A Lakester, or Belly Tanker, is a land speed record car built out of an aircraft drop tank, usually one from a P-38, or a replica of one. In the late 1940s, aircraft drop tanks were sold as surplus for 30 to 40 US dollars, making them incredibly cheap. The tanks were lightweight and aerodynamic, yet hefty enough to carry automobile components. The streamlined and light body would give greater speeds on record runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The first of these cars was built by the So-Cal Speed Shop in Burbank, California, in the late 1940s. One Bill Burke, working at the shop, originally considered a P-51 tank, but the tank of a P-38 was much larger, and he switched to that. The car proved to be successful, and soon after other cars followed. The majority used P-38 tanks like the original So-Cal before them, but everything from F-86 Sabre to U-16 Albatross tanks have been used. Today, the price of authentic WW2 drop tanks has increased, and the days of a surplus yard full of them have gone away. However, modern Lakesters are still built, not from real tanks, but from recreations. The dimensions, weight, and aerodynamics of the tank remain the same. My Belly Tanker wears a fictitious scheme. It is based on the original So-Cal.
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