In 1968, within the walls of the Kharkiv Automobile and Road Institute HADI, under the leadership of the Honored Master of Sports of the USSR Vladimir Nikitin, a grandiose project was being prepared - Kharkovites designed jet car, which for the first time in history had to reach supersonic speed without taking off from the ground, thereby setting absolute record dry speed!
At that time it was fashionable and prestigious to set records, everyone wanted to be the first. Vladimir Konstantinovich Nikitin - Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, an unsurpassed racer and a talented designer-inventor devoted his whole life to the creation of high-speed racing cars mobiles. He said that “Creating a record-breaking racing car also has great practical significance: by designing and researching something new, we teach tomorrow's engineers to look for non-standard, original solutions the problems that they will face when they come to the design: bureaus and research institutes.
The idea to build a supersonic jet car, or as it was also called, a car, was born by Nikitin in the spring of 1968. The news that “The Russians are striving to create the fastest world car», flew around all corners of the planet and literally stunned Western experts, and curious students rushed to the laboratory to Nikitin ... After all, initially the creation of a fireball called "HADI-9" was a collective graduation project of several students of HADI. Each of the graduate students developed a certain part of the machine: a drive, a frame, a body, undercarriage, and the leader was Vladimir Konstantinovich Nikitin. At first it was very difficult. Even excellent knowledge of students was clearly not enough. But soon senior students from the Kharkov Aviation Institute and the Institute of Art and Industry came to the rescue, and the work went more cheerfully. In just a few days, the first model of the future car was made, which passed comprehensive tests in the HADI aerodynamic laboratory. Following the first, a second, improved, then a third appeared. Designers-inventors, model after model, improved their offspring, improving aerodynamic characteristics and simplifying appearance.
For the first time in the Union - a jet supersonic car!
In the second year of designing the car, Kharkiv residents heard rumors that Gary Gabelich had crossed the line of 1000 km/h in the USA “on a land rocket” Blue Flame. This upset the Soviet enthusiasts a little, but their enthusiasm did not diminish. The creation of the car took several years. Finally, in 1978, the Soviet record holder was ready!
By the combined efforts of students from three Kharkov universities, under the leadership of Vladimir Nikitin, a supersonic jet car was created for the first time in the Soviet Union.
Every detail, every node, every unit of HADI-9 was an original design, the fruit of a long scientific analysis. At supersonic car there was a rocket-like fuselage, on both sides of which, openly, on tubular braces, stood rear wheels. Twin wheels were installed in front. Tires - aviation, made to order specifically for this model, and from the MIG-19 was taken turbojet engine. Its length was 11 m, height 1100 mm, and weight 2500 kg. The braking of the car was carried out with the help of parachutes and air dampers, and also used the transfer of the turbine operation mode to reverse. There were sensors in the nasal needle. electronic system who provided information about air flow to control the flaps that keep the car on the track and prevent it from flying into the air. The fastest car in the world had to reach a speed of 1200 km/h!
The car looked like an arrowhead or an airplane without wings - similar aerodynamic shapes, smooth contours, a high stabilizer, a pressurized cabin.
Here is how one of the magazines of that time described the supersonic car: “It looks more like an abstract image of a pterodactyl: a sharp nose turns into a long predatory needle. This is no longer a car ... It is rather a plane that is designed to glide along the ground. The only difference is that the wings and tail should not help, but prevent the apparatus from getting off the track.
In 1979, HADI-9 was already being tested. And then another blow - news came from America that the pilot of the Budweiser car had developed supersonic speed. Later, at the official level, this information was not confirmed, but there was no longer any certainty that Kharkovites would be the first.
HADI-9, or unset records
The first tests of HADI-9 on safe speeds gave a feel for the enviable potential of this machine. However, the "pilots" of the car, stating that the Kharkov "rocket" could overcome 700-800 km / h, strongly doubted the achievability of the milestone of 1000 km / h, and even more so the speed of sound - 1200 km / h. The device was lighter than American counterparts, but noticeably lost to them in terms of thrust.
