Buckle up, everyone, things are about to get all shiny and chrome. We're heading back into the barren wastelands of George Miller's "Mad Max" franchise with the upcoming "Furiosa" film and getting a wild sneak peek thanks to none other than Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth. But while such peeks behind the curtain aren't all that new. What's newsworthy of the actor's post is what he's atop.
It's a radial-engine chopper. In the dunes. Hell to the yeah, brother.
Radial engines are more common in planes, you know, those things that fly in the sky. They're not exactly common in motorcycles, as they're large and a pain in the ass to work with on a daily basis. But this isn't for real life, it's the movies. It only has to look good, right?
That's also not really George Miller's style, as all of the prior "Mad Max: Fury Road" vehicles actually worked. They were functional rides and breathed fire, roared and howled, and nearly killed a few people. And folks, this looks absolutely like it spits flames.
I see a ton of work done on this that had to be hell on Earth for the fabricators. There's the skid plate protecting some of the radial heads, the lower controls, and what appears to be a transfer case connecting the main rotating assembly to whatever drives the rear wheel. The wheels are also knobbies for better sand traction, theoretically, though that raked front fork has to be an absolute bear in the sand.
In short, it's fucking nuts.
I desperately need to hear what this thing sounds like ASAP. But I'd also love to know who designed and engineered it, as well as what the process of turning concept into reality was.
So if by the off chance George's team sees this, or if someone on the production team knows what's what, hit me up: jonathon.klein@rideapart.com. Please, I need to have more radial engine choppers in my life.
