J
ohn Cobbs, the Englishman who held the record, had been backed by the British automobile industry and no expense had been spared. His car had been large, heavy and powered by two mammoth aircraft engines. Mickey's lack of funding forced him to use easily accessible car engines and design a lighter, more aerodynamic car.
To better his fastest time of 286.85mph set during his third attempt at the record, Mickey put together a team of four men including his long time friend Fritz Voigt.
"Challenger 1" was built in Mickey's backyard. The aluminium body was powered by four Pontiac engines capable of producing 3000 horsepower. Mickey realised he would need more than brakes to stop the car. A parachute system was designed using a 12 gauge shotgun shell to blow the parachute out at the end of the run.
While Mickey noticed the British had good tyres, they weren't interested in helping him because an Englishman held the record. So in true Mickey style, he figured out what tyres he needed to run at 400mph and organised the people at Goodyear to make them for him.
