Customs What would the EPA say? 4 Engined Bubbletop

Went to the upstairs repository to find the 1st magazine that I purchased and of course I couldn't resist looking through the other little books. I came upon this one that really stood out (They choose certain ones to put on the cover for a reason) and just had to share. Hopefully, the mods will let it slide, it was built in 1960 or before, it's definitely a hot rod (4 engines and all) and it's pretty much home built. Anyway, I included the whole article, hope you find it a bit interesting. Most of my little books were published on the east coast so you may not recognize the title, Carp.

 

EPA would grandfather, since they didn't exist yet...

neat car!

 

Here's a link to another pic on Kustomrama. https://kustomrama.com/w/images/7/79/Paul-wirt-experimental-car3.jpg

 

It probably wasn't driven. It probably wasn't meant to be driven. What was the "experiment"?

 

How did his "Assault on Bonneville" go?

 

As of now, that's the only info I have found.

 

I think they would say, "Wow what an ugly car!!"

 

I like the 4-engine, just for a laugh & something different, but agreed, little went into the body design!

 

This looks like something that would have been made for a TV show. Perhaps a villain's car.

 

Does anyone care what the EPA thinks?

 

I have never seen nor heard of that "thing" before. I would assume that, because of it's aesthetically unpleasant appearance, it didn't get much press.

 

I figured with the lack of design, it was long ago parted out for it's quartet of 283's, however, according to this 2012 article, it apparently survived, going to a local museum after Wirt's passing. Interesting that it apparently was clocked at 180 MPH (!), in a closed highway run hosted by the Ohio Highway Patrol;


By Paul Locher Staff Writer
Posted Sep 29, 2012 at 4:00 AM

MORELAND -- In its second year, the annual Franklin Township Heritage Day festival will be training its focus on a perhaps unexpected subject -- auto racing.

According to Gail Miller, whose scenic farm at 8594 James Road the festival will host the event on Oct. 6, a racetrack was located southwest of Moreland, which operated during much of the 1950s and was the place where many of Wayne County’s top auto racers cut their teeth.

The highlight of the racing focus at the festival will be the display of what is arguably the most famous car ever built in Wayne County -- the Wirt Special. The car was built by the late Paul Wirt of Moreland in 1957, and eyed as a possible contender to break the world land speed record.

The car, which is 20 feet in length, took about four months to build and was featured in Motor Trend magazine. It had in excess of 1,000 HP, with each wheel driven by a 283-cubic-inch Chevrolet racing engine.

The prowess of the car was tested on U.S. Route 30 when construction had been completed on the road and before it opened to the public. The Ohio State Highway Patrol arranged for the car to be run on the unopened stretch of road between Wooster and Mansfield to see what speed it was capable of attaining.
In that run the Wirt Special attained a top speed of 180 miles per hour.
Miller said Wirt’s goal was to take the car to the Bonneville salt flats in Utah where it would undergo testing on ways to enhance its speed, but big names in the speed business with big sponsorships, such as Art Arfons and Mickey Thompson, beat him to the punch.

According to Miller, the Wirt Special, which was licensed to drive on regular roads, came to be known as “The Wildest Rod in Captivity” and was exhibited around the country.

After Wirt’s death, the unique vehicle was acquired by the Ken Miller Oil, Gas, Car, Truck and Agriculture Museum in Shreve, where it has reposed for some years.


“There’s an awful lot of interest in that car in Wayne County,” said Miller. “Most people don’t know what happened to it, or where it is. Bringing it back to Moreland to show it off will be a big deal. We think a lot of people will turn out to see it.”

In addition to the Wirt Special, several other race cars from the area will be displayed, including a dragster.

 

Rodding & Re-Styling... interesting little books. Haven't seen those in many years, even at swap meets.
Marcus...

 

Four engines, 4 wheel drive, 1000hp, did 180mph and took 4 months to build in 1957. What's not to like? If that doesn't scream 'traditional' hotrodding, I don't know what does. I, for one, will give Mr. Wirt the credit he deserves.

 

Yes.

 

I wonder why he made that exhaust system versus having open headers.

 

Each of the four engines combined with its own Powerglide drives one of the four rear wheels. There are two 57 Ford truck rear ends.

How might've that worked? Two pumpkins per rear end?

How was it all configured and controlled?

 

The article says it was street legal.

 

The Wirt Special was displayed in 2012 but all we have is an old magazine article?

 

Making it street legal seems like a big mistake for several reasons.

 

No.

 

Bonjour, j'avais fait un petit article avec ce que j'avais trouvé sur Internet, et enfin je trouve ici beaucoup plus de choses qui me permettront de développer un peu plus le sujet, merci beaucoup!
http://www.sixmania.fr/en/four-engined-streeter-paul-wirt-1960/

 

Yes. I have to live on this planet for about another half-century.

 

My condolences to you. I'm pushing 80 so I don't have to worry about this crap for much longer.