Chris Lentz, a 55-year-old electrical foreman from Jackson, Michigan, had longed for a jet-powered truck for decades. So he imported a used Czech turbojet engine for $10,000, bought a used 2005 Ford F-150 STX on eBay for $12,000, and set about fabricating his dream.

Lentz’s jet engine was designed in the mid-1950s by the Czechoslovakian company Motorlet to power the L-29 Delfin jet trainer. The powerplant weighs 728 lbs and produces 1962 pounds of thrust at 15,500 rpm.

Unfortunately, according to Automobile Magazine ^[1], the truck isn’t fast at all. Without jet assist, Lentz’s 231 hp V8 accelerated its 6600 lbs (truck, jet engine and two occupants) to 60 mph in a sluggish 14.5 seconds, with a top speed of 85 mph. With the thrust of the jet engine, it manages the 0-60 mph run in 8.5 seconds, with a top speed of 140 mph.

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