1932 Helicron

[MrDuke]

I found a picture of this on a blog, and assumed it was a mock-up, but to my unmeasurable joy it turned out to be an actual thing! I was going to put it in the 'grin' thread, but it really deserves its own topic.

 

First vid starts at 16:55; the second vid has more actual driving footage.

 

 

[Sudsprint]

My great aunt had one in the 1930s.

 

Unfortunately she had a very messy accident when she lost control of it in the Burlington Arcade racing to a cross dressing convention.

[Junkman]

There were earlier attempts at this by Marcel Leyat.

As early as 1921 to be exact. Altogether about 30 cars were produced until 1925.

They could exceed 100 mph.

 

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Doesn't Beaulieu have one of them Leyat contraptions on display, or did I dream of that ?

[Tayne]

My great aunt had one in the 1930s.

71 SWL?

[wuvvum]

There were earlier attempts at this by Marcel Leyat.

As early as 1921 to be exact. Altogether about 30 cars were produced until 1925.

They could exceed 100 mph.

 

They also had almost no brakes and rear wheel steering.  It'd take larger cojones than I possess to drive that thing at the ton.

[Sigmund Fraud]

They also had almost no brakes and rear wheel steering.  It'd take larger cojones than I possess to drive that thing at the ton.

 

Most pre-war stuff is lethal to drive by modern (post-1950s) standards. Even sweet, little Austin 7s are an absolute bastard to keep in a straight line !

 

How the chaps of VSCC manage to race them, I do not know... I have lots of respect for them !

[Junkman]

Most pre-war stuff is lethal to drive by modern (post-1950s) standards. Even sweet, little Austin 7s are an absolute bastard to keep in a straight line !

 

I have driven a shitload of pre-war stuff in my life, including sweet little Austin Sevens.

Not a single one of them was an absolute bastard to keep in a straight line. To the contrary, the art of building a car that does go in a straight line has long since been lost, hence ASC.

Those pre war cars can be driven with an incredible amount of confidence, since they behave exactly like you would expect a car to behave.

This is in stark contrast to those useless contraptions called "car" nowadays, which aren't cars at all, with their unpredictable and dangerous reactions due to ASR, ESP, and ABS.

[Sigmund Fraud]

they behave exactly like you would expect a car to behave.

 

I think this sentence says it all ! Most of my own driving experience is in cars made between the 1960s and the 1990s. This means that pre-war cars behave in a completely different way to what I expect, which is why I find them difficult to drive.

[Rocket88]

Model T Fords are a sod, as none of the pedals or hand controls do anything remotely like you'd expect. Most other old stuff, apart from the middle accelerator pedal scenario [which takes a bit of getting used to] drive fine, as long as you make allowances for no brakes, a bouncy ride, and epic bump steer.

[seth]

There were several Leyats at Retromobile last year

 

 

 

'Hello is that the AA? Yes, the prop's gone on my car.  No, not the propshaft, the prop.  The one on the front."

[PiperCub]

Remember an article I ripped out of a classic car mag (1990's?) with a story of a chap who was an apprentice in the aero industry, he aquired an aero engine - not sure what it was but it was certainly big from the photos - from his employers and rebuilt it as a project (with their blessing to help him learn about engines). When done, he ran it and had the idea of putting it in a car, to this end he bought an old wreck (a Morris 8 or the like) and put the engine into it with a propeller small enough to avoid ground strike.

He then ran it down the street, there was a photo or two showing this feat with loads of folk standing around in awe (or was it fear?), no-one got hurt, I believe he said he only did it once, probably as well really, but it was a nice story. Must look though my folders for the original. Love all this pre-H&S crap experimentation.

[Junkman]

Some yank did it in 1922. He used a very interesting OHC V8, which is believed to be a Hispano Suiza aero engine:

 

 

One Herbert A. French donated the photo to the Library of Congress in 1947, but nothing is known about who the man is.

[mercrocker]

Doesn't Beaulieu have one of them Leyat contraptions on display, or did I dream of that ?

