The Record Breaking Oldsmobile
When the improbable produced the exceptional.
ABOVE: Hero image from: supercars.net
Over the last few years I've developed a newfound interest in vintage model car kits that can be found at the various automotive swap meets I attend throughout the year. I find myself interested in them, not with the idea of putting them together, but as a way of learning something about the cars they were modeled from.
ABOVE: The 28 Havoline Texaco, Davey Allison stock car is actually from my childhood. I bought it the week before Davey died in a helicopter accident in 1993. Photo by: Chris Breeden
Over the last year, I've accumulated a fairly odd assemblage of cars, but one of them sticks out in my mind as a truly interesting creation.
ABOVE: Photo by: Chris Breeden
After a little research, I found out that in 1984 Oldsmobile completed the development of a four-cylinder engine called the Quad 4. Sporting dual overhead cams, with four valves per cylinder, Oldsmobile claimed that in its basic configuration, the engine was capable of 150 horsepower and 160 Ib-ft of torque.
ABOVE: A Oldsmobile Quad Four engine. Photo from: wikipedia.org
The development engineers were so excited about the engine they lobbied GM to let them build a test car. The Aerotech was the product of that request.
ABOVE: Photo from Oldsmobile.
Two cars, a short-tail (ST) and a long-tail (LT) were constructed for test trials. In 1987 the cars were tested at the Fort Stockton, Texas test track. A. J. Foyt was the driver
ABOVE: A.J. Foyt (left) discusses testing in 1987.
On the first day of testing (26 August 1987) Foyt was able to coax 250.919 MPH (403.919 km/h) from the short-tail car and 275 MPH (443 km/h) from the long-tail version.
The next day, in front of FIA officials, he was able to break the closed cockpit speed record by turning two laps (one in one direction and the other the opposite way) with an average speed of 257.123 MPH (413.799 km/h). This broke a record set by a Mercedes Benz streamliner in 1979. He also broke a 2-liter world record for the flying mile set by MG in 1959. The Aerotech's record still stands to this day.
So why is this important? I believe it is very good evidence that US automakers were attempting to produce fuel-efficient, but high-horsepower cars during the height of the Malaise Era. It was a little beam of light in a pretty dismal time for factory performance. Plus, it's a good example of speed for speed's sake. In 1987 a few engineers, designers, and a crusty old race car driver, backed by a major automobile maker, went to a Texas superspeedway and attempted to better the record of man's accomplishments.
They succeeded.
