Ace-Garageguy

Period.

It's a little harder to get a pilot's license than it is for a chimp to get a license to drive a car. But whatever.

Somewhat unlikely, what with redundancy in the propulsion system, a "fail soft" mode in the software that lands the thing gently in the event the operator releases the control stick (as in heart-attack), and a ballistic parachute that deploys in the event of catastrophic failure (ala Cirrus).

Very nicely done.

Lotsa people, me included, also have multiple vehicles for different things...like motorcycles and very small sports cars. Far as flight-time goes, it's about 20 minutes, with a top speed of around 100 MPH. Useful for some things, not everything. But I'm already thinking down the road about a hybrid micro-turbine-electric power system, like Jaguar used on its C-X75. Plenty of lift and range possible for two occupants, with power for AC, etc., and turbines can run on carbon-neutral bio fuel too. Ya gottsta admit, this little aircraft would look right at home in the garage next to this...

Ya never know. Once I get the machine shop set up again out West, anything's possible.

Interesting statement when, according to the Fed, 85% of vehicles on the road at any given time only have one occupant. But here's some good news...you don't have to buy one.

ADDITIONAL INFO: DeTomaso used a relatively simple adaptor to mate the Ford 351C to the big ZF 5-speed in the Pantera, from the factory, in a mid-engine configuration. The Ford flywheel, starter, and pressure plate were retained, requiring only a clutch disc of the correct diameter, but with splines compatible with the ZF input shaft. A hydraulic clutch slave cylinder was employed to actuate an arm that slid the release bearing along a tube at the front of the gearbox...all very old-school, and reliable. The RBT 6-speed version of the gearbox appears in the Revell kit below, and in reality, it's beefy enough to mount suspension pickup points and inboard brakes on the case...thus making a real-world setup like you want very plausible. The ZF gearbox below is shown with the Pantera adaptor and side covers.

In most cases, it's the former...simply accurate measurements and machining. I've built a few. Often, the adapter itself can be machined from a simple flat plate of aluminum. A custom input-shaft bushing is made up to mate the gearbox nose to the crank end, the existing flywheel is drilled to accommodate a different clutch cover if required, and clutch-release geometry and linkage issues are resolved. Sometimes, however, a complex bellhousing fabrication or custom casting is required, along with a specially made flywheel and associated components to mate parts from different vehicles. It just depends on the particular application. This one is somewhere between the two extremes: adaptor for a Yotota 2JZ to a BMW ZF/GETRAG 5/6 speed gearbox, using a flat-plate adaptor and a custom flywheel: This adapter mates a 303-394 Olds to several GM manual gearboxes, and uses a custom, cast bellhousing (which a competent foundry could make for reasonable money if only one was required):

Study the panel labeled CHRYSLER ENGINE DETAIL ASSEMBLY, in the FIAT ALTERED COUPE instructions appearing in the right upper quadrant of the AMT double-dragster instruction sheet depicted below. Note part #24:

Very clean, one of the best builds of this kit I've seen. I always rather liked the real one in spite of some of Mr. Barris' excesses. I recall following the build in one of the major mags when I was a little younger. Nice work.

The car in the photo below appears to have a water line coming from the front of the block, to what appears to be a small fill/expansion tank under the blower drive gear housing (and presumably a similar line going to the other side of the block). There is also what appears to be a coolant drain fitting low on this side of the block.

Well, those are the folks who always ruin everything for the competent, responsible, and law-abiding, no matter what it is...and have since the beginning of time. So to be on the safe side, I'd suggest anyone who's worried start by reinforcing their roofs now with steel beams and fireproof shingles. Better yet, dig a nice hole to live in, and arrange things so it's unnecessary to ever leave the sheltering arms of Mother Earth. There have been, by the way, small, cheap, traditional helicopters available for decades. Golly gee darn...I think there's one crashing in my front yard as we speak. Third time this month.

I think they'll become a problem about the time NYC is permanently under water.

Allow me to alleviate these groundless concerns. 1) In most jurisdictions, EVTOLs aren't allowed in urban areas, period. 2) Operating one will require a pilot's license. Currently, less than zero point two percent (0.2%) of Americans (for example) are pilots... or around 600,000 out of a US population of 350 million. It's expensive and time-consuming to get licensed, and requires a medical certificate in most cases. Very few people have the desire or ability anyway. This isn't going to change any time soon. 3) With a price approaching $100,000 US, these aircraft are hardly going to become common. 4) Additionally, for that nearly 100 grand, you get a "kit" that requires assembly and FAA certification of airworthiness for the work performed by the builder. With most of today's citizens being incapable of changing a flat tire on their car (or putting Ikea shelves together right) it's extremely unlikely that building something like this will have mass appeal.

The answer depends entirely on the specific car, the time period represented, and the car-builder's approach. Some classes of drag cars have been evolving away from running cooling systems from the wayback, with many of today's drag-racing engines having solid machined-from-billet blocks and heads, with zero provisions for any kind of cooling internally. In the past, one common setup on this type of car would be a coolant "manifold" bolted to the front of the heads or block, with a pressure cap between them. Drain provisions were provided on the block. With the cars usually pushed to the line, prolonged cooling at idle was not at issue, so coolant wouldn't necessarily be required to circulate. Hot coolant could be easily drained and replaced between runs...if that's what the builder and crew chief wanted. BUT...some cars ran water tanks, with electric or engine-driven pumps circulating coolant. Some cars ran nothing but "expansion" or "overflow" tanks. Again, the specific car and time period will dictate what's correct.

356 A and B front hood (as should be represented by the unicorn T5 kit): 356 late B and C front hood (as appears in the T6 B/C kit):

Yes, but let me emphasize that the particular kit that is so elusive is the "B" version, the T5. The T6 kit, as in Mr. Geary's photo, is nothing but a B/C cabriolet with one additional clear sprue that has the hardtop and windows molded as one piece. The hardtop has to be glued in place, seam-filled, and masked very carefully (I have one). I assume the T5, the B, the unicorn kit, has the identical clear sprue, but I could be wrong. There are subtle differences between the B and later hardtops in reality (as the T5 started as a cabriolet body shell, subsequently modified, but the T6 was built as a notchback from the beginning), and I'm really curious now to know if they got them right. Other T5 and T6 differences are glaringly obvious (see below for a major example).

Some modelers have also had success cutting thin rings from aluminum tube, and polishing it. Extremely fine, highly-skilled and delicate work, and easily worth the cost of PE parts to avoid.

Nope. See above.

No, and no. The Porsche 356 Karmann T5 and T6 "cabriolet hardtop" body style is about the most rare of the factory-built 356 cars in reality. The body shell is essentially a cabriolet with a notchback hardtop welded in place...not the common fastback represented by Pete's kit. The T6 is represented by Bill Geary's photo, a kit that, while not common by any means, can still be found with a little effort. The T6 has the C nose, with slightly squared off hood corners and two grilles on the engine cover. The T5, the subject of the "unicorn" hunt, has the B nose, with a narrower, round-front hood like the A-series cars, and a single grille on the engine cover. This is a T5.

Exactly. And in my case, it's much easier to put the individual gas receipts in a file for expenses than it is to sort through dozens of credit card statements at tax time.

The gas station I use most often hasn't had paper for receipts at the pumps for weeks. I need fuel receipts for my work vehicle.

Here's one thread: I see several fellas have recommended Duplicolor products. They're great, but beware. They may be too hot for some of today's garbage kit "styrene".