Turbine-Powered 1967 Mustang Dragster Is One Seriously Cool Project
This 1967 Mustang was purchased new as a bare body and transformed into a 300 mph quarter-mile turbine-powered beast.
These days, the online car auction circuit is one ripe with choices, providing us with some bargains, as well as the chance to own seriously rare and expensive machinery, too. Then there are the countless unique and even oddball vehicles to choose from, ex-racing machines, and even things like vintage memorabilia and furniture made from automotive parts. Then there’s this – a turbine-powered 1967 Mustang drag racer that’s easily one of the more unique projects we’ve seen in some time.
This 1967 Mustang recently hit the virtual block at Bring a Trailer as a non-running but incredibly cool and promising project for someone in the market, and it has a very interesting history, to boot. A fellow named Ted Trischle purchased the pony car brand new as a bare unibody, and then proceeded to transform it into a quarter-mile demon with loads of custom details. That much is evident from the red exterior, which features this car’s nickname prominently – Krispy Kritter.
Out back, one can’t help but notice this car’s centerpiece – a Westinghouse J34 turbine that reportedly came from a McDonnell F2H Banshee once enlisted in the U.S. Navy itself. It’s surrounded by custom fiberglass bodywork, flanked by a pair of drag chutes to slow it down, and held up by a custom suspension setup and rear end. The 1967 Mustang rolls on a set of slotted aluminum wheels wrapped with Goodyear tires, which are probably in need of replacement given their age.
In any event, it’ll take a brave soul to propel this beast down the drag strip, as is evident when one peeks inside the cabin. There, the passenger seat has been replaced by the turbine, which protrudes into the cabin and takes up residence next to the driver. They’re at least surrounded by a roll cage and held in place by a harness, but the fuel tank is also sitting nearby. Notably, the throttle controls are believed to have come from a boat.
Pop the hood, and one will find the other end of the turbine, which is in somewhat unknown condition – it’s also unclear when it last ran, in fact, though the car does come with instructions on how to operate the unique powerplant. When it was going down the track, this combo was apparently good enough to exceed the 300mph mark in the quarter-mile, which is blazing fast for its era, and in today’s world, too.
It’ll obviously take some work to get this historic 1967 Mustang dragster back up, running, and flying down the track, but it’s certainly a project worth taking on. After all, how many real-deal, vintage jet-powered pony cars are there in the world?
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