# I think I've found the most dangerous vehicle ever created **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 6, 2007, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767 "2007-03-06T02:35:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/1 "2007-03-06T02:35:10Z")
So I found this blog the other day. I don’t remember how. But it’s pretty cool. It collect old articles from publications like Popular Mechanics or National Geographic. I was browsing through the old “Do it Yourself” plans and I found This… [Sled thing](http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/12/05/motorcycle-engine-powers-high-speed-ice-zipper/?Qwd=./HowToBuildIt/1-1932/ice_zipper&Qif=ice_zipper_1.jpg&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=XL#qdig). It calls itself an “Ice Zipper” and I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a more dangerous vehicle. My first impression is “Hey Cool! That looks like a lot of fun!” Then I think: Yeah… It’s cool looking, but think about sitting in the propwash on a cold day… You have a constant 90+mph wind going right in your face… Goggles are required. And if there’s any snow, you’re going to get plastered with it… Probably to the point where you can’t see. So now, you’re frozen, completely blind and careening down a lake at 100kph, and if you hit something, you go in to the propeller… Which happens to not have any sort of protective measures surrounding it. So you hit a thin part, the ice breaks and the front goes down. You go flying forward, in to the propeller, which severely injures you, then you go in to the sub-zero water. Not to mention that the “steering” is a single wooden runner. Oh, and according to the article: “Braking is effected by coasting across the ice against idling propeller” … you think anyone actually ever built one of these? … Should I? Yeah… It’s cool looking, but think about what happens if you hit anything. You get thrown straight in to the propeller. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/2 "2007-03-06T02:41:24Z")
Crap, that last line shouldn’t be there and I missed the edit window ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/3 "2007-03-06T02:41:49Z")
If you do decide to go for it and build one, make sure you have a videocamera nearby. No, wait…make that _dozens_ of videocameras. The more footage they have at the inquest, the better. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/4 "2007-03-06T02:45:27Z")
:eek: Why the hell didn’t they put the prop at the _back_? Or reverse its direction of rotation and turn the seats around? ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/5 "2007-03-06T03:54:24Z")
It’s even more dangerous than _pogo stilts_! ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/6 "2007-03-06T04:02:55Z")
[QUOTE=St\_Ides] … Should I? [/QUOTE] Of course. I can’t believe you even had to ask. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/7 "2007-03-06T04:13:33Z")
I like the idea of 50mph across the ice with no suspension whatever - should be great fun. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/8 "2007-03-06T04:15:27Z")
Imagine running into a skater with that thing. It’d be like an explosion in a deli. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/9 "2007-03-06T04:27:45Z")
Lucky that Martin and Harry Sensenich had more [get up and go](http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s883178.htm) than you guys. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/10 "2007-03-06T07:38:47Z")
[QUOTE=Finagle] Imagine running into a skater with that thing. It’d be like an explosion in a deli. [/QUOTE] Rev 2 added a horn. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/11 "2007-03-06T08:11:55Z")
That does look worse than a Corvair. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/12 "2007-03-06T08:42:42Z")
There’s several roadgoing prop driven vehicles that have been built. Someone also built a rocket powered road going car. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/13 "2007-03-06T12:08:43Z")
The illustration looks like it was drawn in 1935. They didn’t know about seat belts then. I think seat belts would resolve any safety issues. And a big skater-bumper on the front to safely bump skaters out of the propeller’s way. At 50 mph. ---
**Author:** ![Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silence_of_the_clams)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/14 "2007-03-06T12:17:02Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] There’s several roadgoing prop driven vehicles that have been built. Someone also built a rocket powered road going car. :eek: [/QUOTE] The one where they only found the brake marks after, the rest of the vehicle was scattered across a mountainside? :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/15 "2007-03-06T12:37:58Z")
[QUOTE=Kotick] The one where they only found the brake marks after, the rest of the vehicle was scattered across a mountainside? :eek: :eek: [/QUOTE] I think that one is an UL. ---
**Author:** ![Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silence_of_the_clams)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/16 "2007-03-06T12:44:21Z")
Urban Legend? Your’e right, [it](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO_Rocket_Car) was. Now I’ve learnt something new today too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/17 "2007-03-06T13:08:38Z")
Besides which, it is just plain slow when compared to those under sail in the same decade: [Iceboat - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_boat) > [@](#): > > The stern-steerer “Debutaunte,” currently being rebuilt, was holder of the official land speed record for any vehicle when she was timed over a measured mile at 143 miles per hour on the ice of Lake Winnebago WI in 1938. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/18 "2007-03-06T13:10:51Z")
It tickled me how this early 1930s publication instructs “take seats from an **old style** racing car or plane…” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/19 "2007-03-06T13:18:46Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] The illustration looks like it was drawn in 1935. They didn’t know about seat belts then. I think seat belts would resolve any safety issues. And a big skater-bumper on the front to safely bump skaters out of the propeller’s way. At 50 mph. [/QUOTE] Off by three years. The article was published in 1932. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767/20 "2007-03-06T13:42:02Z")
This reminds me of when I tried to make a hovercraft as a kid. Even as a reckless little boy I knew I had call a halt to it after testing my “engine” with my “propellor”. It made a lot of wind, but trying to resist the torque of dad’s power drill with a sharp, 4-foot long piece of bent sheet steel clamped into it rotating at 3,000 RPM convinced even me to disconnect the whole thing, put it away, and pretend it never happened. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-ive-found-the-most-dangerous-vehicle-ever-created/394767.md?page=2)