Racing Boats with WWII Fighter Plane Engines | U-80 Blue Chip

At the 2018 Detroit Hydrofest, we see several vintage hydroplane racing boats using Allison engines that were used by the P-38 Lightning and other WWII fighter planes. The blue and white boat is the U-80 Blue Chip.
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[@davefeuerstin6717]

Gale V, from a legendary Detroit racing family, raced Gale I through Gale VII, AND Gale's ROOSTERTAIL, along with the SMIRNOFF boats. Lee went on to field ATLAS VAN LINES boats, winning multiple national titles with Bill Muncey driving.

[@santiamhiker2654]

Rockstar! More of the Thunderboats!

[@joehunter6413]

THIS is when hydroplane racing was real. Now they're out just racing jet engines on the water. The newer ones don't even sound right.

[@richardleonard6628]

There is one older than all of these that has a World War One fighter engine in it. It's a Wonder G88, has a 1917 Hispano-Suiza (Spad) engine in it. This was same engine that Eddie Rickenbacker flew to fame in WWI. I grew up around these boats, even worked as part of pit crew on one of them at a Madison Regatta back in the late 50s.

[@3RTracing]

Most all of the original aircraft v12 engine powered hydro's came from Seattle WA> And perhaps the biggest collection of restored ones are at the National Hydroplane and Race Boat Museum in Seattle (Kent WA). I can remember going to the Budweiser hanger in Seattle and seeing piles of blown pistons and other parts. Made me sick, but that's racing.

[@Livlifetaistdeth]

I owe you one, I didn't know there was a Hydroplane museum. I am going there 100%!

[@jamesford2942]

As a kid I remember watching the thunder boats on lake Washington in Seattle. I was sad when they went turbine.

[@jeremiahd2417]

It'd be nice if they had an unlimited class for pistons. They should make an unlimited version of the Grand Prix category with limited rules other than related to safety. Also think the ownership of the H1 should be given to someone who knows the sport and can bring it back to former glory. Maybe try to make a deal with an jet engine supplier to supply engines for the teams. Those engines are getting extremely hard to find and they need something more modern.

[@jonathansteiner3251]

The U-80 was originally the Breathless II to bad they didn’t restore her to original much more beautiful looking boat with her blonde birch wood decking and baby blue trim. Still nice to see her back out on the water.

[@reggie6480]

Breathless II was a beauty

[@k5abuser]

GAKE V . The guy that built that didn't know anything about wood working and took classes to build it. A beautiful boat. Turned down 1500 ho turned all the way up 4500 HP. Mr. Black did an awesome job building it.

[@stevoschannel4127]

Kind of like vintage auto racing, you will never hear these boats driven in anger...Now driven by wealthy old men re living a fantasy. Look at the difference in the last clip when the modern boats are at it, night and day. Still cool that they are actually out there though.

[@timlong1462]

Yeah I'd like to hear one of these above a low idle. None of these drivers really got into the throttle at all. Your comment hit the nail on the head.

[@AndrewMeredith-ne2ir]

Totally awesome I had no idea!

[@mikegriffith8266]

Turbo chargers and testerone!

[@bradleyrieger1517]

The mahogany Miss Thriftway was the first boat I ever saw live when my dad took me down to Stan Sayers pits to watch time trials. Blew my mind. Just out of curiosity, are they systematically trying to eliminate unlimited racing in Detroit like they are in Seattle?

[@DtRockstar1]

I have no idea. I really hope not, because it's such an exciting sport and it's hanging by a thread.

[@budddove6480]

Fun Fact- They had no choice but to mount the engine in the front of these boats. No matter how hard they tried, they could not fit the engine in the rear do to the enormous size of the captains testicles.

[@santatigerclaus]

Miss Such Crust mechanic said to my dad (dad was delivering ready to fry chickens to the boats owner on Gun Lake) "i hear you have a little hydro"- "yep i do" -"could you drive this around the lake a couple laps? i need to hear it" he did - not sure if it was Allison or Rolls Royce, about 1944

[@santatigerclaus]

@D Lopez correct. I misspoke . Dad would've been 13 in 44, late 40s would have been more like it, a few years before I appeared in 54

[@reggie6480]

Such Crust was the loudest of them all - twin engine monster

[@gene1351]

@D Lopez 5 Such Crusts all together... Jack Schafer..

[@kdub9918]

I’ve came across some amazing canisters of old racing film mostly hydroplane races and some auto races from 1959-1961 about 8 reels got it from an old collector in Destin,FL but it also has guntersville Al labeled on a couple reels. In a nice old metalLogan deluxe model carrying case. I haven’t been able to watch but did have a projector and before it went out I saw photos of a miss bergdahl (?) not sure but it was something like that. I’m wanting to sell the collection but not sure who to contact any help much appreciated my grandmother I lived with and took care of just passed away and I’m moving back out west if anyone knows a good contact please reply,thanks

[@lindahill9193]

Miss Bardahl

[@derekpierkowski7641]

Sound

[@derekpierkowski7641]

They found like airplane motors!

[@DtRockstar1]

Yep, they come from World War II aircraft!

[@jeremiahd2417]

V12 Allison's from WWII era Mustangs and P-58's.

[@philgordongordon4733]

Oh yeah and my family also owns that red turbine driven jet boat at the very end of the clip.. Detroit machinery center

[@Viperman200221]

My uncle was custom building a car powered by an Allison but the owner ran out of money and it was never completed to my knowledge. My uncle also knows a guy in SoCal that rebuilds the Allison engines. It sucks because the day we had planned to see his shop he wasn't there.