Blastolene B-702. Marker pen drawing by Joan Mañé

The Blastolene Special, also known as the “Tank Car”, is a unique, specially built car, designed and built by American master craftsman Randy Grubb.

The car is currently owned by American entertainer Jay Leno, who regularly drives it on public streets, and also has the car on display at various car shows and meets (such as Cars and Coffee events for example) in the greater Los Angeles area, and the Californian car culture enthusiast scene. Created from an American military tank engine and a custom-made aluminium body, it originally produced 810 bhp (600 kW) at 2,800 rpm and 1,560 ft lb (2,120 N·m) of torque at 2,400 rpm.

The car weighs 9,500 pounds (4,300 kg) which is 1/11th the weight of the original tank from which the engine was used.

In 2001, the Blastolene Special was built by craftsman Randy Grubb. It is powered by a Continental AV1790-5B, a huge engine that weighs as much as a Volkswagen Beetle, which was previously used in the 51-ton M47 Patton Tank in the 1950s. It also features a Greyhound bus transmission and a retro designed sheet metal body. Jay Leno put it into the extensive collection of cars he owns —84 cars and 73 motorcycles as of April 2006.

The car was built at Grubb’s shop in Grants Pass, Oregon.

After purchasing the car, Jay Leno made numerous enhancements to the roadworthiness of the vehicle, including a new six-speed Allison automatic gearbox, new rear brakes, new electrical system, and chassis work. The engine was later upgraded with fuel injection and twin turbochargers from Gale Banks and his company, Gale Banks Engineering. It is now estimated to produce 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) and 3,000 lbf⋅ft (4,100 N⋅m) of torque.

Read more: Car drawings and colorings with Joan Mañé ...