Walt Arfons facts for kids

Walter Charles Arfons (born December 10, 1916 – died June 4, 2013) was a famous American racer and inventor. He was the half-brother of Art Arfons, another well-known racer. Together, Walt and Art were pioneers in using powerful jet engines in their racing cars. They competed in exciting drag racing events and even tried to set new land speed records.

Early Life and Mechanical Skills

Walt Arfons was born in Muncie, IN on December 10, 1916. His mother, Bessie, had some Cherokee heritage. Walt had a younger brother named Dale. He also had two half-siblings, Art and Lou, from his mother's marriage to Tom Arfons.

The Arfons family lived in Springfield Township, Ohio. They ran a feed mill, which is a place where grain is ground into food for animals. This environment was perfect for Walt and Art. They spent a lot of time working with machines and learning how things were built. This helped them become very good at mechanics and inventing.

The Green Monster Cars

In 1952, Walt and Art Arfons started building dragsters together. A dragster is a special car built for very fast, short races. Their first car was unusual because it had only three wheels! It used an Oldsmobile car engine and was painted green, like a farm tractor.

When the announcer at the race track saw it, he joked that it looked like a "Green Monster." The name stuck, and many of their future cars were also called Green Monsters.

At first, they used powerful piston engines from old airplanes, like the Allison V-1710. These engines were strong and reliable. Walt and Art were the first drag racers to reach an amazing speed of 150 miles per hour in a quarter-mile race! In the late 1950s, the brothers decided to race separately, but they remained friends.

Jet-Powered Dragsters

Walt Arfons was always looking for new ways to go faster. On August 6, 1960, he introduced something completely new: the first dragster powered by a jet engine! This was a huge step forward in racing.

Jet engines are incredibly powerful, but they don't help slow the car down like regular engines do. So, Walt had to find another way to stop his super-fast jet car. He used a parachute that would open up behind the car to create drag and slow it down safely.

Walt was also known for his exciting shows at the race track. One time, at Indianapolis Raceway Park, a race was canceled because of rain. To entertain the crowd, Walt used the powerful exhaust from his jet dragster to burn an old car! People loved watching his unique demonstrations.

Jet-Powered Stock Cars

In 1967, big car companies like Chrysler Corporation were very interested in racing. Chrysler gave Walt Arfons some of their popular cars, like a Dodge Dart, a Plymouth Barracuda, and a Dodge Charger. Walt's task was to turn these regular cars into jet-powered dragsters!

He simply put jet engines into these cars, often keeping many of their original parts working. These jet-powered stock cars were a huge hit with the crowds. Later, he built even more jet-powered funny cars with fiberglass bodies, including a Chevrolet Camaro, a Mercury Comet, and Ford Mustangs.

Land Speed Record Attempts

Walt Arfons also wanted to set the World Land Speed Record. This is the fastest speed ever achieved by a vehicle on land. He built a jet-powered car called the Wingfoot Express.

One time, when the Wingfoot Express arrived at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah (a famous place for speed records), Walt hurt his hand while unloading the car. So, he asked a designer named Tom Green to drive the Wingfoot Express for him.

The Wingfoot Express actually held the World Land Speed Record for three days! This happened during an exciting time when his half-brother Art Arfons and another famous racer, Craig Breedlove, were constantly battling to set new speed records.

In 1965, Walt Arfons built another car called Wingfoot Express 2. This car was powered by special JATO rocket bottles. It reached an incredible speed of 605 miles per hour (974 km/h). However, it did not officially qualify for a new record.

Later Life

Walt Arfons passed away on June 4, 2013, in Akron, OH, at the age of 96. He is buried at the East Liberty Cemetery in Green, OH. Walt Arfons will always be remembered as a creative inventor and a fearless racer who pushed the limits of speed.