Voo Doo Is A Homemade Turbine Hybrid We Missed At Monterey Car Week

Monterey Car Week is receding into the rearview mirror, but we must revisit it, as one man's homemade supercar appeared on the famous Pebble Beach lawns, albeit not on the same blades of grass compressed by the likes of the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and its ilk. Because it was not part of a hundred-thousand-dollar exhibition, we completely missed it, but the owner got in touch with us to share the story of how he built a turbine-hybrid car of his own design over the last 25 years.

For those who struggled in math class, this project started in 1997. It's a wholly self-funded and self-managed obsession, and the resulting creation is called Voo Doo, taking inspiration from the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo fighter jet.

As you might have guessed, almost every single component on this car, including the lighting units, is custom-made.

Brian Booth is the man behind this build, and after he graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, he became a member of General Motors' design staff. It was during this period that he began bringing his dream to life. Since then, the car has been continually refined. For example, it went from using 2,912 motorhome batteries to an LG Chem 32-kilowatt-hour battery, reducing the space needed for the battery pack by 25%.

That figure of 25% also applies to how much of the 25-year spend (one couldn't call it a budget) went into creating the body, which is made of fiberglass composite. Underneath, the spaceframe is made of stainless steel. We don't know what all this weighs, but that's not the point. The real talking point here is what powers the Voo Doo.

We mentioned above that the vehicle is inspired by military aircraft, and that's partly because Brian wanted his car to be powered by a turbine. What he ended up finding and using was a pre-owned Garrett GTP 30-67 turbine, which acts as an auxiliary power unit. On its own, the 50,000-rpm turbine only generates 40 horsepower, but it can run on regular gasoline, diesel, alcohol, or biofuel, like E85 ethanol. The turbine doesn't actually contribute to forward motion anyway; it's an auxiliary power unit that feeds a pair of 5 kW Humvee generators.

All of that powers a 400-hp UQM Technologies motor and inverter, and a Ford Mustang nine-inch differential with a 5.14 ratio feeds power to the rear wheels, which measure 22 inches. The fronts are 21-inch rims, and all four corners feature Pirelli rubber. Other details include a badge inspired by the F-101 Voodoo, with this carved from aluminum.

The suspension is also designed by Brian, with custom unequal control arms mated to an air system with integral shock absorbers. As such, the car is capable of various ride heights. When it's time to park the car in the garage, an onboard charger refills the battery, taking five hours on a 110 kW charger and two hours on a 220 kW charger. Range is said to be as high as 220 miles - not bad.

Sure, this car won't go as far or as quickly as other EVs or real supercars, but it's totally unique. A four-seater layout features seats with headrests taken from a Voodoo jet, and even the gauges and head-up display come from an unknown fighter jet.

This is basically like a Koenigsegg Gemera in that it looks like a supercar but can happily transport four adults. It also reminds us of the Swedish automaker for its unusual powertrain. The end result may not be to your personal taste, but you have to give Brian kudos for seeing his dream through, even if it took him 25 years and cost a personal fortune.