Photos by Evelyn Fuller
It’s a family affair ten (well really 60) years in the making. Legendary dragster builder Kent Fuller is pouring all of his building experience into a final Streamliner, destined to run this summer across the Bonneville Salt Flats, and he’s enlisted friends, family and the racing audience into being part of the adventure.
Kent Fuller with Don "the Snake" Prudhomme and his car.
Thanks to the crowd-funded site, Kickstarter, the Streamliner is in the running to raise the necessary funds to bring the nearly complete car up to SCTA specifications—rendering the streamliner eligible to race on the salt flats this coming August, in hopes of setting a new land speed record in the Streamliner XF engine class. The XF Fuel record time to beat at Bonneville is 280.023 mph. The project vehicle is the first of its kind hosted on Kickstarter and it needs to achieve $32,900 in pledges by May 22nd in order to be funded.
The project is a collaboration of Kent’s building expertise and vision and the skills and support of his family. Grandson Greg, 14 has contributed financially and physically, granddaughter Jenna is spearheading the Kickstarter, and son Steven has been involved with the build since the beginning. Funding the rest of the build through Kickstarter is a way to offer a piece of racing and drag building history to the public, and to get those last essentials dollars that will transform the streamliner from steel-bullet dreams to nitro-fueled reality.
So why now? And why a land speed record attempt? “Well, the salt is a mythical thing. When you’re at Bonneville, the curvature of the Earth is real pronounced. As you drive away, you go over the edge of the world, and then you’re gone,” says Kent.
The plan is for driver Andy Davis to do just that, lying flat in the 25-foot, steel bodied, monocoque design using a perisocope and mirrors to steer. We wish them the best of luck, and if you’d like to contribute, check out the campaign!