What is the maximum speed that was developed on the HADI-9 remains a secret to this day. Nobody knows about it. It is only known that due to the lack of a suitable track, no attempts were made to set a speed record on it.
The fact is that for adequate testing of such a car and reaching maximum speed, a direct and very flat track about 10 kilometers long. The only place in the USSR where such a route could be built at minimal cost was the salty bottom of the drying lake Baskunchak in Astrakhan region. But here, too, the testers failed - due to an increase in salt production, all races on this lake were stopped.
Knowing about the difficulties of Kharkiv citizens, American enthusiasts invited Nikitin's team to their place in Utah, to the famous Bonneville salt lake. And they even promised to take all the expenses on themselves, provided that the Russians compete there with the Americans. However, the grand show did not take place - it was embarrassing for Nikitin to fly to America with other people's money, and for his team it was exorbitant expenses. And age no longer allowed - by the time the construction of the “supersonic aircraft” was completed, Nikitin was almost seventy. He always set speed records on his cars on his own, without risking anyone's life. Therefore, not a single record was set on the most famous Soviet "supercar".
According to rumors, during the filming of the film "Speed" on Lake Baskunchak with the participation of this car, the pilots, in secret from everyone, dispersed the car to 500 km / h. Is it true or fiction, it is difficult to understand today.
HADI-9 has not survived to this day. During a long stay on a salt lake, he was fairly soaked in brine. Then, for uselessness, he was put in the backyard of the institute and forgotten. When, after many years, suddenly remembering the HADI-9, they decided to save it for future generations, instead of the once beautiful “rocket machine”, they found only a pile of rusty metal. Thus ended the life of the fastest Soviet car, which, unfortunately, was never destined to set a single speed record ...
Vladimir Konstantinovich Nikitin was born in 1911. Constructor fast cars, world and USSR record holder in auto racing, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, mentor of several generations of automotive engineers.
Vladimir Nikitin died in 1992, leaving behind several unbroken international and all-Union speed records, as well as a dozen original record cars, most of which are stored in Kharkov, in the museum of the Automobile and Road Institute.
Lego bricks are one of the most popular entertainment for children and their parents all over the world. Consider a series of designers from LEGO - Speed Champions. They have been very popular lately. The series includes racing cars brands: Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari, which will surely appeal to boys who love aggressive racing cars. On each box of this LEGO series you can see a description of the characteristics of a real car with a photo.
Let's start with first model– Porsche 911, the box says that the maximum speed of this racing car is three hundred kilometers per hour, and in 2.8 seconds a sports car can accelerate to one hundred kilometers. Of course, a car with such characteristics is very powerful. The kit contains three instructions, the first two - the construction of two cars, the third - the construction of a car podium. The first car is dominated by white and Orange color. Stickers on the car are made with precision, as on the real thing. Well, the second car is made in gray and white. The kit comes with two motorists, which match the colors of the cars. They are wearing helmets, their suits with inscriptions, like real pilots. Since there are no doors on our cars, we remove the roof and put our drivers in the car. On the podium is everything you need to service the car. The kit also includes many different parts to create a more complete picture of the race.
Consider the second model of this series - McLaren R1, from the back of the box you can also see a photo of the real car and its detailed specifications. The weight of the resulting structure is quite heavy. The car is made in yellow and black. Bumpers, of which there are two, are assembled separately and attached to the car. The set contains a large number of stickers that more accurately recreate the image real car. As well as on other cars of this series, the car does not have doors, in order to put the pilot behind the wheel, it is necessary to remove the roof, which first appeared only in the Champions of Speed series. Driver this vehicle has a white jumpsuit with an inscription on the back. The kit comes with several extras. The most interesting of them is the wrench. They, indeed, can unscrew the wheel and pull out or insert a disk. This model is good, but does not have as many details as the first model has.
