At Freemantle Motor Museum
Aussie Invader II engine at Freemantle Motor Museum
Aussie Invader II - Australian Land Speed Record Holder - 802.613 km/h - 27th March 1994
AUSSIE INVADER 2 (1989 - 1997) Current holder of the Australian Land Speed Record set at Lake Gairdner SA at 802 km/hr
18,000 lbs thrust
36,000 horsepower
Max speed 608 mph
General Description Aussie Invader II is a Jet Turbine powered, ground hugging composite missile. A Jet engine needs to injest vast quantities of air. This factor affects most other design considerations which include safety, visibility, weight distribution, stability and accessability.
Given all these factors and the availability of advanced construction techniques and high tech materials, the resulting configuration for Aussie Invader II is a vehicle with an all up weight of 4,100 kilograms nett and a length of 8.5 metres.
Power Source Aussie Invader II is powered an Australian-manufactured Atar 09C5, Jet Turbine as used in the Mirage fighter. The engine produces a peak thrust of 80,000 kN (18,000 lbs), which at world record speed is equivalent to a power output of about 30,000 horsepower.
Fuel is aviation kerosene (F34 Jet Fuel), payload is 410 litres, which is consumed in less than 60 seconds.
The engine is centrally mounted which is inclined at an angle of 0.5 degrees towards the front to help keep Aussie Invader II down and reduce the tendency for it to 'take off'.
Wheels and Axles
The rules under which land speed records are conducted require the vehicle to have four wheels.
These wheels are specially designed using the latest technology in hand forged L77 solid aluminium. They are tyreless, each 760mm in diameter and are extremely strong to counter gyroscopic and centrifugal forces which would tend to overturn the vehicle in the event of a severe yaw.
Axles are constructed of Chrome Moly steel designed with a high sheer stress point. Wheel bearing grease has been specially developed by Kluber Lubriaction in Germany to prevent the extremely high temperatures that would normally be generated at wheel revelutions of 8,000 rpm.
Retardation
Conventional wheel brakes would not be able to effectively slow a vehicle from record speeds, so parachutes are used to retard the vehicle to speed at which wheel brakes are effective.
Aussie Invader II is fitted with a four wheel disc brake system which utilises the latest in Formula One technology with carbon fibre rotors and six pot lightweight calipers specifically developed for a land speed car.
