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Attention viewers, do not try anything you're about to see at home.

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We're what you call experts.

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On this episode of Mythbusters, there's the good,

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the bad, and the downright bizarre.

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That's insane!

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First, serves up as Carrie Granton Tory,

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This will become a projectile.

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And at gnarly with some movie mayhem.

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That's what you get for chasing no Gibson.

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As they find out if a surfboard can ever become a lethal weapon.

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That was a perfect shot!

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Meanwhile, Adam and Jamie also cause some car carnage.

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Oh, I like the car better this way.

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As they buckle up for the most bizarre race-off in Mythbusters history.

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This is shocking front-page science news.

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Finding out if a retro race car was really more streamlined backwards than forwards.

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Dude, this is so much more...

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Who are the Mythbusters?

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Adam Savage.

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All for the glory!

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And Jamie Heidemann.

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I call it my little pop gun.

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Between them more than 30 years of special effects experience.

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Success!

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Joining them, Grant Imahara.

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Are you okay?

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Tory Belachie.

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Can we order some exploding pants?

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And Carrie Byron.

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Now we're moving on to the big guns.

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They don't just tell the myths.

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They put them to the test.

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First up, a myth that's back to the drawing board.

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I've got one for you.

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Shoot, a friend of mine used to say about a specific making model of sports car.

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In fact, so poorly designed, it was more aerodynamically efficient going backwards than forwards.

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That's good.

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I thought you'd like that one.

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Car development today is a multi-million dollar industry with aerodynamics at the forefront.

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But that's not always been the case.

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Because, according to this myth, in the 1970s, some car designers put fashion before function.

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Crafting cars that sure look sleek, but may have actually been more aerodynamically efficient if the body was switched 180 degrees.

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So what kind of car are we talking about?

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That's an interesting question, actually, because this claim turns out to have been made by a whole host of automobiles from Europe, Asia, America over the last 40 years.

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But after extensively crunching the references we found on the internet, we have honed in on this as the most commonly cited culprit of this myth.

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Well, since this myth is all about aerodynamics, let's test it out in the wind tunnel first.

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That's exactly what I was thinking.

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Ultimately, this full speed fable will come down to the most random race-off in history.

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But before that checkered flag, it's time for some small-scale science.

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This is a 1.24 scale model of the sports car that this myth is about.

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Now we're going to put it in this water channel back here and inject dye into the stream of water as it goes past the car.

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We'll put it in and look at it going forward, then we'll reverse the car and look at it going that way to see whether we can tell any difference.

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Expert engineer Kurt Long's the guy with the dye.

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Red dye coming in.

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But other than looking cool, what does it all mean?

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Well, while this car's shape may announce to the world that it slips through the wind and that it's aerodynamic, the water tunnel here tells a different story.

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See this big batch of red behind the car? That is a low pressure zone creating a lot of drag on this car.

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It's not as aerodynamic as it looks. Will that change when we flip it around? Well, let's flip it around.

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Flip 180 degrees and the result is not exactly crystal clear.

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What do you think?

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I don't know. It doesn't look that much different really.

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In fact, side by side the dye pattern looks near identical. So it's time for Plan B. Q. NASA twine number two.

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This device right here is an in draft wind tunnel. Now we're going to attach the car to a device in the middle and it's going to register the amount of drag in pounds.

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The higher that number, the more drag.

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It's ready.

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In other words, this machine should be able to yield some hard data.

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Okay, firing up the wind tunnel, car facing forward.

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Okay, we're spinning up.

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518, 584, 756 RPM, 889 RPM, 915, pretty much there.

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Although it doesn't look like it, their toy car is sitting pretty in a 100 mile an hour gale.

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But what's the all important drag force?

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Now with the car in this position, the wind pushed this car with a force of 0.34 pounds, a shade over a third of a pound.

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We're about to flip it around and run this test again. And if this myth has any merit to it, we should expect to see the wind push on this car with less force.

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We should expect to see a number lower than 0.34.

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A flip of the car, then a flip of a switch and drum roll please.

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The drag force for the backward car is 0.37 of a pound.

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That's a number and it's higher than the previous number.

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That's more drag.

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More drag facing reverse. It's not looking very good.

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No.

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No, for car conspiracy theorists, it's not looking good at all.

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When the numbers are in, facing forward, this car produced 0.34 pounds of drag.

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Facing backwards, 0.37 pounds of drag.

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The numbers don't lie. Facing forward, this car was more aerodynamically efficient than backwards, which is the opposite of what the myth says.

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Now, that's in scale. Will that translate to full size?

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We know there's only one way to find out.

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Next up, a surfboard shocker.

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Okay, so the myth we get to work on is from a classic action movie, Lead the Weapon 2.

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I love that movie. What's the myth?

