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The Silver Eagle is
a battery-powered electric vehicle that set 21 land speed records as: 14
National and seven International records, in August 1971 at the Bonneville Salt
Flats where it reached a top speed of 152.598 mph.
Silver Eagle and Crew - Photograph
by David Petrali.
Standing,
L to R: Les Daggett, Lou Lovelady,
Roger Hedlund, Jack Reed, Frank Lipis, John Denning
Kneeling, L to R: Glen
Denning, Randy Morris, Floyd Mealhouse, Fred Long, Darryl Goade
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SPECIFICATIONS
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Weight -
Class 1
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1,070 lbs - (Class 1 =
less than 1,102 lbs)
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Weight -
Class 2
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1,160 lbs - (Class 2 =
more than 1,102 lbs)
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Length
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163.5 inches
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Wheel Base
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111 inches
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Tires -
Front
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300 x 18
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Tires -
Rear
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900 x 15
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Ground
Clearance
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2.75 inches
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Power
Supply
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180 rechargeable
silver-zinc cells
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Energy
Content
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40 Ampere hours per
cell @ 350 Ampere rate
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Cell
Voltage
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1.2 Volts under load,
1.385 Volts open circuit
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Drive
Motor
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102 hp GE
series wound DC electric motor
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Rear Axle
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Casale
quick change (optional gear ratios)
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Maximum
Speed
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152.598 mph
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Electric
Car in Speed Mark
Wendover,
Utah (UPI) - The bullet-shaped Silver Eagle Friday set a world land speed
record for electric cars of 146.437 miles per hour, using the same type
batteries which powered the Apollo 15 Lunar Rover.
Jack Reed, 40, of Huntington Beach, Calif., guided the sleek racer,
powered by 180 silver-zinc power cells, through the flying mile on the
Salt Flats Raceway two times, setting the record plus a one-way record of
152.355 mph. Reed said the crew could have eclipsed the old mark of 134.45 mph by
"considerably more. But bad track conditions forced us to make short
approach runs."
Reed said the 183-inch long racer could only use the miles of track at the
north end and only two miles at the south end before hitting the timers in
the measured mile. The batteries, manufactured by Eagle-Picher
Industires, Inc., Joplin, Mo., powered the racer to 20 other records in
two different weight classes, depending on the configuration of the car.
From the Long Beach
Press Telegram, Saturday, August 7, 1971
LINKS
TO MORE SILVER EAGLE PHOTOS by DAVID PETRALI (24 - 104k)
Slowing
on the Salt The
Silver Eagle Crew Upper
Body Shell Removed Cockpit
View Instrument
Panel Detail Operating
Instrument Panel Controls
Joe
Petrali and Jack Reed Ready
For Another Run Rear
Quarter Views A
Silver-Zinc Cell Instrument
Panel Wiring Speed
Controller Right
Side Chassis Jack
Reed and Les Daggett The
Lunar Rover
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RECORDS
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Flying Mile
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146.437
mph
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Nat'l Class 2 and
Unlimited Int'l Class 2
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Flying Kilometer (Class
2)
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146.147
mph
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Nat'l Class 2 and
Unlimited Int'l Class 2
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Standing Kilometer
(Class 1)
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67.181
mph
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Nat'l Class 1 and
Unlimited Int'l Class 1
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Standing Mile (Class 1)
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81.205
mph
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Nat'l Class 1 Int'l
Unlimited
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Standing One-Quarter
Mile (Class 1)
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53.332
mph
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Nat'l Class 1 and
Unlimited Int'l Class 1
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Standing One-Quarter
Mile (Class 2)
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50.555
mph
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Nat'l Class 2 Int'l
Class 2
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Standing Half-Kilometer
(Class 1)
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58.851
mph
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Nat'l Class 1 and
Unlimited Int'l Class 1
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Standing Half-Kilometer
(Class 2)
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55.993
mph
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Nat'l Class 2 Int'l
Class 2
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We are grateful to John Denning,
Covington, Washington for pointing out inaccuracies on this page (now
corrected). John was involved in the mechanical and electrical
systems of the Silver Eagle and the Bonneville runs with the Eagle-Picher
company. Nice one and thanks John. For more information, why
not follow the links on this page to John's website:
http://www.nventure.com/rockyflats/eaglmain.htm
Electric
Car 'Whispers' to Records
Bonneville
Salt Flats - Electricity tied up gas for the leadership in world land
speed records Friday. Refusing to be stuck off in a dark corner
after the natural gas industry's Blue Flame set a land speed record
last fall, the Silver Eagle, a battery-powered electric car,
whispered to two records Friday in the flying mile and the kilometer.
Perfect Runs - With 40-year-old Jack Reed of Huntington Beach, Calif.,
piloting the 1,160 pound vehicle in two perfect runs through the measured
mile, the car racked up speeds of 146.437 mph for the mile and 146.147 for
the kilometer. The previous best mark for electric cars was set in
1968 by the "Lead Wedge" at 138.78 mph. The Wedge did not
establish a kilometer mark. Reed flipped a series of eight switches
Friday, each switch activating a bank of silver-zinc batteries. With each
flip the sleek car built up speed entering the measured mile.
"No Sweat" - The batteries, manufactured by Eagle-Picher
Industires, Inc., of Joplin, Mo., a prime contractor for the Apollo Space
Program, performed flawlessly and the car recorded a 152.598 mph run in
the first mile. "No sweat at all," Reed beamed as he
vaulted out of his seat - a seat only three inches off the salt.
"We were recording 7,000 rpm on the tachometer...it has to be over
the record." Moments later, Joe Petrali, chief timer for the U.S. Auto Club, confirmed
Reed's statement when he announced the 152.598 run. But the all important
return trip had to be made.
Second Half - Reed went from north to south on his first run and all
seemed okay as the coast driver passed the timing shack heading north for
the second half of the record attempt. But at the end of the run,
ambulance personnel, led by Emily Gillette of Tooele, were greeted by
Reed's stunning remark, "that course nearly shook me to bits. I'm
surprised the car is still in one piece. It was a much slower
run." Apprehension abounded as Reed, his crew, project manager
Darryl Goade and spectators waited for Petrali to average the speeds of
the two runs. Petrali's announcement settled the entire bunch.
No More Noise? - Then, reflecting on the implications of the record
shattering run: Will this mean electric cars for highways? No more
noise? No more pollution? "I think in five years you will find
limited use of the electric car in urban areas and most certainly in the
heavy smog areas. Our biggest stumbling block is finding a substitute for
silver in the silver-zinc combination battery," Goade went on.
The battery used Friday was similar to those used in the Saturn rocket, in
the ascent and descent stages of the Lunar Lander and the Lunar Rover in
the Apollo 15 mission. A car you can't hear? A car that emits no
exhaust? I saw it Friday and it went an average of 146.437 mph in a mile.
Can a similar car which runs in the 40 - 70 mph range be far behind?
From the Salt Lake Tribune
Sports, Saturday, August 7, 1971 by Dick Rosetta
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