0:00
It's a bit like riding on top of a firework
0:04
It's really, really fast. Jet power is great fun. Just one of the most incredible things that you can ever experience
0:14
It is exhilarating, but once you get up to 160 miles an hour, it's a bit hairy
0:23
I'm a bit of a shell off, I suppose. I don't like to do something that somebody has already done
0:27
No stranger to wild automotive creation. This idea was born in classic Perry fashion
0:34
We sit at the pub, we will get drunk, we come up with a stupid idea, and whoever comes up with the stupidest idea
0:39
I'll go away and lock myself in the garage for five years and build it. To build Oklahoma Willie, I first of all bought the jet engine
0:45
a Rolls-Royce Viper 535. It was made in Bedford in 1978, and it was originally in a BAC Strikemaster
0:54
which is a single-engine fighter jet. I'd strip that down and rebuilt it, chromed everything, and polished aluminium
1:00
and that took me two years to complete Then we added the after burner which was about another six months work Following that I bought the VW bus to put it on and that took me another three years So all in all about six years work
1:10
It's a pretty rare iconic vehicle. It's been restored to the highest of standards
1:15
Most people have come to see it, have never seen anything like it in their life. A fine build indeed
1:20
This 1958 split-screen VW is one of only 60 in the UK
1:26
But none pack as much punch as Oklahoma Willie. Weighing in at 6,600 pounds, its jet engine is packing 5,000 horsepower
1:37
giving this beast a potential top speed of 300 miles per hour
1:41
It would probably fall over, but in theory it would do about 300
1:45
The top speed that I've done is 157 miles an hour. And the original engine still sits in place, making it street legal
1:54
providing you don't fire up the jet. Physically, you can start the rocket in the centre of London
1:59
But I think it probably wouldn't pass the emissions or the noise regulations. But yeah I do drive it regularly on the road We go shopping in it We don intend to buy many groceries because there nowhere to put them There a maintenance tray here so you see the entire thing pulls out And there you can see well the computer and all of the controls that keep the jet running and keep it safe
2:21
We're looking inside the cab. First impressions when you get in the vehicle is quite we'd expect to see in a 1958 Volkswagen
2:29
Normal steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake, ignition. speedometer, clutch brake accelerator on the floor
2:38
However, I have added a jet. So we have some more controls. Here we have the main controls for the jet
2:43
and here we have all the monitoring gauges and starting buttons. Down here there's what we call a dead man's pedal
2:57
I must have put my foot on that first of all. If during the jet performance anything goes wrong at all
3:03
I just release that and I just release that. everything is closed down, a computer closed everything down and it cannot be restarted
3:08
Perry and Oklahoma Willie appear at events and festivals all over Europe performing quarter mile runs and flame and smoke shows I cover the first eighth mile in about 8 seconds
3:23
and the second eighth mile I do in about two and a half seconds. So it's getting quick, really, really fast
3:29
It's a bit like riding on top of a firework, the sensation. There's no vibrations
3:35
It's not that noisy because most of the noise is going behind you. It is exhilarating, but once you get up to 160 miles an hour in a 1958 brick, it's a bit hairy
3:52
Before a race, you can get a little bit nervous. It's an awful amount of power that you're unleashing in one go
4:02
You're just focusing on the horizon at a point and making sure you stay dead straight
4:06
Jet power is great fun. It's such an awesome power. The noise, smell and the sound
4:12
one of the most incredible things that you can ever experience
