# Nikola Tesla's 'Black Magic' Touring Car



## Johnny Thunder (Feb 24, 2006)

*Nikola Tesla's 'Black Magic' Touring Car*
By EV World

Did Nikola Tesla really run a touring sedan on free energy?

July 11, 2006

In the summer of 1931, Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current and the holder of some 1200 other U.S. patents, along with his nephew Peter Savo, installed a box on the front seat of a brand new Pierce-Arrow touring car at the company factory in Buffalo, New York. The box is said to have been 24 inches long, 12 inches wide and 6 inches high. Out of it protruded a 1.8 meter long antenna and two ¼ inch metal rods. Inside the box was reputed to be some dozen vacuum tubes -- 70-L-7 type -- and other electrical parts. Two wire leads ran from the box to a newly-installed 40 inch long, 30 inch diameter AC motor that replaced the gasoline engine.

As the story goes, Tesla inserted the two metal rods and announced confidently, "We now have power" and then proceeded to drive the car for a week, "often at speeds of up to 90 mph." One account says the motor developed 1,800 rpm and got fairly hot when operating, requiring a cooling fan. The "converter" box is said to have generated enough electrical energy to also power the lights in a home.

The car is said to have ended up on a farm 20 miles outside of Buffalo, "not far from Niagra Falls."

So what was the power source? Some charged "black magic", while others remained naturally skeptical. Tesla is reputed to have removed the box and returned to his New York City laboratory without revealing how he did it, though the suspicion lingers to this day, on the 150th anniversary of his birth in Smiljan, Croatia on July 9/10, 1856, that he had somehow tapped into the earth's magnetic field or perhaps even more exotically, zero point energy or gravitation waves.

We will, of course, probably never know how he powered the car, or even if the event actually took place -- though we know Tesla was an unparalleled genius when it came to understanding electromagnetism and how to apply it for benign and some allege, deadly purposes. Legend has it that he actually invented a death ray of some type and this is why the government, on his death in 1943, is said to have confiscated all his personal papers. Presumably, they didn't want his research falling into the wrong hands&#8230; or was it because they didn't want the world to figure out how to propel our vehicles on free energy?

Is the story of the free energy 1931 Pierce-Arrow just another "urban legend"? I have no way of knowing, but it seems a fitting memorial to a mysterious man who transformed the world as we know it, providing millions with electricity and billions in profits for some of world's largest and most powerful multinational corporations.


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## RAXL (Jul 9, 2004)

Free Energy!

I love it! Free Energy has been another of my long time "whacko" interests. 

Tesla is all over the place lately. Mythbusters just did his earthquake machine.


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## Johnny Thunder (Feb 24, 2006)

Yup - and he plays a role in the novel "The Prestige" which is being released as Christopher Nolan's next film. Bowie is playing Tesla


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## HibLaGrande (Sep 25, 2005)

I have several books on Tesla, I would not doubt this at all. Do I know how he did it? Im guessing High energy radio waves brodcast from a tower. He's lucky nobody got frizzle fried.


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## randyaz (May 26, 2006)

RAXL said:


> Free Energy!
> 
> I love it! Free Energy has been another of my long time "whacko" interests.
> 
> Tesla is all over the place lately. Mythbusters just did his earthquake machine.


Even though the bridge didnt collape it sure got the Mythbusters attention...

Not enough credit has been given to Tesla even though he got "out there" late in life. He invented the AC motor...and the spark gap wireless transmitter...even though Marconi got the credit

Here is my tribute to him... http://www.randyaz.4hv.org/teslacoil.htm


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## mrklaw (Nov 11, 2005)

If it weren't for Tesla and Westinghouse we would have a giant battery on every block and special trucks would have to drive from block to block to charge them up to provide our houses with power. That's what Edison wanted and he went to great lengths to prove that AC power was too dangerous including elecrocuting stray dogs and creating the electric chair.

It sure is annoying how he invented so many things that no one knows how any of them worked and no one has been able to re-create many of his experiments even though almost 100 years has gone by.


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## Sinister (Apr 18, 2004)

johnnythunder said:


> Yup - and he plays a role in the novel "The Prestige" which is being released as Christopher Nolan's next film. Bowie is playing Tesla


I can't wait to see this. It also stars Double G's fave, Hugh Jackman and the Dark Knight himself, Christian Bale. The latter two play rival magicians. Should be pretty kick ass.


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## Johnny Thunder (Feb 24, 2006)

But from the previews I've seen, they have taken liberties with the novel. I just hope it's not too far off the mark. Although if they filmed the novel in its true form, it would be something like 12 hours long.

By the way, I'd strongly recommend the book to anyone interested in magicians - great read, complex characters, very interesting narrative.


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## grapegrl (Jan 3, 2006)

Did someone say 'Hugh Jackman'? 

Seriously, _The Prestige_ is looking like a good movie so far.


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