Kewl Go Kart barn find what's it worth
well further research concludes it is the fox flyweight built in 1963 by fox go bot mfg.jonesville wisconsin,this is the version they set land speed records with rocket engines on....Holy crow they was brave back in the day!!! Built in 1964 on a 1963 Fox Flyweight Go-Kart chassis by Bob Rapp of Rapp Welding, Fairfield, NJ. It was stored in his garage and kept intact for over 30 years. After blowing off the dust the electrical system was tested and it still works. Amazingly the tanks still have pressure in them. The rockets are modified Turbonique T-32-A engines that produce over 400 pounds of thrust each. They run on a monopropellant that was marketed as "Thermolene". This was actually N Propyl Nitrate, a stable fuel that burns with incredible power and high efficiency. Legend has it that these engines were prone to explosion under the wrong circumstances and there may have been some fatalities.
To the best of my knowledge, this kart was intended to break the world record for the fastest go-kart. The initial test runs proved that the vehicle was unsafe as constructed. According to all accounts this kart went from zero to 150mph in 4 seconds before becoming airborne and sliding out of control. Luckily the driver was not hurt. At that time it was featured in a magazine article titled "Too Much" that stated the above story. The article also said that the kart was getting a major design change to make it aerodynamically and mechanically capable of using it's available thrust. As we can see, and lucky for us, that never happened.
This kart is all original and in excellent condition right down to the tires. We plan on restoring it where needed and possibly making the engines operational. Of course it will have to be safe using modern technology to be sure that it will not explode when ignited.
We need any and all information about this go-kart or about Turbonique. If you have any information that may be helpful contact us : [email protected]
No, it's not for saleĀ ..
RocketKart.com
well further research concludes it is the fox flyweight built in 1963 by fox go bot mfg.jonesville wisconsin,this is the version they set land speed records with rocket engines on....Holy crow they was brave back in the day!!! Built in 1964 on a 1963 Fox Flyweight Go-Kart chassis by Bob Rapp of Rapp Welding, Fairfield, NJ. It was stored in his garage and kept intact for over 30 years. After blowing off the dust the electrical system was tested and it still works. Amazingly the tanks still have pressure in them. The rockets are modified Turbonique T-32-A engines that produce over 400 pounds of thrust each. They run on a monopropellant that was marketed as "Thermolene". This was actually N Propyl Nitrate, a stable fuel that burns with incredible power and high efficiency. Legend has it that these engines were prone to explosion under the wrong circumstances and there may have been some fatalities.
To the best of my knowledge, this kart was intended to break the world record for the fastest go-kart. The initial test runs proved that the vehicle was unsafe as constructed. According to all accounts this kart went from zero to 150mph in 4 seconds before becoming airborne and sliding out of control. Luckily the driver was not hurt. At that time it was featured in a magazine article titled "Too Much" that stated the above story. The article also said that the kart was getting a major design change to make it aerodynamically and mechanically capable of using it's available thrust. As we can see, and lucky for us, that never happened.
This kart is all original and in excellent condition right down to the tires. We plan on restoring it where needed and possibly making the engines operational. Of course it will have to be safe using modern technology to be sure that it will not explode when ignited.
We need any and all information about this go-kart or about Turbonique. If you have any information that may be helpful contact us : [email protected]
No, it's not for saleĀ ..
RocketKart.com
