Wow! How’d I stumble on to this? The paint on it now is incredible, but it always did look good before, too. The really cool thing is that it started out powered by internal combustion engines. It initially had two Chevy v8’s. After that it had two offenhauser (if my memory serves me correctly) 4 cylinder engines. After that is when it got the 1st helicopter turbine power before it ate some loose hardware. If there was a way to track the 1,000’s of hours of work that went into this vehicle over the years , I’m sure it would blow everybody’s minds. Such an incredible feat! And it is just plain beautiful. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that if Don was still around, he would’ve ended up having the fastest two wheel record and fastest four wheel driven world records at the same time. 100%
I used to go to Vesco's in Brigham City to get parts for my 1973 Yamaha RD350. This was in the 90's when pretty much no one carried parts for those anymore. I burned through some pistons trying to jet the carbs correctly. Vesco's kept having the parts I needed.
I’ll never forget that trip to the Vesco shop, the date is fuzzy but the memory survives five plus decades ago. I knew that the twin engine streamliner kicked Harley Davidsons tail with half the displacement 😮. First to go with rubber belt for the final drive, everything was safely wired oh the bike in the shop….a gearheads dream! Twenty years later I would be working on aircraft utilizing some of the same technology. Congratulations on the success!
Bonneville won't be the same without Team Vesco. I was there in 2001. Talked to Don in the pits. - Courteous and patient despite having a technical nightmare with the car at the time. - Enjoy your retirement, ladies and gentlemen.
Now here’s a family that absolutely lived Land Speed Racing! I know that by the early 60s, Don and all the rest of them were out there every year. They fought hard to get the motorcycle records and they kept right on fighting for the car records too. True pioneers of the Sport!
It’s pretty sad to see them go especially all the upgrades and not to hold the record. Rip to probably the fastest wheel driven car ever and not get the record.
Wow! How’d I stumble on to this?
The paint on it now is incredible, but it always did look good before, too.
The really cool thing is that it started out powered by internal combustion engines. It initially had two Chevy v8’s. After that it had two offenhauser (if my memory serves me correctly) 4 cylinder engines. After that is when it got the 1st helicopter turbine power before it ate some loose hardware. If there was a way to track the 1,000’s of hours of work that went into this vehicle over the years , I’m sure it would blow everybody’s minds. Such an incredible feat! And it is just plain beautiful.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that if Don was still around, he would’ve ended up having the fastest two wheel record and fastest four wheel driven world records at the same time. 100%
I used to go to Vesco's in Brigham City to get parts for my 1973 Yamaha RD350. This was in the 90's when pretty much no one carried parts for those anymore. I burned through some pistons trying to jet the carbs correctly. Vesco's kept having the parts I needed.
I’ll never forget that trip to the Vesco shop, the date is fuzzy but the memory survives five plus decades ago. I knew that the twin engine streamliner kicked Harley Davidsons tail with half the displacement 😮. First to go with rubber belt for the final drive, everything was safely wired oh the bike in the shop….a gearheads dream! Twenty years later I would be working on aircraft utilizing some of the same technology. Congratulations on the success!
AYL thanks for the footage watched here in QUEENSLAND Australia, very sad story however.
All good things must come to an end but yes it would've been great to see Team Vesco get this done. Bittersweet farewell for sure.
And what an era it was.
I was there in 2018! Saw it runs early morning! What an amazing experience!
Bonneville won't be the same without Team Vesco. I was there in 2001. Talked to Don in the pits. - Courteous and patient despite having a technical nightmare with the car at the time. - Enjoy your retirement, ladies and gentlemen.
Thanks for all the AWESOMENESS!!!❤❤❤❤❤
Now here’s a family that absolutely lived Land Speed Racing! I know that by the early 60s, Don and all the rest of them were out there every year. They fought hard to get the motorcycle records and they kept right on fighting for the car records too.
True pioneers of the Sport!
LEGENDS! Team Vesco will always be peak greatness!
Hats off to the Vescos!
Some of our favorites and loved watching the Turbinator journey.
I bet he comes back, it seems like they always come back once more just to see if it was the right idea to quit or not
My wife and I just saw that car at burger in and out in barstow
Good video!
The way you get the Bureau Of Land Management to fix the salt is tell them its not safe for pride parades.
They spent several hundred hours alone just on the paint job.
That kind of work is tedious and highly specialized.
go to aus
No sense pushing it! You got to know when to when
It’s pretty sad to see them go especially all the upgrades and not to hold the record. Rip to probably the fastest wheel driven car ever and not get the record.