The third model in the Speed Champions series is a sporty ferrari car LaFerrari.
On the back of the box is written specifications real car. It is said that the maximum speed reaches 350 kilometers per hour, and acceleration to a hundred kilometers occurs in 2.8 seconds. This kit includes two detailed instructions and in them photos of all cars of this series. The car is made in red with a rather low landing, by the way, this model very narrow compared to others. The car is quite aggressive, like a real super car. As well as in previous models, this pack contains a variety of vinyl decals that recreate the look of the car we're used to seeing on the racetrack. The machine is made with precision, describing all the details and curves present version. Our pilot's suit is completely red with the emblem of the brand of our car. By the way, the wheels in this model can be easily removed, and the spokes on the caps have a star shape.
The new collection "Race Cars" as always surprised its fans. The three models featured here are top sellers in the Speed Champions series. They are completely different, so it is recommended to purchase and assemble each. Have fun with LEGO.
Car racing is very popular in Western countries. Manufacturers traditionally invest part of their profits in order to demonstrate their technological capabilities, and prizes serve as the best advertising for famous brands.
There was no such profession as a high-speed designer. There was no need for such spectacular competitions, the mass consumer was constantly in cramped conditions. When cars were sold freely, the population did not have money, and as soon as necessary funds some of the people appeared, somewhere disappeared cars, despite the constant growth of their production. And yet there were enthusiasts.
Agitov's first record car
Evgeny Agitov, the first designer of high-speed cars in the USSR, decided to create a car that, no less, could break the record. The design bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant in 1938 was headed by Andrey Lipgart, he warmly supported this undertaking. As a result of the hard work of two talented engineers, a miracle was born, called a record car, since there was no point in organizing races due to the lack of worthy rivals. The official GAZ-GL1 index stood for "Racing Lipgart". Agitov didn't mind.
The mass-produced "Emka" GAZ-M1 served as the basis for creating the car, but with significant constructive changes. Initially, adding 15 "horses" by increasing the working volume, and then it was replaced with a more powerful, hundred-strong one. Outwardly, the car became completely different, with its aerodynamics it resembled the fuselage and reached almost 168 km / h, which, of course, was a good result, but by no means a record. In 1940, the GL-1 was dismantled in the hope of doing something better, but soon the war began, and there was no time for sports.
Our Zvezda Peltzer is the fastest!
After the Victory, trophies began to arrive in the USSR, including samples of former enemy equipment. This circumstance was successfully used by Alexander Peltzer, another designer of high-speed cars. In the USSR, based on an engine from sport bike DKW built the Zvezda car. This happened in 1946 in the Central Design Bureau "Glavmotoveloprom" created at that time, later renamed NAMI. german motor later replaced with a domestic one, and five years later Zvezda-M-NAMI set nine world speed records in different categories. This achievement was facilitated by the possibility quick change engine to another, with a volume of 250 to 500 cubic meters. see. The car accelerated to 215 km / h (with 350 "cubes").
"Kharkov" designer Laurent
In the 50s, when our country joined the FIA international auto federation, Eduard Osipovich Lorent, a talented designer of high-speed cars, proved himself. In the USSR and beyond its borders, this name became famous in 1960, when he accelerated to 286 km / h on a car built by himself "Kharkov-L2" from a distance of a kilometer, which is still considered an unsurpassed achievement.
Laurent's son Valery, also a car designer, broke several more international records on the L-2 and created other samples of high-speed vehicles, such as the Kharkov-L3, the first dragster in the USSR (class racing cars, starting from a place and competing at short distances), and "Kharkov-L4" (formula class).
The sixties and seventies became the "golden age" of Soviet factory-built ones. Excellent results showed in 1976-1978 the BPS-Estonia car, which was driven by V. Barkovsky, its designer. The USSR once again demonstrated its technological capabilities to the whole world. True, in single copies ...
