A radial-engined Plymouth classic truck

The 1930s classic cars that appeared using ordinary and shiny car engines were a usual sight for automotive enthusiasts. However, the story becomes slightly different and interesting when there is a classic 1930s pickup using an aircraft engine. Yes, aircraft engines or commonly known as radial engines will certainly display a unique and unusual sight when applied to a classic car.

1939 Plymouth PT-81 custom pickup built by Gary Corns using an early 1950's Cessna radial engine out of a C195 airplane while on display at the SEMA 2017. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/39jUa5S)

This can be seen in the work of an automotive builder named Gary Corns in a classic 1939 Plymouth PT-81 pickup which its original engine (201 CI inline 6-cylinder) is swapped with the early 1950's Cessna radial engine out of a C195 airplane. This silver metallic colored classic pickup was completed to build by Corns in 2015 and called Plymouth Air Radial Truck.

1939 Plymouth PT-81 radial-engined custom pickup aka Plymouth Air Radial Truck has a cool interior with double seats as a fighter plane. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2OQiDGp)

According to the maker which also the owner of Colorado Auto & Parts Inc., initially this unique pickup was built to drive and set a record at Bonneville (the famous salt flat in Utah). But unfortunately, the radial engine doesn't have a class for it, they wouldn't let him run it because the seats weren't attached to the rollbar. Interestingly, one of the officials who has been there since 1959 said that the Corns' radial engined custom pickup was one of the coolest things he'd ever seen at Bonneville.

1939 Plymouth PT-81 radial-engined custom pickup aka Plymouth Air Radial Truck attached the double joysticks and featured plane-like panel instruments. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/39jUa5S)

The trickiest part of the whole process of building this unique pickup was mating the automotive transmission to the aircraft engine. During the process, a friend suggested he use a V-drive plucked out of the boat. After spent a couple of long nights, then he's succeeded in mating a radial engine to a Turbo 400 (a clever idea that even the CEO of Lockheed-Martin was dumbfounded by when examining it).

1939 Plymouth PT-81 custom pickup aka Plymouth Air Radial Truck used a seven-cylinder radial 757 cubic inches Cessna's engine with 14 spark plugs. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3fTD4OK)

The seven-cylinder radial engine with 14 spark plugs measuring 757 cubic inches is capable of producing power of around 300 horsepower accompanied by a very loud roar. As quoted from Rodauthority, Gary Corns said that his unique pickup purrs like a tomcat in a milk house, and sounded very loud and crowded like seven Harley-Davidson bikes who roared simultaneously.

With a fierce exterior appearance filled with rivets and cool cabins like a fighter plane have, but this unique radial-engined pickup was not something that is comfortable to drive on a long journey, because according to the maker, that he can only drive this truck for 10 to 15 minutes before it gets too hot.

This unique pickup with a machine that sticks out from the hood was last seen appearing at the SEMA 2017 event at the 'Covercraft' booth (as the result of their partnership in creating a special cover that matches the exposed engine that protrudes from the hood). It also briefly had appeared on Jay Leno's show.

In addition to the unique pickup mentioned above, it turns out the radial engine can also be applied to motorbikes. Wanna see it. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | COLORADO AUTO&PARTS INC. | RODAUTHORITY.COM | SILODROME | 9GAG.COM]

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