$800,000 Modified Corvette Does 180MPH
A MODIFIED 1970s Corvette has been described as 'one of history’s greatest streetcars'. Custom-built by legendary modifier, Andy Granatelli, the Chevvy is worth over $800,000 and is capable of speeds over 180mph. It currently lives at the Rock ’n Roll Car Museum in Austin, Texas and is a stand-out piece in their collection. Boasting 880HP, it can push from 0-60mph in less than three seconds and has a gas turbine engine. Andy Schmidt said: “To drive this car, it’s not easy. You have to put a little work into it. There’s actually a fifth break that’s installed in order to help slow this car down. It can be a handful but when you get on the throttle, it’s all worthwhile. When you do hit the accelerator pedal, you better be holding on because this thing is going to take off."
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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.