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Do you remember the chase scene where there was a big pile up in the middle of the road and one car had a surfboard on top of it and it crashes?

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Oh yeah, and the car stops but the surfboard keeps going.

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Exactly. The surfboard goes through a windshield and, well, it messes our bad guy up pretty bad.

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How bad?

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Well, it definitely kills him, possibly decapitates him.

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That's pretty bad.

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It's a classic car crash from a classic movie.

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A stomp on the brakes sets off a rude Goldberg chain reaction that culminates...

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...eventually with it being surfs up for the bad guy.

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But can a surfboard really fly that far and be fatal?

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Okay, guys, I got a plan and I have some props.

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Go ahead.

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Alright, we've got our car here with the surfboard on top with a cable on it.

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The cable is attached to our pickup truck.

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We've got our crash car here and our target car about a truck length away.

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We tow the whole thing and...

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...the crash car crashes in and...

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...the surfboard hits the target car.

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Alright, we'll find out if the surfboard has enough power to penetrate the windshield and kill the guy.

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Sounds like a plan.

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It's a plan that's got full scale written all over it.

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The surfboard car will be towed into a parked crash car at the movie's 40 miles an hour.

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40 feet away is the bad guy's car that the surfboard, thanks to its momentum, must then hit and penetrate.

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But will it all be tow good to be true?

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Groud of the Alameda runway to recreate a crash where a surfboard flies through windshield and kills a guy.

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Time for setup, cue the heavy equipment and rain clouds.

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Please move aside.

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Good.

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And with the cables...

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600 pounds, 1,000 feet of 3 eighth inch branded steel cable.

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Pulleys.

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This will ensure that our crash vehicle goes exactly where we want it and not where it wants to go.

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Cars.

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Bill, forget the gym.

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And crash barriers in position.

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Safety first.

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The sun comes out to kickstart this myth.

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So this is our towed vehicle, an SUV just like the one in the movie that carries the surfboard.

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We've attached our tow cable here onto the steering bar and this is going to allow us to tow this vehicle straight towards the crash vehicle at 40 miles an hour.

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And on top of our moving vehicle we have our shortboard.

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Like the surfboard in the film, this will become a projectile.

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Add 400 yards downstream.

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This is the crash zone.

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This cable will be pulling our car with the surfboard at 40 miles an hour straight into this parked vehicle.

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Once it hits there it's going to come to a complete stop.

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However the surfboard will be continuing at 40 miles an hour because of the momentum of the moving vehicle.

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This is our target vehicle located 40 feet away from the crash site just like in the movie.

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The real question here is whether the surfboard will come off the crash, fly straight through the air all this distance and still have enough power

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to pierce the windshield and kill the bad guy inside.

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Busters set to take another for the team and here's how.

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So there are three possibilities for lethality if the surfboard actually hits the guy's head.

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One, decapitation which is obviously certain death.

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Two, coup which is an impact of a moving object to a stationary object namely the head.

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And contra coup which is the brain hitting the back of the skull resulting in a lethal brain injury.

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Well it's time to get the flock out of here and find out.

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Alright this is surf and turf in three, two, one.

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Here we go.

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20 miles an hour.

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Looking good.

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30 miles an hour.

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Getting close.

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First and holding.

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Wow!

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Wow! I didn't see that one coming.

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No, but you know what the surfboard did fly through the air.

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Yeah but it didn't smash through the windshield.

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It was a wipeout alright but to really clarify the chaos, cue the high speed.

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Here we go.

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Pretty good so far and...

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impact.

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I look at that. The surfboard is released but it's nosing down.

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It's got a downward trajectory.

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It's true that the surfboard did drop like a stone but the crash was not like the movie.

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The surfer car failed to come to an immediate stop and consequently the board did not fly off cleanly.

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Now if you watch the high speed there's a lot going on.

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Glass flying everywhere.

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We didn't manage to stop our SUV like in the movie but the surfboard flew out fairly straight.

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A fairly straight flight path.

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The only thing is that as it was going it started to dive down.

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So we're going to reinforce our barrier and this time we're going to try and stop the towed vehicle

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and then we'll compare what actually happens to the surfboard.

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In other words, reset.

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Next up, time to buckle up as Adam and Jamie unleash the big boys toys.

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Adam and Jamie are testing the myth that certain older model sports cars were more aerodynamic backwards than forwards.

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In scale, forwards was better but not by much.

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That's more drag.

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So now it's time to test this back to front fable for real with the ultimate symbol of 1970's Jet Set Eagle.

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The red sports car.

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And here's how.

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This myth is all about aerodynamic efficiency, specifically this car slipping through the air.

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The rule of thumb is that the easier it is for this car to slip through the air, the less energy it expends pushing against that air and the more fuel efficient it is.

