Jay Leno Drives Jet-Powered Racecar: The Howmet TX

Hear it from the man himself, Bob McKee, who built the Howmet Turbine Experimental racecar, a living legend that raced in 1968.
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[@aaronredbaron]

Legend status= Makes national news burning his face, turns around "wanna drive my antique jet car?" and he jumps in without hesitation.... Love you Jay!

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

He's like hyper legend status at this point. He just never stops.

[@christopherpollard7244]

Exactly what I was thinking 😂

[@keithdonaldson3945]

Gives definition to "Top Fueler"

[@01Bouwhuis]

Doesnt beat richard hammond. Comes close though....

[@pistonburner6448]

He is now one with the fire.

[@reelreeler8778]

The coolest part of turbine-powered vehicles is the start-up sound.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

There's something beautiful about that sound

[@JohnDoe-vy5hh]

Abrams tanks sound the same. So cool.

[@wikid4948]

Atomic batteries to power. Reminds me of Batman leaving the cave.

[@andyharman3022]

@@wikid4948 Holy spool-up, Batman! That's exactly what I think every time I hear a turbine engine start.

[@NBSV1]

Like with some of the aircraft piston engines in cars. Sometimes that startup is just so cool.

[@marty0715yt]

Jay continues to be "one of a kind". 72 and going strong.

[@davidfuith2995]

Yeah, he slipped a cog there. He's actually 73, but who's counting!

[@kizmaiaz7671]

@@davidfuith2995 Not if this was filmed before 04/28/23...

[@rocketscientist007]

73

[@marty0715yt]

Sorry-He said 72 and In believed it without verification.

[@muddwhistle7833]

You left the lift up🤦‍♂️

[@jackfinucan9785]

Holy smokes! Great to see Bob McKee is still with us! I met him at his shop in Palatine, IL, in 1973 as I was crewing for Tony Kestian who had just bought the McKee Mark 12C (Formula A/5000). I was in awe of his engineering knowledge.

[@alfazagato1455]

Palatine? Didn't know that.

[@Pavel_Engines]

@@alfazagato1455original McKee Engineering was in Palatine and then moved to Lake Zurich where Bob was until retirement. When the latest copy of the TX was being built in 2015 or 2016, I recall going to the shop. My friend did the fiberglass work on it. His shop was amazing with so much history and a Cosworth DFX Indy car engine as a coffee table. For the humvee hybrid project, Bob used a VW I4 diesel as the power generation source. Those engines were dry-sumped. Bob used to buy the VW dry-sump parts from the Super Vee engines from my mentor Bertil Sollenskog of Bertil's Racing Engines.

[@wraitheful]

If you ever get a chance to be at a car show, chit-chat with an older owner or engineer and you will forever be grateful. Those gentlemen in their element = priceless conversation.

[@mattmorris2867]

Not 100% sure that’s a good idea. Lol.

[@WhyFacetattoos]

Watch the video of the sr71 black bird in the museum the old guy who built it is just awesome to witness him explaining his baby. Fun fact they used Buick flat 8s for their starter and they blew up literally every Buick v8 in the country lol

[@MervandtheMagicTones]

Of course the turbine is super cool- but I also think the Howmet is one of the prettiest racing cars of the Sixties. Phillip and Jay, thanks for giving Bob McKee the spotlight. He deserves more recognition!

[@stevestratos9187]

Thank You Bob McKee for building this epic Turbine Race Car. We are all so proud of you. You deserved this.The Howmet History is amazing. I feel honored to know you and to be apart of many of the projects that have come out of your shop. Thank You Jay Leno for believing in me and talking about this project together. This truly has been an awesome Race Car for millions to see and hear on your program. I enjoyed driving along side you in the cockpit! Hit it!!😎 You’re the Best! Thanks Again Steve Stratos

[@smal1393]

Jay Leno is a car enthusiast's national treasure, thank you for sharing Jay.

[@peekaboo1575]

I love the turbine powered cars that ran at Le Mans and Indy in the 60s. They fascinate me.

[@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920]

I’ll have to look that up. Did they ever win/get close to winning?

[@peekaboo1575]

@@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920 They were strong at indy, IIRC even had a chance of winning in '68 but had to retire because the intense heat from the turbine caused a component (something cheap if my memory serves me right) to fail.

[@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920]

@@peekaboo1575 interesting, thanks for the info!

[@Dark35966]

@@peekaboo1575 In 1967, a $6 bearing in the transmission failed with 6 laps to go.