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The auto industry is not the most prominent branch of the Soviet economy, although there were masterpieces and wonderful examples of engineering and design ideas here, which were forgotten modern generation. Let's remember together.
The industrialization of the early 1930s was primarily aimed at the military industry, but inventive Russian engineers did not spend all their creative energy on guns and tanks. Having served the state and its militaristic vector of development, Kulibin's followers found time and inspiration to create a powerful, beautiful experimental automobile stream. An important and visible contribution to the development of an innovative industry was also made by amateur enthusiasts who collaborated with sports clubs and tried to build their own analogues of Western sports cars. So, a selection of 16 racing sports cars of the Soviet Union.
GAZ A-Aero, 1934
One of the first racing cars of the USSR was created in 1934 by designer Alexei Nikitin as an applied example of his theoretical work"Study of car streamlining". blue color Gas-A-Aero existed in single copy, equipped with a 4-cylinder engine in 48 Horse power and accelerated to 106 km / h.
GAZ GL-1, 1938
The fastest pre-war Soviet sports car was built on Gorky Automobile Plant in 1938. To create a sports car, the designers took the standard GAZ-M-1 model, installed a 2-seater streamlined body on it (seriously reducing weight) and boosted the engine (increasing power to 65hp). At the debut race in Kyiv, GAZ GL-1 (Racing Lipgart - named after the designer Andrey Lipgart) showed a result of 143 km / h. After a couple of months in Moscow, the car accelerated to 147 km / h. The work continued and by 1940 the Gorky engineers prepared the second modification, equipped with a 100hp engine. : September 22, 1940 GL-1 set a new speed record for the USSR - 161 km / h. The war prevented further modifications and destroyed the already assembled models.
GAZ M-20 "Victory", 1950
GL constructors to work on racing cars did not return (Nikolaev focused on aviation, Agitov died during the war), but Gorky plant continued the process of creating concept cars under the leadership of Alexei Smolin, taking as a basis the “gas” body of the M20. The roof was lowered on it, equipped with duralumin fairings, and the engine was cooled with nostril holes on the hood. Body length 565 cm, width -169.5 cm, height - 148 cm, weight - 1200 kg, engine power - 75 hp. at 4100 rpm. The maximum recorded speed is 190 km / h.
GAZ Torpedo, 1951
The second key sports car project of Smolin was the GAZ Torpedo, for which it was created newest body from clean slate aluminum + duralumin length 630cm, width 207cm, height 120cm and weight 110kg. The motor was pumped up to 2487 cubic centimeters and accelerated the car to 191 km / h. The Torpedo did not surpass its “gazovsky” counterpart, but unlike the other concept cars of the 1950s, the “Gaz-Torpedo” has survived to this day and is in the museum.
ZIS 112, 1951
The successes of the "Gorkovites" in the racing car industry forced their main competitors, the Stalin Plant, to intervene in the socialist competition. This is how the ZIS 112 was born, inspired by the American GM LeSabre and nicknamed “Cyclops” for its appearance. In addition to a single headlight on the radiator, the “Stalinist” sports car was distinguished the following characteristics: two and a half tons of weight, six meters in length, 180hp under the hood and a top speed of 200km/h. A total of five copies were issued, none survived.
GAZ Strela, 1954
In 1954, the brilliant Smolin was ahead of his Western colleagues and designed a car equipped with a jet aircraft engine- "Strela" could potentially accelerate to 500 km / h, but the runway of the airfield was not enough and the starting race ended in an accident. Racer Metelev got off relatively lightly, breaking his toe, but the car suffered very seriously, although he managed to show a speed above 300 km / h.
Star 5, 1955
Scientific automotive institute in addition to theory, he was engaged in practice and produced a wide range of cars. In 1955, NAMI presented the Zvezda 5 concept to the public: 3250mm long, 1250mm wide, 820mm high, 360kg and speed up to 200km/h.
