Walt Arfons

Walter Charles Arfons(December 10, 1916 – June 4, 2013)was the half brother ofArt Arfons,his former partner indrag racing,and his competitor in jet-poweredland speed recordracing. Along with Art, he was a pioneer in the use of aircraftjet enginesfor these types of competition.

Walt was born Walter Stroud, on December 10, 1916, inMuncie, IN.His mother, Bessie, was ofCherokeedescent,and died in 1983 at age 84. Walt had one brother, Dale, two years younger, as well as his ten years younger half-brotherArtand an eight and a half years younger half-sister "Lou", both from his mother's marriage toTom Arfons.Arfons' family operated afeed millin ruralSpringfield Township,Ohio,where the Arfons brothers exercised their mechanical skills and ingenuity.

Walt began buildingdragsterswith Art in 1952; their first car was a three-wheeler with anOldsmobilesix-cylinder engine, and an Oliver farm tractor green paint finish. The announcer at the drag strip laughingly announced the car as theGreen Monster,and the name was to stick to his joint projects with Art. Along with many other racers, the duo switched to using surplus aircraft piston engines, particularly theAllison V-1710engines, due to their abundance, cheapness, and great reliability. They were the first drag racers to reach 150 miles per hour in the quarter mile. In the late 1950s, however, the brothers amicably split up.

On August 6, 1960, Walt introduced the first jet-engine dragster. He used aparachuteto stop the car since, unlike the piston engines, the jet engine did not provide braking when shut off. Arfons is also credited with being the first to incinerate a junked car with the exhaust from his jet dragster, in order to provide entertainment for the crowd atIndianapolis Raceway Parkone year when the race had been rained out.

In the midst of the Detroit automakers' performance competition in 1967,Chrysler Corporationgave Arfons aDodge Dart,Plymouth BarracudaandDodge Chargerto convert into dragsters. He simply fastened jet engines into the stock cars, with most of the accessories still installed and working. These were such crowd pleasers that he later built fiberglass-bodied jetfunny cars,aChevrolet Camaro,aMercury Comet,andFord Mustangs.

Arfons also commissionedTom Greento drive the jet-poweredWingfoot Express,as a result of a severe hand injury sustained when unloading the Wingfoot upon arrival at theBonneville Salt Flatsin Utah. The car held theWorld Land Speed Recordfor three days during the battle betweenArt ArfonsandCraig Breedlove.

In 1965, Walt Arfons built Wingfoot Express 2, which reached 605 miles per hour (974 km/h), but it did not qualify for an official record. It was powered byJATOrocket bottles.

Walt died on June 4, 2013, of heart failure, inAkron, OH;he was 96. He's buried at the East Liberty Cemetery,Green, OH.

External links

• Later photo of Walt Arfons and Wingfoot Express 2/rocket storyat theWayback Machine(archived September 27, 2012)