Tom Green

Tom Green worked with Walt Arfons to design and drive the Wingfoot Express, a jet-powered land speed record car. Green drove the car to a world record speed on October 2, 1964. Green's world record is often forgotten, as the mark was eclipsed three times in less than two weeks, including the first to break the threshold. Green was chief engineer for a torque wrench manufacturer. Although Green's only racing experience had been a year of stock car racing in New Mexico ten years previously, he was greatly interested in aerodynamics. This dovetailed perfectly with Arfons' interest in racing mechanics. The two met at a trade fair in Gary, Indiana in 1962, and Green recalls that "Within ten minutes we were planning our assault on the world's land speed record". Green shortly provided plans for a three-wheeled land speed record car, which had to be changed to four wheels to meet FIA rules; from there on there was little change until the car was finished. Green's emphasis was on reducing aerodynamic drag by lowering the drag coefficient and, especially, reducing frontal area by narrowing the track and using smaller wheels. His calculations indicated that the readily available surplus Westinghouse J46 jet engines would have more than enough power to drive the vehicle to over . In order to find funding, Arfons and Green approached Goodyear. Green's mastery of aerodynamics was evident enough that Goodyear decided to fund his project; thus the name, Wingfoot Express, from Goodyear's trademark winged foot.