Item Info
Item No: arcd06458
Title: General Motors XP-21 Firebird - 1954
Media Type:
Photographic Prints
Source: Automobile Reference Collection
Notes:
Driver Mauri Rose puts General Motors’ XP-21 “Firebird”, an experimental car, through a test on an Arizona track. The body of the car is made of glass fiber. Intakes in front of the wheels carry air to one of the car’s two engine units, the gasifier, where it is compressed and passed into two combustion chambers. Kerosene is burned in the chambers, creating a gas with temperature of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. This is shot through two turbines – one driving the compressor, and the other the wheels of the car. The car’s rear wheels are connected to this latter turbine by a two-speed transmission. The fuel tank is located in the needle nose.
Tools
- Pan and Zoom
- Cite
- For a high-resolution copy of this image contact the AACA Library.