2,000 MPH Car To Be A Reality?
Waldo Stakes has been going after land speed records for decades now. He plans on adding World’s Fastest Car to his portfolio.
Stakes, who has a day job as a general contractor, has been building a 50-foot long wheeled missile called the Sonic Wind LSRV (Land Speed Record Vehicle.) Featured in Aerospace Testing magazine and Popular Mechanics, he really believes that when all is said and done his car will hit 2,00o miles per hour .
The Sonic Wind is constructed with parts form an $8 million dollar rocket which powered the X-15 to a top speed of 4,519 mph in 1967 which set a record for the fastest plane that didn’t go into orbit. He got the parts for $1,500
Stakes has designed his engine using parts of Redstone and Corporal nuclear missiles. The expected thrust of the Sonic wind is set to exceed 60,000 pounds (which is several thousand more than the x-15).
Stakes estimates that the Sonic wind will be able to accelerate at a rate of 100 miles per second. Not only will this bury the land speed record, but he says theoretically at least, the car is capable of hitting mach 3, roughly 2,200 miles per hour.
Stake says the secret is harnessing the shockwave created while traveling at supersonic speeds to stabilize the car, and minimizing gyroscopic forces from the wheels. Stakes says the real issue is as the car approaches the sound barrier, but after that it should be smooth sailing.
Stake says that he wants to have a woman pilot the Sonic Wind and be able to break two records at once (fastest car and first woman in a supersonic car). He is interviewing female navy pilots right now.
Do you think Stakes will get the car to 2,00 MPH?
