buttons.
02:49 Down here, there's what we call a dead man's pedal.
02:57 I must have put my foot on that first of all.
03:00 If during the jet performance anything goes wrong at all, I just release that and everything
03:05 is closed down, the computer closes everything down and it cannot be restarted.
03:10 Terry and Oklahoma Willie appear at events and festivals all over Europe, performing
03:16 quarter mile runs and flame and smoke shows.
03:19 I cover the first eighth mile in about 8.5 seconds and the second eighth mile I do in
03:25 about two and a half seconds, so it's getting quick really, really fast.
03:30 It's a bit like riding on top of a firework, the sensation.
03:33 There's no vibrations.
03:35 It's not that noisy because most of the noise is going behind you.
03:39 It is exhilarating, but once you get up to 160 miles an hour in a 1958 brick, it's a
03:45 bit hairy.
03:53 Before a race, you can get a little bit nervous.
03:55 There's an awful amount of power that you're unleashing in one go.
04:02 You're just focusing on the horizon of the point and making sure you stay dead straight.
04:06 Jet power is great fun.
04:08 It's just such an awesome power.
04:10 The noise, the smell and the sound, one of the most incredible things that you can ever
04:14 experience.
04:15 We're leaving here in Hockney, Ohio.
04:16 Thank you all so much.
04:17 Have a great weekend.
04:18 [cheering]