When was jet powered sports car used at Le Mans for the first time?
First JET - Even though we know that the use of jet-powered engines has been recognized by many automakers as promising amazing speeds, their application to four-wheeled vehicles is still constrained by many factors related to control and safety issues. So that the development continues to be pursued to get the best.
The 1950 Rover Jet 1 prototype sat on display at the London Science Museum. (Picture from: Sander Toonen' Flickr)
Furthermore, by looking at the early development of this kind of propulsion machine specifically for racing purposed (such for the 24-Hours Le Mans) vehicles, of course you will remember the figure of the Rover Jet 1 developed by the British company Rover Company which known had experience with gas turbine motors on aircraft jet engines in the late of 1940s.
Cutaway drawing of the 1950 Rover Jet 1. (Picture from: Hemmings)
Well, the race car prototype was propelled by a P4 gas turbine powered engine which was said to be the beginning that a little known to the public about Whittle's jet engines, which first began work by Maurice Wilks and his team at Rover in the early 1940s with W2B turbo jet.
The 1961 Rover T4 saloon was the fourth and last prototype for a road going turbine car although in 1963 they co-operated BRM in constructing a racing car for Le Mans. (Picture from: Adam Floyd' Flickr)
This prototype car was presented to the public in 1950, and at the time the engine has been seen as a symbol of modernity and of British technical prowess. The highest level of performance of this car was shown in 1952, when the Jet 1 achieved a world record speed (for gas turbine cars) of 244 kph. Currently, the Rover Jet 1 has been retired and is on display at the London Science Museum.
The 1963 Rover-BRM' first racing car prototype donning number 00 run for an unofficial experimental entries with BRM Formula 1 drivers Graham Hill and Richie Ginther taking turns behind the wheel. (Picture from: Autoevolution)
So this Rover' two-seat tourer prototype had proved the feasibility of such an engine and convinced management to continue investing in the project that would culminate with a fascinating Le Mans prototype, also dubbed 'the world's first gas-turbine-powered motor car.' It continues to develop by the company until 1960s.
The Rover-BRM' first test runs were at the MIRA track in April 1963, driven by Graham Hill at a top speed quoted to be 142 mph. (Picture from: ClassicAndRecreationSportscar)
As quoted from Autoevolution, by the early-1960s, Rover had built its fourth gas turbine prototype, called Rover T4. In 1962, a year after its introduction, the car made its way to France where it completed a demo lap of the legendary track, before the start of that year’s race.
The story goes that the organizers were so impressed with the Rover T4 that, for the 1963 race, they decided to offer a special prize of 250,000 francs to any gas turbine-powered race car that could complete a minimum of 3,600 km (2,237 miles) in 24 hours. Rover engineers saw this as the perfect opportunity to promote their novel engine, so they partnered up with Formula 1 team British Racing Motors (BRM) to develop a worthy Le Mans racer.
The Rover BRM turbine-gas engined racing car prototype of 1965. (Picture from: Motorhood)
Then, without wasting much time, those joint engineering team managed to build a race car based on a modified F1 chassis with an open cockpit aluminum body, and powered by a 2S/150 gas turbine engine that idled at 28,000 rpm and could reach up to 55,000 rpm. Uniquely, Le Mans race organizers at the time allowed the British race car to use the larger 218 liter fuel tank filled with paraffin, in contrary conventional engined cars only could be carried a fuel tank with a limited capacity of 109 liter.
The Rover BRM turbine-gas engined racing car prototype of 1965. (Picture from: Autoevolution)
A couple of months before completion, the car was transported to France, it donning racing livery number 00 run for an unofficial experimental entries with BRM Formula 1 drivers Graham Hill and Richie Ginther taking turns behind the wheel. As the result, the car completed 310 laps and covered a total of 4,165 km, with a run on the Mulsanne Straight of around 240 kph (149 mph), winning the organizers prize. Thus Rover-BRM's race car would not only finish the race, but if officially classified it would take 8th place overall.
The Rover BRM racing car prototype of 1965 powered by a revised 150-hp 2S/150R turbine engine complete with a ceramic heat exchanger that dramatically reduces fuel consumption. (Picture from: Autoevolution)
Encouraged by these good results, the team returned to England determined to improve the car even further so that it was ready to return to the 24-Hours Le Mans of 1964. In the following months, it received a new fully enclosed cockpit designed by Rover's William Towns, and powered by a revised 150-hp 2S/150R turbine engine complete with a ceramic heat exchanger that dramatically reduces fuel consumption.
The Rover BRM turbine-gas engined racing car prototype raced in the 24-Hours Le Mans 1965 with Jackie Stewart behind the wheel. (Picture from: MotorSportMagazine)
With all the new hardware, the race car was deemed eligible to race officially in the 2,000 cc class, and was given racing livery number 26. Sadly, after one practice session, the Rover-BRM' race car got an accident and was badly damaged. Meanwhile the car repairing process could not completed in time, so the team had to withdraw from the racing event.
In the following year, the Rover-BRM was back on the Circuit de la Sarthe as an official entry with racing livery number 31. This time, the practice and qualifying sessions ended with no incidents, and Graham Hill, along with future Formula 1 champion Jackie Steward, was ready for the big race.
Designer William Towns' seductive lines of the 1964-65 Rover-BRM Le Mans racing coupe helped turn the automotive world on to the possibility of gas turbines. (Picture from: Autoevolution)
Among the many Ferrari and Ford GT40 race cars, the British turbine car initially did well, and always in the top ten, but as the race became more intense, its engine started to overheat. Due to this problem, engineers were forced to reduce power levels, so that prevented Hill and Steward for exploiting the car's full potential.
The 3rd Rover BRM turbine-gas engined racing car prototype raced in the 24-Hours Le Mans 1965 with Graham Hill behind the wheel. (Picture from: Autoevolution)
Nevertheless the Rover-BRM race car managed to finish the race and securing 12th place in the overall standings and second in its class. This was an outstanding feat for a jet-powered vehicle developed from scratch just three years earlier.
The 3rd Rover BRM turbine-gas engined racing car prototype raced in the 24-Hours Le Mans 1965 with Graham Hill behind the wheel. (Picture from: Autoevolution)
After the 24-Hours Le Mans race over, this Rover-BRM jet-engined racing car underwent a series of tours at several world-famous automotive exhibitions and was subsequently used for various endurance tests on public roads. Finally, the Rover-BRM was retired from active duty in the 1974, and it’s currently displayed at the Heritage Motor Centre located in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
It can be said that it was the first jet engine car ever made for road going and racing purposes. Even in the end, the gas turbine cars have proved to be too costly to manufacture on an economical way for car engines, in reality there have been several similar cars ever made and some of which we have discussed before such as SOCEMA Gregoire, Fiat Turbina, Chrysler Turbine Car and others. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SURCES | MOTORHOOD | ARONLINE | AUTOEVOLUTION | CLASSIC AND RECREATION SPORTSCAR | HEMMINGS | MOTORSPORTMAGAZINE ]
