Monster Garage: Take II

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Lucas Ritter
  • 30th Space Wing Public Affairs
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) --  A monster of a car arrived here recently to test its speed and performance on the Air Force's second longest runway. What started out as a drop tank from an F-4 Phantom became a low-slung bullet car draped in chrome.

Famed chopper hound Jesse James and five others built the car, the Belly Tank Lakester, in five days for the TV show “Monster Garage,” which takes ordinary cars and items and turns them into “monsters.”

“The people I race with are going to be jealous that I get to drive a car down this runway,” Mr. James said. “This is a perfect place for the Lakester’s test runs. I’m excited to be here.”

There was a flurry of activity when Mr. James and the car arrived at base operations. Cameras swarmed the car and Mr. James from every angle, safety officials prepped the vehicle and briefed the star while the production crew hustled about completing last minute tasks.

After they got a good feel for the runway, the car was taken to the starting line. This is where the real action began. In true Hollywood style, the flurry continued, complete with a helicopter and a cameraman inside that made multiple passes of the starting line.

When the cameramen were done, it was time for Mr. James to don his all-black driving suit and wiggle his way into the cramped cockpit. With only his helmet and hands visible, he pushed some buttons and brought the car to life.

The goal was to drive the car as fast as it would go and try to reach 200 mph, Mr. James said. To those close enough to see, the car literally looked like a large silver bullet shooting down the runway. A private timing company was brought in to set up a 1.3-mile course and capture the car’s true speed.

After a couple of runs, Mr. James met fans, had his picture taken and signed autographs.

The show is scheduled to be aired on the Discovery Channel in February.