One of the most incredible vehicles on display at the upcoming Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo will be Rick Kopp’s PYRO Jet Truck.
Recently acquired by the Burlington, Ontario-based drag racer, PYRO has recorded a top speed of 306 MPH thanks to its 12,000 HP turbojet engine and flaming afterburner. PYRO burns 60 gallons of fuel every time it goes down the track!
With a cab based on a 1981 International Transtar 4300 truck, PYRO generates 6,000 pounds of thrust. Its huge flame-throwing exhaust stacks – powered by propane and nitrogen propelled diesel – put on quite a show. Add in a ‘train horn’ and LED lighting, and PYRO is a truly impressive display of sights and sounds.
PYRO and Kopp will be at Motorama in advance of a planned country-wide tour of Canada, in 2015.
Kopp, who has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years, is looking forward to giving Motorama showgoers a close-up look at PYRO.
“I just purchased the truck, out of Florida,” said Kopp, who is involved with several charities. “I ran Top Dragster for about nine years and then a Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car for two years. And then I sold that so I could get into the ‘jet world.’”
Discussing what it’s like to drive a jet-powered vehicle, Kopp explains, “The jet is self-propelled, so you don’t need to worry about clutches and so many other things that you have to with Nitro Funny Cars. With the jet truck, you point it… and it’s full steam ahead. For the first 60 feet, it’s gradual acceleration, but then the afterburner kicks in and it’s time for take-off! It’s kind of like when you’re in a big plane on the tarmac and you can hear and feel them winding the engines up. It starts slowly, but then you just keep going faster and faster. Everyone asks what it’s like, and I tell them, ‘It’s a blast!’ Pun intended.”
And while you’ll have an opportunity to see Kopp and PYRO in action at drag racing events at Cayuga Dragway at Toronto Motorsports Park, in Elliott Lake and in Quebec this coming summer, don’t miss this amazing opportunity to see PYRO up close at Motorama.
The show runs March 13, 14 & 15 at Toronto’s International Centre, across from Pearson Airport. For more information about the show, visit www.MotoramaShow.com. To learn more about Rick Kopp and PYRO Jet Truck, go to PYROjetshow.com. You can contact Rick Kopp at (905) 601-0938 or email info@pyrojetshow.com.
