UKDRN

Anything Nostalgia Related.

Moderators: timetravel, ukdrn

 #9916  by WJM
 
I actually met Sammy many years ago when staying at that hotel in the centre of Wellingborough one Pod weekend as was he and I seem to recall Ray Beadle. He was very extrovert and chatty. The story I heard re the LSR stuff was that the problem with a Rocket Car is the weight of fuel required to get it to 700mph or whatever. It takes several tons and losing all that weight in the space of a few seconds while keeping the car stable on the ground accelerating at 4g or whatever they do creates so many problems that it's easier just to use jet engines like the 2 Thrust cars.

I saw several very fast runs by Vanishing point and even a side by side with Alan Herridge when Oxygene came over, it was a jaw dropping machine miles faster than any of the fuel dragsters at that time.

Bill
 #9922  by muddytalker
 
Well that's the first time I've seen a picture of Sammy's rear engined 'wedge' dragster. Never knew it existed and not well documented either.
 #9934  by stormbringer
 
ukdrn wrote:I don't know how many of you have seen this but it's well worth posting the link on here.
Written by Ron Vigneri it covers in detail the Oxygen Ice Record runs and other history with many rare and interesting pictures, brilliant stuff.
http://www.vetechnet.com/rocketcar.htm
Having read Ron Vigneri's account of the rocket cars etc It certainly was an eye opener .
I never knew Sammy,but I was there when he ran ,I even recall how composed he was after he crashed Vanishing Point!!! Still, you would need nerves of steel to pilot a rocket :shock:
 #10050  by ukdrn
 
Here's an interesting article from Car magazine 1982 featuring a interview with Sammy and Bootsie about driving rocket cars.
Click on articles for bigger version.
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 #11672  by ukdrn
 
Article from Super Stock and Drag Illustrated 1978
Click for bigger picture...
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 #11813  by jaytee
 
tog does the book have anything on EJ Potter
 #11823  by jaytee
 
Thanks for the info and link for the book.
Here's a few early shots of Sam in his Funny Car days,wonder if the Vette got the rocket motor
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0a SAM MILLER Bostonian2.jpg
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0a SAM Bostonian1.jpg
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