Tech

Amazing engineering of top fuel-powered trailers (Video)


These are special cars – the ones you never see on the street. No other car can compete with them in terms of acceleration.

Dragster roared off the starting line.  Image credit: US Army, Public Domain

Dragster roared off the starting line. Image credit: US Army, Public Domain

No other car has such a need for fuel. Top fuel tow truck can reach speeds of 335 mph (539.1 km/h) in 3.62 seconds, over a measured distance of 1,000 feet (304.8 m). 100 mph (160.9 km/h) is achieved in just 0.8 seconds. That comes at a cost: at full power, the dragster’s engine consumes 16 to 20 gallons of fuel mixture per mile, or nearly 50 liters per kilometer.

How do they make these incredible machines able to achieve 12,000 horsepower? The following video explains this, along with many more: