This is the 1992 Oldsmobile Aerotech ‘Longtail’ endurance car, 1 of 3 of it’s kind built for the world. The ‘Aerotech’ cars were a series of (5 total + 1 marketing car) experimental high-speed vehicles manufactured by Oldsmobile between 1986-1992. While the development team was able to achieve ridiculously fast speeds (250+mph) with former Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt behind the wheel of the functional ‘Shorttail’, they knew even faster speeds could be accomplished. Automobile designer, Edward T. Welburn, is the man responsible for the design behind all of the Aerotech cars, while Bob Norwood is the man responsible for building the later endurance car variant shown here. Welburn’s designs incorporated a longer rear-end, inspired by the Porsche 917 LH. Ted Louckes, who was the head of the Quad-4 engine program, had plans for setting a closed-course record on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, therefore it was decided a ‘longtail’ variant would not be feasible for track use. The ‘Longtail’ proved to be even more capable after achieving speeds that some say reached almost 300+ mph. Following these initial tests, 3 further ‘Endurance Cars’ were built (shown here) in 1992 with 4.0L V8 engines, enclosed headlamps and a new monochromatic paint job to compete for endurance records. Oldsmobile went on to break 47 total records in those cars. Those records include F.I.A. World Land Speed Record (10,000 kilometers at 170.761 mph), F.I.A. World Land Speed Record (25,000 kilometers at 158.386 mph), 18 F.I.A. International Land Speed Records, 18 USAC National Land Speed Records and 9 USAC American Land Speed Records, all of which took place in 1992.
How many made? 1 shorttail, 1 longtail, 1 shorttail marketing car, 1 AJ Foyt Recreation plus 3 endurance cars
Engine:
Shorttail: 2.3L Turbocharged Quad-4 with 1,000+ HP
Longtail: 2.3L twin-turbocharged quad-4 with 1,200+ HP
Aurora: 4.0L DOHC V8 with unknown HP.
Debut: 1992
Top Speed:
Shorttail: 257mph
Longtail: 300+mph
0-60mph: n/a
Photo credit: @lambolog
Research: @rarecarsonly @theoldsmobileaerotech
1992 Oldsmobile Aerotech ‘Longtail’ endurance car
15.11.2024
Oldsmobile