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Toyman!
Toyman! GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/20/23 9:45 p.m.

This popped up in a FB group I follow. What the hell is it beyond awesome? Those are Sig Erson Camshafts, Valvoline, and Champion stickers on the side which suggest motorsports of some type. Any guesses? 

Close-up of the stickers. 

buzzboy
buzzboy UltraDork
10/20/23 10:01 p.m.

BlueInGreen - Jon
BlueInGreen - Jon UberDork
10/20/23 10:25 p.m.

Land speed racer? My wife said no, I'm not allowed to hang it from the living room ceiling

aircooled
aircooled MegaDork
10/20/23 11:00 p.m.

Definitely not a plane.

ProDarwin
ProDarwin MegaDork
10/20/23 11:06 p.m.

Its the first prototype of the delta wing

 Very first DeltaWing coupe going up for sale for $375,000 ...

rebelgtp
rebelgtp UberDork
10/20/23 11:08 p.m.

In reply to Toyman! :

How did I know if I posted that thing online it would make its way here lol. Gonna go back over tomorrow see if I can get more pictures and maybe see if there is a makers tag or anything in it. 
 

and yes it has been forever since I have been here. 

rebelgtp
rebelgtp UberDork
10/20/23 11:23 p.m.

In reply to BlueInGreen - Jon :

I mean I might be able to arrange it 

SEADave
SEADave Dork
10/20/23 11:34 p.m.

Is that some sort of racing boat, or at least part of one?   Like a hydroplane?

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/20/23 11:58 p.m.

That's some big, stupid, monster truck type 4x4 thing. I remember seeing it in Car Craft in the early 90's. Look at how ginourmous the rear wheelwells are, the stupid red light on the fender, and the Vertex magneto sticker.

L5wolvesf
L5wolvesf Dork
10/21/23 11:17 a.m.
SEADave said:

Is that some sort of racing boat, or at least part of one?   Like a hydroplane?

The upper portion of a hydroplane type racing boat was what I thought of too. The riveted windshield suggests an older one that had an aircraft cockpit as part of the body. Or it was molded from an aircraft.

CrustyRedXpress
CrustyRedXpress GRM+ Memberand Dork
10/21/23 12:35 p.m.

In reply to L5wolvesf :

I think hydroplane as well. The 4 eyehooks seem to match how hydroplanes are placed in the water. 

EDIT: Agree with using a plane fuselage as a mold as well. Maybe some generation of piper aztec?

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
10/21/23 5:18 p.m.

The cutout in the rear seems to say jet engine. 

nocones
nocones GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
10/21/23 7:04 p.m.

I located this on the internet thanks to Google Image Search I did not know this before.   

It looks like some version of the wheel stand car "Death Ship"

The windows aren't quite right so this may be a second body or a copycat/replica car.  

I think this Bob Perry Guy would fit in around here 

For a cool list of silly cars 

https://wheelstanders.webnode.page/copy-of-1960s/

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/21/23 7:29 p.m.

Definitely not the same Death Ship body above but very similar - every window and cutout is different and the cabin area was even made from a different aircraft model.

It's almost certainly not an actual racing vehicle at this size (considering there was no LeMons back then cheeky), so the theories of it being a wheelstand car or some kind of homemade monster truck make a lot of sense.

L5wolvesf
L5wolvesf Dork
10/21/23 7:40 p.m.
David S. Wallens said:

The cutout in the rear seems to say jet engine. 

Yes the cutout screams jet engine. But, did Sig Erson really make jet cams?

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/21/23 7:44 p.m.

Here's a pic from another angle I found:



"Alternate body for the Death Ship" is definitely the strongest theory so far.

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/21/23 8:04 p.m.

If his wife is still around it might be possible to reach her and confirm, email was posted 13 years ago:

https://www.draglist.com/stories/SOD-Apr-2003/SOD-040303.htm

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
10/21/23 8:40 p.m.

It looks like a prop for a science fiction movie. 

Maybe it started life as a race car and then Roger Corman bought it.

kb58
kb58 UltraDork
10/21/23 8:46 p.m.

I vote for drag strip vehicle of some sort, followed by monster truck shell as a distant second. I base that on the stickers, typical of older drag cars, less so for monster trucks, and hardly ever for a road-racing thing. The Vertex (magneto) sticker seems to rule out anything jet-powered.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/21/23 8:57 p.m.

Magneto = nitromethane usually. 

It could be a tractor pulling body, but I like the wheelstander theory!

L5wolvesf
L5wolvesf Dork
10/21/23 9:52 p.m.
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

and then Roger Corman bought it.

A Roger Corman "boat" would have large "pontoons". 

rebelgtp
rebelgtp UberDork
10/21/23 9:52 p.m.

rebelgtp
rebelgtp UberDork
10/21/23 10:01 p.m.

There are a few more pics. All the side windows and rivets are painted onto the body. Majority is fiberglass and there are aluminum panels at the bottom. 
 

Going to say yes it is a Bob Perry car at least that is the best guess so far. My wife did say I can drag it home if we can't find out who dropped it off. 

Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself
Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself PowerDork
10/21/23 10:56 p.m.

That is 100% a Bob Perry exhibition wheelstander.   He built a ton of different ones in the '70s and '80s, the most famous being "Hell on Wheels," a wheelstander that looked like a tank.





He  ̶r̶i̶p̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ jumped on the Star Wars craze with Galaxy II and Death Ship, the former even having an R2 unit in the back.   The one in the OP certainly looks like a version of Death Ship, and has the Sig Erson Cams, STP, and Valvoline sponsor decals that were on Galaxy II back in '79.

 

 

Definitely snag the body if no one else claims it, but first make sure it wasn't stolen for the drivetrain and chassis before it was dumped.


 

Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself
Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself PowerDork
10/21/23 11:03 p.m.

 

 

 

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