Halloween might be over, but not for Oregon inventor Robert Maddox, who has built a coffin car powered by a jet engine. The Maddoxjets Coffin Car was inspired by the ‘Dragula’, which was driven by Grandpa Munster in the 1960s children’s TV show ‘The Munsters’. There is very little that drags with the coffin car, however, as Maddox has modernised the vehicle by adding two pulse jets.
Maddox claims it’s “definitely” the only jet-powered coffin car in the world, and that he’s never seen another one like it, which is hardly surprising as it’s utterly bonkers.
Its twin jets generate enough thrust to allow the coffin dodgem to go from 0 to 60mph in nine seconds — faster than many family hatchbacks. Maddox doesn’t know its top speed as he hasn’t dared to go any faster than 60mph — perhaps because he’s afraid of meeting the grim reaper. But if he did take a turn for the worse, at least his family could bury him where he sat.
Despite its spooky appearance, there is nothing uncanny about the coffin itself. It is made out of wood, has an undercarriage made of steel tubing and its Maddoxjets Thrust Super Dragon Pulsejet Engines have been positioned under the seat.
Maddox claims he had been fascinated by the possibility of creating a coffin car ever since he was a child growing up on top of a graveyard hill in Pheonix, Oregon. He says he “loved The Munsters, Addams Family and Halloween”, especially as he was known as the kid that lived on a graveyard hill.
The bonkers contraption took a month to build and cost £1,300.
Pulse jets are commonly used in drones or for flying control line and radio-controlled aircraft. Because they convert fuel into heat, they are also perfect for boilers and other home heating equipment. They can be made with few or no moving parts and can ignite a mixture of air with a wide variety of fuels.
Would you dare to drive the coffin car? Watch the video of it in action and let us know by posting in the comments below.
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