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So we're going to run our forward facing car through three test metrics.

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A quarter mile time trial, a zero to sixty acceleration test and a fuel efficiency test.

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When we've gathered all that data we're going to cut the body off, flip it around, drive that car through the same test and see if there really is any advantage to it going backwards as opposed to forwards.

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And by the way, I'll be driving.

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What do you want to do first?

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Let's time me to the quarter mile.

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Okay.

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I'm standing right at the quarter mile from where Adam's at at this moment.

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All I'm going to do is time how long it takes Adam to get here.

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Okay Adam, quarter mile starting in three, two, one, go.

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Our red road warrior slips through the air with the greatest of ease.

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Fourteen seconds.

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Fourteen seconds on the nose, but one run ain't enough.

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So Adam races through again.

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Fourteen seconds again.

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Like any good myth buster, Adam's happy to go the extra quarter mile.

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I could do this all day long.

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Fourteen seconds.

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In the forward position the sports car was able to do the quarter mile in fourteen seconds.

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Very consistent.

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Thanks Jamie, we'll flag that information later.

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With the quarter mile testing ticked off, it's on to baseline test two.

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Here's how this test is going to go.

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I'm going to start right here on the starting line.

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Jamie will be down there with the timer.

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He's going to go three, two, one and start that timer.

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At the very moment he says one and starts that timer, I'm going to take off from the starting line,

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fang it out, hell bent for leather, towards Jamie like this.

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Now about this far down the track, about 800 feet, Jamie will be standing here with a radar gun

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and remember is trustee stopwatch and he's going to be watching that radar gun until my speed is 60 miles an hour

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and then he will click that stopwatch a second time and we'll get the metric of how long it takes me to get from zero to 60 miles per hour.

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Let's get started.

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Alright Jamie, I'm back in position on one.

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Okay, stand by for my mark.

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Copy that.

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Start moving the car.

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Here we go.

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In three, two, one.

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I don't get tired of that.

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Pretty quick, looks to me like eight seconds.

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And back we go to one.

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I'm heading back to one.

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Like the quarter mile run, Adam's going to do the acceleration test three times.

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Go.

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And just like the quarter mile run, the car is amazingly consistent.

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So what are the results?

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All three runs, eight seconds.

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Excellent.

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With an eight second average in the acceleration test, that just leaves fuel efficiency.

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The essence of this story is wind resistance.

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Now how we're going to measure that during this next run is by determining how much fuel was used over a one mile course.

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How we're going to do that is really simple.

233
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We fitted the car with a removable fuel tank and we're going to weigh the tank before and after the run.

234
00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,000
That's all there is to it.

235
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,000
Where are we at?

236
00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,000
Okay, the start weight of the tank is 20.12 pounds.

237
00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,000
Fuel efficiency over one mile, here we go.

238
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:36,000
With the fuel cell in place, Adam does the first of three runs.

239
00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:40,000
Each run is a mile long at 50 MPH.

240
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,000
The results?

241
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:46,000
On that last run, Adam used 0.87 pounds of gasoline.

242
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,000
All right, well, I'll go back to the start and let's do it again.

243
00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:50,000
Yeah.

244
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:51,000
Way we go.

245
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:58,000
The average fuel used over the three runs is 0.87 pounds.

246
00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:00,000
So what's next?

247
00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,000
Well, we got the data we came for.

248
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,000
Let's go back to the shop and flip the car.

249
00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:07,000
Hop in.

250
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:17,000
By the time we come back to this location, we will have done something very, very unnatural in this car.

251
00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:22,000
On the other side of the break.

252
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:23,000
Never get tired of this.

253
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,000
There's more lethal weapon wreckage.

254
00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:38,000
Just to recap, we are testing the movie myth from lethal weapon two, where a car carrying a surfboard crashes into another car.

255
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:44,000
The surfboard flies off the top of that car into another car through the windshield, killing the driver.

256
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,000
Now we had a little problem with our last test.

257
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:49,000
The car carrying a surfboard didn't come to a complete stop.

258
00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:53,000
It means we may have lost some energy that could have been transferred to the surfboard.

259
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:55,000
So we have added more mass to our barrier.

260
00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:58,000
We have a new car and we have four more K-rails.

261
00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:00,000
This will ensure that our barrier does not move.

262
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:04,000
So when our car carrying the surfboard hits it, it will come to a complete stop.

263
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,000
And all that momentum from the car will be transferred to the surfboard.

264
00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:09,000
Alright, Kerry, you ready?

265
00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,000
Alright, here we go. This is surf and turf.

266
00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,000
In three, two, one, take it away.

267
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:19,000
Looks straight.

268
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,000
Yeah, it looks like it really hits so far.

269
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,000
It's going right for the barrier.

