Oklahoma willy jet bus
“It’s a 1958 brick”
When you think of a jet-powered drag car that flies down the track at 156mph, a three-tonne classic camper with the least aerodynamic shape possible seems laughable.
From building robots out of cardboard boxes as a kid to buying a jet engine on eBay and strapping it to a Splitscreen, Perry Watkins has always enjoyed tinkering with things.
Perry has spent the last 40 years building an array of record-breaking cars and got his first taste of jet power when he engineered The Flatmobile - a jet-powered reproduction of The Bat Mobile. At just 19 inches in height, this was also the world’s lowest street-legal car!
Wanting to explore the challenges of a larger jet engine, Perry decided a BAC Strike Master - a light fighter jet from the Omani Air Force - would be a good fit.
“I just bought that one on eBay and spent two years doing it, painting it and polishing it. It came out so well that I wanted to put it on something nice. So I bought the Splitscreen.”
The bus originally came from a farm in Oklahoma and was owned by a farmer named Willy, who inspired its name. When imported to the UK, the vehicle was in terrible condition and underwent a complete restoration, including 63 new panels. The bus now looks as good as new, with an exterior fit for shows, a full roll cage and air suspension. This jet-powered classic rockets down the track in 10.6 seconds at 156mph, putting on a spectacular display for all Santa Pod spectators.
The bus operates with a ‘dead man’s pedal’, meaning Perry puts his foot to the floor on the start line, and as soon as he lifts off, everything shuts down. This mechanism acts as a fail-safe to prevent any potential harm to Perry or others in case of an emergency during a run.
“150mph in a 1958 bus is good fun. Quite exhilarating.”
“It’s been behaving itself really well. We’ve only just got it right. It’s taken five years to get it running right because you can only test and run it up here.”
Guzzling down 22 gallons of fuel on each run, this bus is an expensive way to travel a quarter of a mile. However, the cheers and excitement from the crowd makes it all worth it for Perry and the team.
You can experience this jet-powered spectacle at select events at Santa Pod Raceway each year.
