| White Triplex | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Also called | Spirit of Elkdom |
| Production | one-off (1928) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | minimal-bodywork racing car. |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Three Liberty L-12 V12 aero engines |
The White Triplex (also known as the "Triplex Special"[1] and the "Spirit of Elkdom") was an American land speed record car built for J. H. White and driven by Ray Keech. It was powered by three 27-litre Liberty aero engines, for a total of 36 cylinders, 81 litres of displacement and a claimed 1500 bhp.
White, a wealthy American from Philadelphia (no connection to the White Motor Company), wanted to take the land speed record from the British, then shared in a duel between Henry Segrave and Malcolm Campbell.[2]
No suitable engines were available to give a sufficient advantage over the British Napier Lion, so the simplest possible chassis was constructed and three war-surplus Liberty aero engines were squeezed into it. The vehicle was simple, with no clutch or gearbox and only a single fixed ratio. Once running by a push start, it had to keep rolling. Driver comforts were minimal: the forward engine was sheathed in a crude attempt at streamlining, the two side-by-side behind it were bare, with the driver perched between them and the one in front.[3]
- ^ Northey, Tom (1974). "Land Speed Record: The Fastest Men on Earth". In Tom Northey. World of Automobiles. Vol. 10 (London: Orbis), pp. 1164.
- ^ Northey, pp. 1164–5.
- ^ "White Triplex Special". ThrustSSC.