Yes, that really is flames shooting from the exhaust.
Most flamethrowers are fairly inelegant machines, consisting of two tanks, a spray nozzle and an ignition source. The best kind of flamethrowers, though, are built of carbon-fiber, aluminum and steel, and generally shoot flames only as a byproduct of incomplete combustion.
Take the twin-turbo Lamborghini Gallardo in the video below, for example. The car puts out some 1,250 horsepower at the wheels, and you don’t produce that kind of grunt without sucking lots of fuel (and air) through your engine. Not all of that fuel gets burned in the cylinders, especially when you blip the throttle repeatedly. Instead, unburned fuel gets sucked into the exhaust, where it later ignites with dramatic effect.
Robert Himler owns this particularly epic Gallardo, which was tuned by the lunatics technicians at Underground Racing. If you like what you see in the video, be sure to subscribe to Mr. Himler’s You Tube channel.
Source: You Tube, via Motor Authority
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