NAMI 050 Belka, 1955
The second notable work of NAMI was the "squirrel on wheels" of the scientist, journalist and auto designer Yuri Dolmatovsky, who tried to make his project a popular car, but did not find understanding among his own leadership. However, Dolmatovsky's developments were published in foreign magazines, from where the ideas of the Soviet scientist were borrowed by specialists from Chevrolet and used to produce the Corvair Greenbrier. The Prophet and his homeland...
Moskvich G2, 1956
Moskvich-G2 Gladilin and Okunev was built in a single copy in 1956 and the design almost completely coincided with the G1 produced a year earlier. Only the forced engine (75 hp) has changed and a more streamlined one has appeared aluminum body with closed wheels. The aerodynamic design allowed the G2 model to show a record 223 km / h.
Star 6, 1957
The next “star” NAMI model came off the assembly line in 1957 and reached four and a half meters in length, 420 kilograms of mass and a speed of 200 km / h.
HADI 5, 1960
In the first Ukrainian capital, they challenged the Moscow concept cars and from the beginning of the 1950s, under the guidance of engineer Nikitin, they were engaged in the production of racing cars. In 1960, Kharkiv residents assembled the most famous and successful car HADI-5: independent suspension on all four wheels, four cylinders, an engine of 3000 cubic cm and a power of 126hp, length - 4.25m, weight - 550kg, speed - 290km / h.
VAZ Porsche 2103, 1976
In 1975, Ernst Fuhrmann, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Porsche, agreed with Viktor Polyakov, Minister Soviet car industry, about a three-year cooperation between Porsche and VAZ, as a result of which the VAZ-Porsche 2103 car appeared. First of all, the Germans were engaged in interior and exterior design, replacing metal with plastic in accordance with the latest European trends and safety requirements. More German designers have reduced the level of external and internal noise, as well as improved anti-corrosion protection. The model moved and looked great, but the VAZ team already had the 2106 project ready, which won the dispute in absentia against the joint German-Russian car due to the significantly lower production cost.
Yuna, 1977
A unique project by auto enthusiast Yuri Algebraistov, who assembled Yuna in his own garage. Having started work on the concept in 1969, the owner of a mathematical surname and brilliant brains completed the car in 1977, having won many international awards and the respect of the entire auto community together with Yuna. However, the recognition of specialists was not enough to launch mass production and only two Yuna models were assembled, one is still alive and well and has driven half a million kilometers of Russian roads.
Pangolin, 1980
Another brilliant representative of the Soviet “samavtoprom” under the authorship of electrical engineer Alexander Kulagin, who at home managed to prepare a worthy response to Western supercars DeLorean Lamborghini Countach. In his native Ukhta, Kulygin in his free time worked with talented pioneers in the technical circle of the Youth Palace. With the help of his young colleagues, the electrician managed to assemble a dream car - Pangolina, which first shook the province, and then reached the capital and also made a rustle there. At the final stage of work, the author destroyed the matrices and his sports car remained the only sample.
Laura, 1982
In 1982, on the outskirts of Leningrad, two young people, Dmitry Parfenov and Gennady Khainov, finished assembling their own model. sports car, which talented amateurs dubbed "Laura": manual assembly, front-wheel drive layout, fiberglass and polystyrene foam body, five seats, move from the fifth Lada, ZAZ-968 gearbox, weight 1000 kg, maximum speed 160 km / h, fuel consumption - 6 liters per one hundred kilometers.
NAMI Ohta, 1986-87
One of the latest sports Soviet cars, produced in a perestroika and almost collapsed country - NAMI Okhta of the Leningrad Laboratory. The Soviet minivan was built on the basis of the VAZ-21083 and expanded to seven seats with a 180-degree driver's seat and the last seat turning into a table. Okhta had a nice ride at domestic and foreign exhibitions, making a splash at Geneva Motor Show. True, after Geneva, customs officers did not want to let the supercar go home without duty. As a result, the NAMI Okhta concept minivan stood for several years in a warehouse and was returned to the inventors in a terrible state.