[@ogri214]

@@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920 In 1964 Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill drove the Rover BRM and finished 10th overall and 2nd in the 2 litre category even after an accident had allowed sand to ingress into the turbine and severally reduce performance

[@severinlourenco8355]

Sounds like the Batmobile from the 60s series. Very cool 😎

[@bcgrittner8076]

So you know-the TV Batmobile sound was the Chrysler Turbine car.

[@ZEPRATGERNODT]

@@bcgrittner8076 Since you’re at it… can you tell me what engine(s) was used for the Mach 5 in the original Speed Racer series.

[@baconsarny-geddon8298]

ATOMIC BATTERIES TO POWER... TURBINES TO SPEED...

[@lescobrandon3047]

Exactly what I was hearing.

[@wandamaddox7824]

Sounds like an APU

[@Karl_Squell]

1:00 It's a turbine, but not a jet, because it doesn't move the car by ejecting gas. The turbine is used to turn the wheels so it's a turboshaft engine.

[@aussiebloke609]

Love those Mk I Ford Cortina tail lights. So common to see on parts-bin specials, racers, and kits. 👍

[@Raymund-Swales]

Lola Mk6 GT prototype is another stunner. :-)

[@DrivermanO]

Ford parts bin strikes again!

[@ATomRileyA]

Amazing car, great to hear from the Bob as well about designing and building it. Love hearing about this era of racing with so much new stuff going on at the time.

[@piotrnaliwajko9834]

What an awesome machine! And so nice to see it's creator appear on the show!

[@scottimusgarrett15]

So cool! I love this era of racing, where anything went! Lots of experimentation and just plain trying new things to see if they'll stick! Thanks to Philip for bringing the car, Bob for building it (!) and Jay and crew for showcasing it. Great historical episode, gentlemen! Thanks again!✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦

[@cookedit]

What cool vehicle. Imagine the reactions of it was on the road.

[@MH-53E]

That little engine so loud. I worked on turbines for Navy aircraft. It's amazing the power to weight of these engines...

[@rrrandommman]

Thank you Jay, and thank you to Jay's whole team and the wonderfully talented guests he has on. I can't go look at these amazing machines, but actually I can thanks to this channel, a huge privilege. Drive safe.

[@party4keeps28]

This is one of my favorite episodes. I always love when Jay has the older car guys on.

[@NashPotatoesOutdoorShow]

"Don't be afraid to open it up!" How sweet is that sound!?

[@paulohlsen3332]

Beautifully built car, can't get over the flawless finish on the dashboard!

[@PixelSchnitzel]

What a hoot! This is definitely one for the "Best Ever Of Jay Leno" series!

[@3milio0o95]

This was just the best! I love that they even got Bob the builder of the car, he really seem to know his stuff. The car looks really well built and the design and concept was just so awesome!

[@rolandohiebert2144]

Bob the builder😂😅

[@jimmychristensen498]

CAN WE FIX IT? "I built the damn thing, so..."

[@teb0072]

I saw. Howmet race at Sebring in’68. Hearing the car coming down the back straight was an amazing experience; one I’ll never forget!

[@jamesmisener3006]

Bob is an outside the box engineer the kind that move progress forward. 4 of a kind and this one is still pulling. Cheers to Bob. Oh Jay too. And Myers Manx guy. And the camera operator, and the pizza guy too! Cheers 🇨🇦

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

I know what you mean and totally agree, my weird mind couldn't just leave it at that tho: If progress doesn't move forward, isn't it called something else?😊 Reminds me of my late father answering my brother's question in the garage: Bro: "should I reverse backwards?" Dad: "Well, you sure shouldn't reverse forwards!"😊

[@bobellison5768]

I saw one of these amazing cars at the BOAC 500 in 1969, just before starting my aircraft engineering apprenticeship with BOAC. The start of the love of turbine noise and smell of JetA1. Also seen at Goodwood FOS. Good to see they all survived.

[@momnc4721]

Mr. Leno, I just watch the episode of celebrity I owe you. It’s just another example of why I watch your channel, the great way that you give back to help others. Thank you for your work with the property brothers.🙏🏽

[@peter-radiantpipes2800]

I met Mr. Leno the first time when he had his Y2K jet bike over at the rock store in Malibu Canyon. (Every time was at the Rock Store. That place was awesome.). It was pretty damn crazy to see and he’d just had it a year or two around then. He was explaining the same story about lag before breaking and accelerating, melting bumpers of tailgaters at stop lights. Lol.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

I've always loved the bumper melting story. His description of the bumper melting 😂

[@richb313]

Jay always has cool cars to show and this one is really cool.

