The Blastolene Special, also known as the "Tank Car", is a custom built car, designed and built by American craftsman Randy Grubb. The car is currently owned by American entertainer Jay Leno, who drives it on public streets, and also displays the car at various car shows and meets in the greater Los Angeles area. The Special is powered by an American military tank engine and features a custom-made aluminium body, it originally produced 810 bhp (600 kW) at 2,800 rpm and 1,560 ft lb (2,120 N·m) of torque at 2,400 rpm. The car weighs 9,500 pounds (4,300 kg) which is 1/11th the weight of the original tank from which the engine was used.

History

In 2001, the Blastolene Special was built by craftsman Randy Grubb. It is powered by a Continental AV1790-5B, The car was built at Grubb's shop in Grants Pass, Oregon.

After purchasing the car, Jay Leno made numerous enhancements to the roadworthiness of the vehicle, including a new six-speed Allison automatic gearbox, new rear brakes, new electrical system, and chassis work.

Facts

  • Introduced as "The Jay Leno Tank Car" on Gran Turismo 4, it ended up in the game "by accident" when the development team visited Jay's garage to record some engine sounds. They noticed the car and put it in the game on behalf of their intrigue. it also Reappears in Gran Turismo 5 as "Tank Car '03"
  • During one of the first freeway test drives an unsuitable oil line ruptured and dumped the entire 17 gallons of oil onto the road

See also

  • Blastolene Indy Special

References

  • Blastolene Special at Randy Grubb's official site.
  • Popular Mechanics article
  • Car and Driver article
  • Gale Banks official website
  • Clubhotrod gallery pictures of the vehicle