270
00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:26,000
It didn't even go anywhere.

271
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,000
It ran right into the crash vehicle.

272
00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:37,000
There's a wealth of wreckage, but having flown just three feet, the surfboard was not a lethal weapon.

273
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,000
So what went wrong?

274
00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:46,000
In the movie, a car carrying a surfboard crashes into another car, stops cold and spits the surfboard out.

275
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,000
And that's exactly what we did here.

276
00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,000
This car carrying the surfboard stopped completely, right on target.

277
00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:58,000
The only thing is, the car we crashed into crumpled up like this and blocked the surfboard's path.

278
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,000
You can see a green line right where the surfboard hit.

279
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:09,000
And if I look from the holder all the way out past the green line, I can see it's heading right towards the windshield.

280
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,000
I think definitely this merits another shot.

281
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,000
The team resets again.

282
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:22,000
All right, this is lethal weapon surfboard decapitation myth. Here we go in three, two, one, hit it.

283
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:30,000
Once again, carry accelerates to 40, towing the surfer car 400 yards behind her until...

284
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,000
That was a perfect shot.

285
00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,000
That was a perfect shot.

286
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,000
Hit the ground and bounce up and hit the windshield.

287
00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:54,000
Tori's right. The board did hit the target windscreen, but not quite as the movie portrayed.

288
00:19:55,000 --> 00:20:00,000
Like Take One, the surfboard very soon starts taking a nose dive. But that's not all.

289
00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:08,000
That is incredible. Look at that. It's kind of flying okay, but now look at it starting to twist.

290
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,000
I mean, there's like no aerodynamics there whatsoever.

291
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:18,000
So after three proof of concept full scale tests, what have the guys learned?

292
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:25,000
So we are 0 for 3 today. None of our surfboards have pierced the windshield and the bad guy lives on to fight another day.

293
00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:30,000
However, you might think that I'm sad about this, but actually I'm quite excited.

294
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:38,000
The reason is that we've noticed a trend. All of the surfboards have come off the racks with a significant amount of forward momentum.

295
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:44,000
But they've also pitched forward and rolled slightly, which indicates there's something going on.

296
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:50,000
Maybe something about the shape of the surfboard that's preventing it from getting to the windshield and killing the bad guy.

297
00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:55,000
So what we need to do is break this down to its elements and really figure out what's going on.

298
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:59,000
Meaning it's time to scrutinize the science of the surfboard.

299
00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:02,000
Later.

300
00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,000
Oh, this is going to be fun.

301
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,000
A bungee cord board goes ballistic.

302
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,000
Wow.

303
00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:22,000
Adam and Jamie have put their 70s sports car through its forward paces.

304
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,000
I could do this all day long.

305
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:29,000
Meaning now it's time to do a 180.

306
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:31,000
Bring her in.

307
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,000
All right.

308
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:43,000
The next step in testing this story is to separate the body of the car from its chassis, flip it around and reattach it so that the back end of the car is facing forward.

309
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:48,000
Now this is a pretty complicated task, so we've decided to bring out the big guns.

310
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:55,000
Mike Allen is the senior automotive editor for Popular Mechanics Magazine. He's going to make sure it gets done right.

311
00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:01,000
Time to rip it and strip it. And Jamie thinks it might just work.

312
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:02,000
What do I think about it?

313
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:08,000
Well, water naturally forms a perfectly aerodynamic shape when it forms a teardrop like so.

314
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:15,000
And if you look at this car, it's kind of teardrop shape if you look at it going backwards.

315
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:19,000
So as far as I'm concerned, this might actually be possible.

316
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:25,000
But before possible becomes practical, some heavy-handed surgery is required.

317
00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:33,000
But with all these bits ripped out, won't the backwards car be lighter and therefore faster?

318
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,000
I'll let Jamie handle that one.

319
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:41,000
I know what you're thinking. Wait a second. You can't remove all that stuff because that'll skew the results. The car will be lighter.

320
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:46,000
Well, yes and no. Yes because it would skew the results if we didn't account for it.

321
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:53,000
No because we're going to account for it by putting sandbags or barbell weights in the car before we do our testing.

322
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:58,000
Now to slice, dice and desecrate one formerly cool car.

323
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:07,000
After dozens of hours and hundreds of carefully made cuts, it is finally time to take this sports car which looks like it's in one piece.

324
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:13,000
But in fact, it's into pull off the body, turn it around and put it back down and see where we stand.

325
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,000
How are we going to do that? Well, we need some muscle.

326
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,000
Muscle? Like an Egyptian.

327
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,000
You guys ready?

328
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:27,000
Alright, on my count. Three, two, one, lift.

329
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:32,000
Look at that. Anybody having problems?

330
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:38,000
Fans of these classic cars are probably having their first coronary. Right about now.

