centrifugal supercharger for automotive use. At first, these were produced and sold under the McCulloch name; but, in 1956, the supercharger division was renamed Paxton Superchargers. Notable cars such as the 1954–1955 Kaiser Manhattan and the 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk and Ford Thunderbird F-Type had a McCulloch/Paxton Supercharger. The supercharger was also used in CO scrubbers on Navy submarines. The company produced one prototype automobile, the Paxton Phoenix, with a hard top that retracted over the trunk. The 1953 vehicle promoted alternative fuels and had a proposed steam engine. The division was sold in 1958, becoming Paxton Automotive, which remains in business. McCulloch's diverse interests continued into the last years of his life. McCulloch built his first aircraft in 1971 (the same year the London Bridge officially opened), in Lake Havasu City. It was the McCulloch J-2 Gyroplane, a hybrid helicopter and airplane combination, and was tested in the summer of 1973 by James Patton, a NASA pilot. McCulloch's dream was to offer "an airplane in every garage", promoting a seemingly simple aircraft that was easy to fly and could take off from a driveway. He manufactured and sold about 100 of the aircraft, but the market never developed. Films Monumental Mysteries episode "Arizona's London Bridge" features an actor portraying McCulloch. Companies founded McCulloch Motors Corporation McCulloch Aircraft Corporation McCulloch Oil McCulloch International Airlines (originally Vance International Airways) McCulloch Properties Paxton Automotive Cities founded Lake Havasu City, Arizona Fountain Hills, Arizona Pueblo West, Colorado Spring Creek, Nevada References External links American manufacturing businesspeople American chief executives American city founders Businesspeople from St. Louis People from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin 1911 births 1977 deaths People from Lake Havasu City, Arizona 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American inventors Barbiturates-related deaths Alcohol-related deaths in California Drug-related deaths in California Inventors from Missouri