Ford Created For Testing Spacecraft Is Given Almost For Nothing

An auction is underway on eBay for a 1999 Ford F-250 used to test spacecraft. Nine hours before the end of trading, the current rate is only $ 2,999 (234,000 rubles).

• The pickup was created for the private Californian company XCOR Aerospace, which has been developing a spacecraft for space tourism since 1999. The Ford F-250 was used for aerodynamic testing of scaled-down Lynx spacecraft. In 2017, the firm went bankrupt and the project was never implemented.
• Only the front part of the body remains unchanged, and behind the fenders there are spacecraft parts in a scale of 1: 3, created from stainless steel. Instead of the usual roof, a low polycarbonate hood is installed, which forced the front doors to be redone. The salon with a miniature steering wheel and two bucket seats was partially disassembled.
• The Ford F-250 is powered by a standard 7.3-liter V8 diesel with 238 hp. (678 Nm) and a four-stage "automatic". On tests, a lightweight pickup truck accelerated to 160 km / h.

The XCOR Aerospace Lynx was designed as a manned two-seater spacecraft powered by a liquid propellant rocket engine with piston pumps instead of turbines. According to the idea, the spacecraft could be used repeatedly and carry out horizontal take-off and landing.