331
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,000
Is there a wire there, Mike?

332
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:46,000
Lovely.

333
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,000
I don't know. I like the car better this way.

334
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:54,000
The ultimate convertible. Yeah, this would be cool.

335
00:23:54,000 --> 00:24:07,000
It's ready to lower. After three days of cutting, piecing, hammering, I think it's finally ready to lower down and stay on.

336
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,000
Well, let's do it. Let's do it. Come on down.

337
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,000
Tilting forward, coming down. It's good.

338
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,000
Whoa! Hey!

339
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,000
It's on. I'm confused.

340
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,000
Exactly, it is this.

341
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:29,000
Just one more touch and this mechanical misfit is ready.

342
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,000
Next stop, back to the track.

343
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,000
Sweet.

344
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:44,000
Alright, for this myth to be confirmed, we're going to need the surfboard to fly off the car at 40 miles an hour.

345
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:51,000
We're going to need it to fly straight as an arrow for 40 feet and we're going to need it to bash through the windshield and take out the bad guy.

346
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:59,000
And we are getting none of that. In fact, the surfboard immediately takes your nose down and then banks right or left in an unpredictable way.

347
00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,000
Yeah, I mean, right now, this myth doesn't look true at all.

348
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,000
But what do you guys want to do? We could try driving the vehicle faster.

349
00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:14,000
Or we could do a small scale experiment. We could make a mini surfboard, take it over to NASA, put it in their water channel and find out if we're ever going to get a stable flight pattern out of a surfboard.

350
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,000
A little aerodynamic analysis. I like it.

351
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:23,000
And at NASA, Cary will be armed with not one but two baby boards.

352
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:29,000
So I've been hand shaping my little surfboard here for our small scale experiment over at NASA.

353
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:33,000
And I think I have a little too much of a nose lift.

354
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:38,000
Instead of scrapping this and starting over, I need perfection. So I'm going to go high tech.

355
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:46,000
I am going to go to a 3D printer, throw in a CAD drawing and print out an exact replica to our life size surfboards.

356
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:51,000
So if the hand carved one doesn't cut it, the 3D one should do the business.

357
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,000
And before you can say, I want one, it's ready.

358
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,000
Little resin and it's done.

359
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:17,000
Aerodynamically speaking, both water and air are fluids. So what we're going to do is submerge our surfboard under the water and inject dye upstream.

360
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:25,000
As the dye flows over the surfboard, we should get an idea of whether they'll generate lift or more importantly, maintain stable flight.

361
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:31,000
Like Adam and Jamie earlier, they'll also be helped by aero expert Kurt Long.

362
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:37,000
Who on seeing Cary's hand carved board duck and dive is already unimpressed.

363
00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:42,000
So the board seems to be pivoting. What does that indicate to us?

364
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:50,000
In this particular case, it means that although momentarily it might try to fly straight, very quickly thereafter it's going to be dramatically upwards or downwards.

365
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,000
Nothing resembling control flight.

366
00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:59,000
So Cary's board's a bust, but will the more accurate 3D printed one get a different result?

367
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:05,000
Okay, this is our surfboard with a less severe nose lift. Let's see how it sluzzes.

368
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:14,000
To the untrained eye, this looks much better. The board is certainly stable, but remember Kurt's eye is far from untrained.

369
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:21,000
The board itself just isn't really doing anything. That's a good thing because it will slice through the air a lot easier.

370
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:26,000
However, because it's not changing the flow patterns very much, it's not going to get much lift.

371
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,000
I believe this board would not fly stably at this angle.

372
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:34,000
So I'm gathering from all these tests is that surfboards were not meant to fly through the air like an aero.

373
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:38,000
Yeah, I think you're exactly right. They make wonderful surfboards, but that's about it.

374
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:41,000
Alright, guess it's back to the drying board.

375
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:43,000
Next up...

376
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,000
That's insane!

377
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,000
The guys get in touch with their inner road warrior.

378
00:27:52,000 --> 00:28:01,000
In reverse engineering, it's time for the most surreal time trial in Mythbusters history.

379
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:08,000
Well, I know for all intents and purposes it looks like I'm sitting on the hood, but check this out. That's the exhaust.

380
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:15,000
There's three tests today. 0 to 60, quarter mile drag, and fuel efficiency.

381
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:21,000
At each test, we'll put the Frankenstein cars aerodynamics to the ultimate test.

382
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,000
Adam, let's start testing.

383
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,000
I'm ready. Let's do it.

384
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:27,000
Here we go.

385
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,000
First up, 0 to 60.

386
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:35,000
The forward-facing car did 0 to 60 in...

387
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:36,000
Eight seconds.

388
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:42,000
For the myth to be true, the backwards mobile should hit 60 in less time.