So the sports minivan ended its journey and the history of racing cars of the USSR came to an end. started new era, whose automotive heroes we will introduce next time.
Auto giants around the world compete endlessly in power, speed and other parameters, creating more and more serial record holders, setting more and more new records and developing more and more advanced technologies. In this compilation, we will introduce you to the main record holders among stock cars on this moment. As they say, there is no limit to perfection, and it is quite possible that in the near foreseeable future, all of the following supercars can push new developments, but in the meantime, we will learn a little about modern record holders.
So, first on our list is a supercar that is currently considered the fastest at acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h - it does it in 2.1 seconds.
car with Chevrolet engine V8 with 1622 hp based on the Ultima GTR, but with a more advanced chassis and two turbochargers.
The cost of such a "toy" in 2009 was $3 million.
The serial production of this model was originally planned, but the demand did not meet the expectations of its creators and at the moment only a few cars have been sold, which, nevertheless, actually makes it a serial model.
next car from our list - - in 2009 was the fastest in the world, reaching a mark of 418.6 kilometers per hour on a dry salt lake in Utah.
In 2010, its creators wanted to "step over" the mark of 480 km / h, but, unfortunately, the car crashed.
As we know, at the moment the record is broken by the notorious Bugatti Veyron Super Sport- today it is 431.072 km / h, but Keating can be left on our list if only for his power.
After all, the power of the 7-liter V-shaped "eight", which is the heart of the Keating TKR, is 1832 hp. with a curb weight of 995 kg!
Due to the low cost, Anthony Keating managed to sell a good number of Keating TKR copies, at the moment he continues to improve his creation.
The third record holder is the leader in several "nominations" at once - engine size, torque, acceleration to 200 km / h and acceleration to 300 km / h.
Weineck Cobra 780cui 2006 is equipped with a V8 engine with a volume of 12782 cm 3 or almost 12.8 liters with a maximum torque of 1760 N * m!
The initial power of this monster is "only" 1115 hp. with a curb weight of 989 kg, but later, to participate in drag racing, the engine of one Weineck Cobra 780cui was boosted to 4500 "horses"!
In first gear, you can accelerate up to 160 km / h, while acceleration to “hundreds” will take about 2.2 seconds, up to 200 km / h - 4.9 seconds, and 10 seconds after the start, the car reaches 300 km / h !
Only professional dragsters can compete with such a result, so the almost serial Weineck Cobra 780cui worth $650,000 is a very tasty morsel for fans of crazy speeds and accelerations.
True, it is not known for certain how things are with handling, because. usually in cars with such power, acceleration dynamics and a fairly "non-aerodynamic" appearance serious problems with agility)
A completely different important advantage of any powerful car is its efficiency brake system…
In this regard, the undisputed leader is Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Centennial Edition 2012 release, whose braking distances at emergency braking from 100 km/h is only 28.3 meters!
Moreover, in comparison with the above supercars, the cost of this Corvette is only $ 130 thousand, almost for nothing)
Of course, one cannot ignore the aforementioned, which set a still unbeaten record in 2010 top speed among production cars - 431 km / h.
You can read more about this legendary supercar in a separate article, here we only note that the cost of exact copies of the record-breaking car was $ 2.4 million apiece.
Finally, I would like to write about one more extraordinary car- 2011 - the creation of an American company Shelby Super Cars, which has long been famous thanks to SSC Ultimate Aero TT - the one that for 2 years held the palm among fastest cars planets.
New supercar, according to its creators, is capable of breaking the current Bugatti record - for this purpose it was designed absolutely new form body, increased engine power, and the car itself is as light as possible and equipped with the most modern 7-speed gearbox with a triple clutch disc.
It remains only to wait for the moment when the company decides to finally challenge speed and show the world what their new supercar is capable of.
Basically, that's all for now. The list is short, but we tried to cover everything. important categories records for current supercars. We will follow the development automotive technology and further!