They may have had something on loan or share but I wonder if you are thinking of  the Crossley-Burney Streamline that was there in the 70s before being relegated to basement storage.   It had a very fuselage-shaped body but no prop....At least one of the Leyats ( at Brooklands, I think when I saw it...) doing the rounds is a complete ground-up recreation (but you wouldn't know).   

[spike60]

 

 

I read  somewhere this was something to do with a film set, perhaps plausible as braking and steering aren't obvious and the fuel(?) tank behind the driver looks highly unsafe, if low on hazards list. Even if it is a set wind machine it looks marvellously dangerous.

[Skizzer]

I bet you'd have a right laugh* trying to parallel park one of those.

 

Also, if you gave any of these some revs at the traffic lights, presumably you'd ingest all the cyclists who had pulled up in front of you.  COOL.  (Except you'd only get the nice ones who actually stop at traffic lights - uncool.)

[Junkman]

Count Bertrand de Lesseps prepares to demonstrate his Auto Aero in 1912:

 
The last Leyat Helica in 1927:

 
Here is a Helica in action:

 

The Sizaire-Berwick Wind Wagon armored car from WWI:

 

A car with wings and a propeller on Times Square, 1924:

 

Wind Wagon, built by 15-year-old Ted Jameson in 1929:

 
Then there was this:

 
 

A Maybach with a seven-cylinder radial aircraft engine and propeller, 1938:

 

Schlörwagen Pillbug (1936):

 

Argentina 1955:

[alf892]

Love these things.....fucku NCAP!

[Junkman]

Model T Fords are a sod, as none of the pedals or hand controls do anything remotely like you'd expect. Most other old stuff, apart from the middle accelerator pedal scenario [which takes a bit of getting used to] drive fine, as long as you make allowances for no brakes, a bouncy ride, and epic bump steer.

 

Model Ts are the easiest thing to drive as soon as you master the controls. Over 15 Million were sold and driven by a multitude of this.

They were probably driven by more people, than any other car, except for the Beetle, which isn't a real car.

 

From the onset, there were good cars, and bad cars. Good cars never had "no brakes", you would be surprised how they can hold their own in this respect among that ABSed

rubbish of today, and by God did they not have a bouncy ride, especially compared with the ride* car makers consider bearable for human beings nowadays.

The effect of bump steer was completely eliminated by the mid 20s, but driving an earlier car that still has it, is the biggest fun you can have outside a bed.

[PiperCub]

Never knew there were so many prop-driven cars - you live and learn.

 

Re: Model T's controls - remember, almost everyone who drove these cars had never driven anything else before to compare it with, so what is now unconventional was the norm to them back in the day.

[Bobthebeard]

 

 

 

I read  somewhere this was something to do with a film set, perhaps plausible as braking and steering aren't obvious and the fuel(?) tank behind the driver looks highly unsafe, if low on hazards list. Even if it is a set wind machine it looks marvellously dangerous.

I bet his cap blew off as soon as he started it though....

[Junkman]

There were many more.

An Italian Duke built a few in the 1920s which I've seen in the national car museum in Turin.

There were several in Germany, I remember having seen a picture of one taken in 1920s Berlin.

I'll do some research and post what crops up.

[Junkman]

Here is one by Russian V. Kurunkov. It can drive on land, snow, and water.

 

[DSdriver]

I expect Mercedes will be re-inventing this and marketing it as a new idea soon. After all, they thought the foot operated handbrake was something that would sell cars.

[Junkman]

[Junkman]

I expect Mercedes will be re-inventing this and marketing it as a new idea soon.

 

Actually, this merit goes to an Englishman, who built the "first ever propeller driven car", in 1955.

 

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/propeller-car

[Junkman]

Brooklands, 1911:

 

[tooSavvy]

 

 

... looks like the 'mad' uncle to Vlad... don't he?

 

 

TS

[Junkman]

Garbaccio propeller car, 1913:

 

[Junkman]

Zeppelinfabrik Friedrichshafen built this in 1911:

 

 

There were countless motorized sleighs with propeller drive. Not sure whether they are in the spirit of this thread?