389
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:46,000
Okay, Adam. 0 to 60 in...

390
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:50,000
Three, two, one, go!

391
00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,000
Nine seconds.

392
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,000
That right there is the rush.

393
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:06,000
To get the hard data, Jamie and Adam run the tests three times.

394
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:08,000
Not that Adam's complaining.

395
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,000
Dude, this is so much fun!

396
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,000
Nine seconds again.

397
00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:22,000
Eight seconds.

398
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,000
How did I do on that?

399
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:29,000
The runs with the car facing backwards were an average of 8.66 seconds.

400
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:31,000
How does that compare to the forward-facing test?

401
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,000
The average on the forward-facing car was eight seconds.

402
00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,000
So the backwards was a little slower?

403
00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,000
It is.

404
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,000
Test one, and the myths got adept.

405
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:46,000
Rather than being quicker than the forward's time, the backwards car took longer to hit 60.

406
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:55,000
When we do the math, we find that our backwards-facing car was accelerating 7.5% more slowly than the normal car.

407
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,000
Still too close to call.

408
00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,000
So bring on test number two.

409
00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:01,000
Shall we go on to the quarter mile?

410
00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:03,000
Let's go on to the quarter mile.

411
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,000
Front first, it did the quarter mile in 14 seconds.

412
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,000
That's the time to trough.

413
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,000
Alright Jamie, I am in position and ready to go.

414
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:17,000
Okay Adam, quarter mile in three, two, one.

415
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:25,000
Crabbed up against the rear windscreen is not what you'd call an ideal driving position.

416
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:27,000
But it is very myth musters.

417
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,000
17 seconds.

418
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,000
Here we go.

419
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:39,000
17 seconds.

420
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:44,000
The same on run two, and one more time.

421
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,000
Let's go.

422
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,000
16 seconds.

423
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,000
How did I do on the quarter mile?

424
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,000
You're doing the quarter mile in an average of 16.6 seconds.

425
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,000
And how does that compare to the forward run?

426
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,000
Forward test was 14 seconds.

427
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,000
A little bit slower.

428
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:09,000
Yep.

429
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:10,000
Nice.

430
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:15,000
Time to gas up for the backwards-facing fuel efficiency test.

431
00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:26,000
In the forwards-facing test, the retro racer used an average of 0.87 pounds of fuel over three runs on a one mile track at 50 MPH.

432
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:30,000
Now they're at it again, filling her up and weighing the tank.

433
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:31,000
There we go.

434
00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,000
29.32 pounds.

435
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,000
Running the mile, go.

436
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:45,000
That is the most uncomfortable car ever.

437
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:49,000
Then weighing the tank to see how much fuel was used.

438
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,000
28.6 pounds.

439
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,000
But after three runs, the car was out of the way.

440
00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:01,000
But after three runs over the same distance, at the same speed, the results are puzzling.

441
00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,000
Okay.

442
00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:08,000
The difference between forwards and backwards is much larger than in the other tests.

443
00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:11,000
And that's got Jamie concerned.

444
00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:17,000
Our runs with the body on reverse are showing an increase in fuel consumption of 44%.

445
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,000
That's an awful lot, and it makes me suspicious.

446
00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:25,000
Suspicious that the data may not be correct.

447
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,000
No idea what that means.

448
00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:34,000
Jamie and Adam are stumped. They're going to need a plan B.

449
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:49,000
All right, this myth is on thin ice. I mean, because of the surfboard's shape and its fins, it's not going to have a predictable flight path.

450
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:54,000
Meaning a surfboard flying off the roof of a car crashing into another windshield just probably never going to happen.

451
00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:57,000
True, but there's still one part of this myth we haven't dealt with.

452
00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:01,000
What would happen if a surfboard hit a windshield at 40 miles an hour?

453
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:08,000
I mean, yes, in the movie, it looks a little suspect, but fact remains, would it take out a guy?

454
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,000
All right, what if we build some kind of surfboard slingshot?

455
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:18,000
Put it on some rails, hook it a bungee cord, pull it back, let it rip, and fire it into a windshield at point blank going 40 miles an hour.

456
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:19,000
Do you see if it busts through?

457
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:20,000
Okay, that could work.

458
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:21,000
Yeah.

459
00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:29,000
Both the NASA data and the full-scale proof of concept tests prove that the movie scenes a sham.

460
00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,000
Yeah, but it didn't smash through the windshield.

461
00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:41,000
But what if the crash had been a regular head-on by eliminating the 40-foot flight with the surfboard then become a lethal weapon?

462
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:49,000
To find out, Tori's got a plan for a surfboard surprise that should be way more reliable than the towing system.

463
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,000
This is going to be a serious slingshot.

464
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,000
It's a seriously beefy build.