[@shovington67]

Beatiful car, wonderful flowing lines. So many of the best looking cars of all time came from the late 1950's thru the mid 1970's. Stunning car.

[@momnc4721]

Thank you Mr. Leno for another amazing history lesson. One of my favorite episodes is the one where you’re driving your jet motorcycle🙏🏽

[@Ryan-31]

What an absolutely beautiful vehicle that is! Congratulations to Mr McKee for this and all of his other designs.

[@jonleyton7905]

"Same engine as my motorcycle " classic!

[@dondesormeauxrcadventures7551]

This is where I come to de stress, it's always positive, informative and entertaining

[@1928ModelA1931]

I imagine racing fans in '68 saw and heard this thing and thought the future was upon them. It has an amazing presence in sound and appearance.

[@adyjw33]

Thank you J for all your automotive history.

[@minuteman4394]

The Mk 1 Cortina rear lights sold it for me

[@shaunstrange1617]

Thanks Bill for turning me on to this , and Bob epic achievement. ! Jay you keep hitting home runs .

[@PCarDriver87]

One thing that is awesome about Jay is that he is old enough to hold a conversation with the older car guys, and can still understand and appreciate the newer stuff! I love this channel.

[@x...CrankyOldMan...x]

the 1 episode that should be 1 hour long... great stuff.

[@mrb.5610]

If there's a unedited 'full' version, I'd definitely watch it !

[@EquitySolutionRayRaz]

Leno is just another name for Legend . Remember those late night episodes long ago . Always enjoyed watching him .

[@baronvontourettes]

Love watching this car every year at Road America.

[@MadRS]

I love the lines of these 50', 60's and 70's race cars. Imagine sitting on the grid before the warm up lap and the guy beside you starts up a bloody turbine.

[@alfazagato1455]

This is every superhero car from the 60's. Great to see a professional video of it.

[@chriscadman6379]

I want one of those engines in my pinto!

[@ReptileAssylum]

Always love Jay's enthusiasm

[@thebigweg]

What a sound!!!

[@MikeS10]

thanks for having Bob on so great

[@aztronomy7457]

The most Jay Leno car of all time

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Didn't mention the most innovative part of the Howmet - the pedal doesn't control the gas turbine, it controls the waste-gate that controls the pressure between the jet exhaust and the driving turbine, so the throttle response comes from the pressure change, rather then the motor spooling up or down. Listen to the sound of the jet as Jay accelerates - very little change in the pitch of the noise, but plenty of go.

[@HSGAutomotive]

My favourite race car of all time, finally featured on my favourite car channel 🤌

[@Dav3Campb3ll]

Never seen one, crazy Jay in jet power car

[@wraitheful]

So great - sounds exactly like the Batmobile from the old tv show

[@offshorebob7015]

Jay is the real deal, i would love to work for him one day

[@fabienb1892]

As a french guy I'm lucky to be able to go at every Le Mans Classic edition. It's always great to see and hear the Howmet in love action. I'm not too fond of the smell of Jet fuel but with the hundreds of other classic racing cars burning race gas (and oil sometimes!) I can live with that JetA2 perfuming the air!!

[@davida.737]

I watched this car race at The 12 Hours of Sebring way back then. It was fascinating to hear it leave the Hairpin turn, it sounded like a jet taking off. Didn't finish, but very cool to see, especially considering that this car and all of When Giants Raced cars, will never be seen by another generation of race fans. We got all the good stuff! Ford GT, 917 Porsche, Ferrari P3-P4, Matra, Lola, everything you see pampered in these videos...we saw racing full bore! Just the sounds would've been enough!

[@larslarsman]

How great to see that automotive genius talking to Jay. And Bob McKee built Paul Newman's race cars, also. 🙌

[@stuartstuart866]

This brought a big smile to us, thanks Jay

[@danw1955]

Man, how cool is that? Seems Mr. McKee dabbled in a bit of everything! I'm amazed that all 4 copies of this car are still around after all these years. I love the gauge cluster.. clear and concise, and ALL mechanical. Nothing to burn out in the middle of a race and not know what's going on under the hood!😉👍

[@ronaldmiller2740]

HI JAY AND FRIEND ,,, THE CAR MY SON SAYS SOUNDS LIKE THE OLD BAT CAR IN THE 60-70 ,, AND MAX IS 7 YR. OLD WE STILL WATCH THE OLD DAYS .. THIS CAR 22 IS GREAT!!!! THANKS...

[@simonfunwithtrains1572]

Great introduction to a skilled engineer. We need more!

