The LCC Rocket Was Decades Ahead of its Time

This is the first production car ever powered by a motorcycle engine.

In the video below, we get to watch a Philips screwdriver unlatch the trunk panel on a 1992 Light Car Company Rocket to reveal a 1000cc Yamaha motorcycle engine.

Note the hood opening to display the Rocket's intricate frame and suspension geometry. Its dashboard was pulled from the same Yamaha motorcycle that provided the 5-valve engine. The 12,000 RPM redline and low-slung seating position create the sensation of driving an F1 car on the road.

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Gordon Murray is best-known for penning the iconic McLaren F1, with the Rocket his first-ever road-going design.

Back in 1992, the idea of a 770-pound-feet, 127-horsepower car presented odd numbers, but with a 0-60 time of sub-4 seconds and 30 mpg fuel economy, the Rocket wouldn't be out of place on the road today.

As Jay Leno once said about his Rocket - "I took Tom Cruise for a ride, and he loved it!"

NEXT: TULSA MAN RESTORES A JEEP BUILT ON VETERAN'S DAY 1942

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