465
00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,000
Yeah, do the good way to start.

466
00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:00,000
That expert builder Tori is relishing.

467
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:04,000
All right, so I have my rails set up that the surfboard can run along.

468
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:16,000
I also have a track down the center so I can attach the surfboard to this little trolley and this trolley will fit into the track and we will know the surfboard is going to go exactly where we point this thing.

469
00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:22,000
And with some serious science about to get sprung, let's step outside.

470
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:32,000
Okay, so now that Tori has finished the surfboard firing rig, we need a way to accelerate our surfboard up to our target speed of 40 miles an hour.

471
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:35,000
And we're going to do that using this industrial grade bungee.

472
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:43,000
What we need to do is calibrate how far back to pull the bungee in order to get the surfboard up to 40 miles an hour.

473
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:52,000
And with a high-speed gauge, a target, and a mattress come crash pad in place, that looks good.

474
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,000
It's time to commence the calibration.

475
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,000
Shall we start at 10 feet?

476
00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:01,000
Yeah, we pull back to 10 feet and see how fast the surfboard flies.

477
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,000
Alright, let me know when to stop.

478
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:08,000
Grant triggers the winch and when the board hits the 10-foot marker, it's over to Tori.

479
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:13,000
Surfboard calibration in 3, 2, 1.

480
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,000
Wow! That was amazing!

481
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:18,000
Oh my gosh!

482
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,000
That might be going fast.

483
00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,000
Carries spot on.

484
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:27,000
The 10-foot pullback resulted in a speed of over 70 miles an hour.

485
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:32,000
So for test two, they dial it back to 6 feet of tension.

486
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:36,000
Alright, this is launching from 6 feet away.

487
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:39,000
In 3, 2, 1.

488
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:42,000
Once again, the shot was on the money.

489
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:47,000
And once again, at 52 miles per hour, it was too fast.

490
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,000
So Tori dials it down for test three.

491
00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:57,000
Here we go. Surfboard sleek shot calibration test at 5 feet in 3, 2, 1.

492
00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:05,000
Okay, it looks like it's going 17 frames over a foot.

493
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,000
So that's about 58 feet.

494
00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,000
58.8 feet per second.

495
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:11,000
Okay.

496
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:12,000
That's 40 miles an hour.

497
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:13,000
We hit our target speed.

498
00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,000
That's crazy.

499
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,000
We actually got the exact speed.

500
00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,000
That never happens.

501
00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,000
With the rig calibrated, what's next?

502
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:24,000
Now, it's time to set up the car, put the man inside,

503
00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:28,000
and see if this surfboard will punch through the window and kill that guy.

504
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:36,000
Coming right out, the heat is on for Adam and Jamie.

505
00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:37,000
Adam here.

506
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:40,000
Then, Buster's staring down the barrel.

507
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,000
Good luck.

508
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:52,000
Since humans first conquered the waves, the surfboard has been the tool of choice.

509
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:56,000
But in the wrong hands, can it really kill you?

510
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:57,000
Help!

511
00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:58,000
Help!

512
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:00,000
So we are set.

513
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:02,000
We have our vehicle in place.

514
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:05,000
Inside, we have our man with the human analog neck.

515
00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:06,000
Careful.

516
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:09,000
Stretch across the door opening, we have our bungee cord,

517
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:12,000
which is hooked into our surfboard.

518
00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:17,000
The surfboard is hooked up to a quick release, which is also connected to this cable.

519
00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:20,000
Now, all we need to do is pull the surfboard back with the winch

520
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,000
until we get to the right position on our surfboard's sleeve shot.

521
00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:28,000
Then, we're going to release it and let it crash into the windshield going 40 miles an hour.

522
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:32,000
And find out if this myth is a facture or not.

523
00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:33,000
Alright, here we go.

524
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,000
In three, two, one.

525
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:48,000
The surfboard came in, hit the windshield, the windshield absorbed the impact,

526
00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,000
and the surfboard glanced off the top.

527
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:54,000
That's because this safety glass, which is standard on modern American automobiles,

528
00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:58,000
has many layers, and those are designed to absorb that impact energy

529
00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:02,000
and keep the driver safe, which is exactly what it did here.

530
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,000
Or to put it another way,

531
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:07,000
the windshield's busted and sows the myth that 40 miles an hour,

532
00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:11,000
surfboard is not going to penetrate the windshield and kill our target.

533
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:17,000
Yep, even point-playing a 40-mile-an-hour surfboard will not be fatal.

534
00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:20,000
But how about faster still?

535
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,000
With a new windscreen in place...

536
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,000
Oh, yeah, that's nice.

537
00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:26,000
The team's ramping it up.

538
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,000
11 feet.

539
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:31,000
Looking good. 12 feet.

540
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,000
The wind's just slowing down.

