EDMONTON -- After 14 years of building what is believed to be the world's first-ever twin jet engine supercar, Ryan McQueen is counting down the days when he can actually take it down the track and let it loose.
"This one is one-of-a-kind," said McQueen.
Capable to producing 18,000 horsepower and speeds over 600 kilometres per hour, it was McQueen’s wife who named the car Insanity. "So the thrust to weight is actually two-and-a-half or three times greater than an F-18," said McQueen. "So we'll accelerate pretty good."
There are other supercars with single jet engines, and trucks with two, but McQueen is not aware of any cars with twin jets. "Nobody's got two engines in a car."
McQueen, 44, started the build from scratch in 2005 using Google and YouTube as guides. "They think I'm crazy at first," said McQueen. "Most people did."
A truck driver by trade, McQueen spent five years just on the Ferrari-inspired body alone. The entire project has cost him less than $100,000.
And the supercar attracts a lot of attention. "Lots of pictures," laughed McQueen. "Wow, wow," said a passerby while taking a picture.
McQueen plans to test out Insanity this spring at what he calls “low speeds” only about 160 kilometres per hour before ramping things up to potential maximum of more than 600 per hour.
His long-term plans include showing off his creation at air shows and other exhibitions around North America.
With files from CTV Edmonton’s Bill Fortier