[@fishhead90]

I’da loved to have been there if/when someone tried to tell Jay to ‘take it easy with these crazy old cars’ 😂. He probably got the biggest smile on his face

[@kencarnley7101]

Jay Leno, I attend the Sebring race in 1968. One of these cars were running. Not only do I have a Program with the entry list. I have a very unique video clip. Was with my Father. I (college student) purchased a Kodak Brownie 8mm movie camera. I was in one corner of the track. The driver of the Howmet pulled off the track and people were emptying their coolers and passing them over the fence. They driver was pouring ice and water over the engine. This had something to to with prep to pull into the pits. I did some research on this and made contact with someone in England and was able to send him the clip. Was told that I captured a unique piece of racing history.

[@taylormoses5884]

Jay Leno is National treasure

[@68dart]

Awesome , Thanks Jay & Friends 😊

[@Pantherforlife]

There's a switch under the dash for old man mode. I can't go that fast anymore plus the switch does wonders for my arthritis. Many blessings and good health Mr. J. Leno...

[@darrellhart9363]

Way too cool, beautiful old 1960 lines something one can look at all day.

[@superb63amg94]

That car looks like so much fun.

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

That looked like a lot of fun. Great job to all.

[@DeeWhy618]

Damn, that startup sound is amazing! Thank you jay and team for bringing this amazing car and designer to us.

[@zapfanzapfan]

Well, that'll shut everybody up at the cars and coffee when the turbine spools up 🙂

[@raepaul8158]

Another piece of racing history I hadn’t heard of ! Thank you

[@mauriceclemens3286]

Beautifully restored. Looks brand new. I remember this car when I was a kid.

[@ingmarvanderhoek6314]

Cannot help but smile. What a great episode.

[@anavan7]

The start of this turbine sends me exciting chills.

[@albertseabra9226]

Amazing Car, featuring a fabulous Host. Mr. Jay Leno keeps surprising us! Thank you for this fantastic video.

[@garybezner6774]

Wow one of the BEST,the engineering !!!

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

How incredible all 4 still exist. I remember when the first 2 hit the scene in LeMans under the special technology program. They were fun to see for the few years they were around. Nice to see the spare chassis and a 4th one were constructed.

[@Hey_Its_That_Guy]

And the prize for driving the most expensive, rare, historically important, and just plain cool vehicles, goes to: Jay Leno!

[@madrew2003]

So cool. I sure like the content Jay provides. It's stuff you don't get anywhere else!

[@chrisloukes424]

Excellent stuff again Jay. Always something different. And fascinating. Thank you for keeping us all so well entertained!

[@TheTravelersTravels]

Such an incredible man/car/story! 👍👍

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Bob McKee a living legend i am in my 80's and i remember when this Car was new...WHAT AN AMAZING CAR.....Thanks guy's 👍 Shoe🇺🇸

[@anthonyfrench3169]

Thanks for sharing this!! I'd love to see an updated show on the Chrysler Turbine!

[@IsaiahMalin]

lol, just to know that Jay is still out here breaking crazy motorcycles n stuff is awesome 😅 still one of the coolest dudes around 😎

[@patrickfreeman205]

When Jay starts the car you can see the heat coming off the car. Very cool car.

[@Ray147]

Great to see you have so much fun Jay

[@bcgrittner8076]

Rover ran turbine powered cars at Le Mans during the late 1950’s or early 1960’s.

[@gianpaoloconcina2668]

Leno fantastico complimenti per le macchine più incredibili del pianeta 🤩💪🏼

[@sheldonaubut]

I saw one race at Donneybrook in Minnesota in the day and it is a sight and sound I will never forget.

[@steveniksid5874]

Two genuine gentlemen and Genuine Jay talkin' jet cars! 👍👍

[@user-vp1sc7tt4m]

Wow, this was so much fun to watch!!!

[@TheBillzilla]

I love the addition of the Mk1 Cortina tail lights.

[@mitchd949]

Thrilling to watch and listen, I can't imagine the thrill of driving/riding this beauty.

[@jamesmcmasters9392]

❤ respect to Bob & Jay beautiful Race Car 🏎 🏁 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ralfrainfurth6034]

This car is so beautiful, the shape, the history. Unbelievable.

[@jamesbarr3455]

That car is epic... From a few people mind, springs excellence....

[@Android-vk8yh]

Jay and a jet, just what I need on a UK summers evening 👏

[@Chuck59ish]

It sounds like the APU, Axillary Power Unit,, in a C-130 Hercules transport. And to see Bob McKee, the man who took on Lola, McLaren and Porsche in the Can-Am Series.

[@Mr_Bones.]

14:35 This is what you came for gentlemen. The sound of angels