541
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,000
13 feet.

542
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:38,000
All right, that's as much as the winch is going to pull.

543
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,000
We're at 15 feet. You guys ready?

544
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:46,000
With the winch maxed out under the tension, it's time to unleash the beast.

545
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:56,000
The 15-foot pull turned into an 85-mile-an-hour hit.

546
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,000
But what happened to Buster?

547
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:05,000
Even with the surfboard traveling 85 miles an hour,

548
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:09,000
the windshield still absorbed all the energy of the impact

549
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,000
and stopped it before it hit our driver.

550
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:15,000
That means that this myth is not just busted, it is double-busted.

551
00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,000
So we busted this myth in multiple ways.

552
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,000
Number one, aim.

553
00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:24,000
When you have a real vehicle hitting another vehicle with the surfboard on the top,

554
00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:26,000
hitting your mark is very difficult.

555
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,000
Not to mention transferring the energy to the surfboard.

556
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,000
Number two, aerodynamics.

557
00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:33,000
We've analyzed the aerodynamics of the surfboard

558
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:37,000
and they make it very difficult for the surfboard to fly straight through the air.

559
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,000
Number three, force.

560
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:44,000
Even at 85 miles per hour, twice the speed that's in the myth,

561
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:48,000
it just bounces right off the safety glass and doesn't pierce.

562
00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,000
No matter how you look at it, this one is busted.

563
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,000
Number three, power.

564
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:00,000
Back with the driving duo.

565
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:05,000
And this reverse rally is gearing up for a grand finale.

566
00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,000
I've got two problems with this story right now.

567
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:08,000
One is our data.

568
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:11,000
I don't feel like it's definitive and I don't feel like it answers the question yet.

569
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:12,000
And the second?

570
00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:15,000
The second is I can't shake the feeling that I want to see a race off

571
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:20,000
between our backwards-facing car and a forwards-facing car racing each other at the same time.

572
00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,000
Yeah, me too.

573
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:24,000
I'm glad you're on the same page. Let's do it.

574
00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,000
So roll on up for one last run.

575
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:29,000
So this is what we've come up with.

576
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,000
Two cars, identical make and model.

577
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:36,000
One of them as the manufacturer intended, the other one with its body on in reverse.

578
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:39,000
We're going to see which one's more aerodynamically efficient.

579
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,000
So how are we going to make this race a fair fight

580
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,000
when these two cars' engines might be tuned differently?

581
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:45,000
Here's how.

582
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:48,000
Starting from this starting line, when we hear the ghost signal,

583
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:52,000
Jamie and Al will both put our foot to the floor, pedal to the metal,

584
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:56,000
and bang it out of here as fast as we can to this green flag.

585
00:40:56,000 --> 00:41:00,000
By the time Jamie and I get here, we want to be going neck and neck and about 100 miles an hour.

586
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:06,000
At that point in time, Mike will give us a signal and we will throw both cars into neutral at the exact same second

587
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:10,000
and drift the next quarter mile solely under the power of our own momentum,

588
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:15,000
the only force acting against that momentum being the air around us.

589
00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:22,000
The first car then across this very finish line is by definition the more aerodynamically efficient of the two.

590
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,000
That's how we'll get our answer.

591
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:31,000
So the two matching cars, which weigh exactly the same, are going to run nice and steady at 100 miles per hour.

592
00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:37,000
Then at the green flag, they'll put the cars into neutral and let them drift on through to the finish.

593
00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:42,000
In the red car, the Baron of Backwards, Adam Savage.

594
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:43,000
Hot in here.

595
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:52,000
And racing nose first in silver, Jamie Highspeed Heinemann with guest gear head, Mike Allen, the man in command.

596
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,000
I'm in position and ready to go. How do I think this is going to work?

597
00:41:55,000 --> 00:42:01,000
Well, we've done everything we can to level the playing field with these cars. It's all about wind resistance.

598
00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:06,000
Reverse engineering, drift off. Gentlemen, start your engine.

599
00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:10,000
Three, two, one, go!

600
00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:19,000
40, 60, the guys are now toe to toe at 100 miles per hour.

601
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:24,000
Green flag approaching.

602
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,000
And drift.

603
00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:29,000
Gear sticks in neutral.

604
00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:37,000
The pictures tell the story.

605
00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:39,000
Front first was first.

606
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,000
That is a result.

607
00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:50,000
That was awesome.

608
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:57,000
This is shocking front-page science news. Apparently, the car designers knew what they were doing to begin with.

609
00:42:57,000 --> 00:42:59,000
Yep. And that means myth is busted.

610
00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:00,000
Totally busted.

611
00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:04,000
And with that said, it's time to ride off into the sunset.

612
00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:08,000
Okay, Adam, let's try that again.