Perry: It’s a bit like riding on top a,
a firework.
It’s really really fun.
Jet power is
great fun,
just
one of the most incredible things
that you can never experience.
It is accelerating but,
once you get up to 160 miles an hour,
it’s a bit hairy.
I’m a bit of a show off I suppose,
and I don’t want to do something
that somebody has already done.
No stranger to wild automotive creations,
this idea was born,
in classic Perry fashion.
Perry: We sit in the pub,
we all get drunk,
we come up with a stupid idea,
and whoever comes up
with the stupidest idea,
I’ll go away lock myself in the garage
for five years and build it.
To build Oklahoma Willy,
I first of all bought the jet engine.
A Rolls Royce Viper 535.
It was made in Bedford in 1978.
And it was originally in a BAC Strike Master,
which is a single-engine fighter jet.
I had to strip her down and rebuild it.
Chromed everything in polished aluminum,
and that took me two years to complete.
Then we added the afterburner,
which was about another six months work.
Following that, I bought the VW
first to put it on.
And that took me another three years.
So all in all, about six years work.
It’s a pretty rare iconic vehicle.
It’s been restored to the highest of standards.
Most people come and say,
“I’ve never seen anything like it”
in their life.
A fine build indeed.
This 1958 split screen VW,
is one of only 60 in the UK.
But non pack as much punch,
as Oklahoma Willy.
Weighing in at 6600 pound,
its jet engine,
is parking 5000 horsepower.
Giving this beast,
a potential top speed
of 300 miles per hour.
Perry: It would probably fall over,
but in theory it’ll go about
300.
The top speed that I have done is
157 miles an hour.
And the original engine, still sits in place.
Making it street legal,
providing you don’t fire up the jet.
Perry: Physically you could start the rocket
in the center of London.
But I think it probably won’t pass the emissions
or the noise regulations.
But yeah, I do drive regularly on the road.
We go shopping in it,
but we don’t tend to buy many groceries
because there is nowhere to put them.
There is a maintenance tray here,
so you see, the entire pulls out.
And there you can see where the computer
and all of the controls that
keeps the jet running and keep it safe.
And looking inside the cab.
The first impression when you get in the vehicle
is quite what you’d expect to see
in a 1958 Volkswagen.
Normal steering wheel,
gear leaver,
handbrake,
ignition,
speedometer,
clutch, brake, accelerator on the floor.
However I have added a jet,
so we have some more controls.
And here we have the main controls for the jet.
And here we have all the monitoring gauges
and then starting buttons.
And here,
there’s what we call a Dead man’s pedal.
I must put my foot on it first of all.
If during the jet
performance anything goes at all,
I just release that and everything is closed down.
And the computer closes everything down,
and it cannot be restarted.
Perry,
and Oklahoma Willy,
appear at events and festivals
all over Europe.
Preforming quarter mile runs
and flaming smoke shows.
Perry: I covered the first eighth
mile in about eighth...
8.5 seconds.
And the second eighth mile
I do it in about two and a half seconds.
So it’s getting quick really really fast.
It’s bit like riding on the top a,
a firework.
With the sensation,
there is no vibrations.
It’s not that noisy,
because most of the noise is going behind you.
It is accelerating but,
once you get up to 160 miles an hour,
you know,
the 1958 brake is,
is a bit hairy.
Before race,
you can get a little bit nervous.
It’s an awful amount of power
that you’re unleashing in one go.
You’re just focusing on the horizon point
and making sure you stay a bit straight.
Jet power is great fun.
It’s just such an awesome power.
The noise, the smell and the sound,
one of the most incredible things
that you can ever experience.