|
Wednesday May 7, 2008
|
If the name Fritz Von Opel sounds familiar, it is because this German engineer was the grandson of Adam Opel - the founder of the Opel car company. After becoming the automaker's head of testing, Fritz Von Opel did not remain in his grandfather's shadow for long and in May of 1928, exactly 80 years ago, set the world speed record of an estimated 238 km/h (143 mph) in a rocket-powered car, the RAK 2.
Assembled by Fritz Opel and his team, the vehicle was essentially a missile on four wheels. Its drivetrain consisted of 24 solid-fuel rockets packed with 120 kilograms of explosives - enough to push it to speeds never before seen even on a racetrack.
Opel and his RAK 2 drew a crowd of 3000 spectators to Berlin's AVUS speedway. Guests included luminaries from show business, sports, science and politics, including the movie star Lilian Harvey and boxer Max Schmeling. His breathtaking demonstration of jet propulsion on land ultimately earned Fritz Von Opel the nickname "Rocket Fritz".
|
|
|
Stumble
Digg
del.icio.us
Slashdot
