Anytime you go to the drag strip and there is an exhibition vehicle there’s a possibility you will see something cool, as there are some truly crazy contraptions that a promoter will book to send down the quarter mile. Anything from a wheel standing bus to a monster truck can be used to help put butts in seats, but a classic crowd favorite is anything jet-powered.  Over the decades there have been jet dragsters, Funny Cars and even semi trucks. But a jet van? That’s a relatively new one.

Jet car history can be traced back to the early 1960s when Walt Arfons campaigned one of the first jet-powered cars called “The Green Monster”. These first jet-propelled monsters were very basic in design and were more experimental than anything. The modern jet powered dragsters, on the other hand, are made of chrome-moly and are very well designed, advanced racing machines. Powering these beasts are 2,500 horse power jet engines with afterburners that add another 2,500 horse power.  That much power will push a dragster to accelerate at over 5 G’s, and cover the quarter mile in 5 seconds at nearly 300 miles per hour.

Now, most of the time you will see more traditional jet-powered race cars, but in this video from Heathcote Raceway Park in Australia, we see something a bit different from the norm, as some crazy gearhead from the land down under got the bitchin’ idea to strap a large jet engine into a van. Of course this isn’t the first van with a jet engine in it, as many YouTube regulars can attest, but the engine in this one looks like serious business. Judging by the wheels and tires, this van looks to be more for show rather than setting records, and that assumption is proven as the van slowly gooses its afterburner to the delight of the fans, stages, and makes a healthy — albeit very slow (for a jet engine, anyway) — pass down the race track. It may not be quick, but it sure is interesting and entertaining.