Video of the 1984 World Finals at Santa Pod. Sammy blasting off at 2min
History
Fast Facts!
Slam'n Sammy Miller – the World's Fastest Accelerating Man
0-60mph in 0.28secs, 0-100mph in 0.36secs
Subjects Sammy to around 13G. Those Top Gun fighter pilots don't know nothin'
Quarter Mile World Records
Fastest terminal: 386mph in the Oxygen rocket car.
Quickest Elapsed Time: 3.58secs in Vanishing Point 2002/R Ford Mustang
Eighth Mile World Records
Fastest : 319mph (2.54sec) in Vanishing Point 2001/R Chevrolet Vega.
Quickest: 1.60sec (298mph) in Vanishing Point 2003/R Pontiac Trans Am.
World Ice Record
247mph (1.6sec) over 200ft in Oxygen rocket dragster.
Outlaw Desert Thunder
3.85sec/395.4mph in Vanishing Point 2002/R Ford Mustang.
Maximum Power
Vanishing Point 2001/R Chevrolet Vega:
5,000lbs thrust – 10,000bhp.
Oxygen rocket dragster:
10,000lbs thrust – 20,000bhp.
Vanishing Point 2002/R Ford Mustang:
12,000lbs thrust – 24,000bhp.
Vanishing Point 2003/R Pontiac Trans Am:
14,000lbs thrust – 28,000bhp.
Vanishing Point 2002/R Mustang 0-109mph in 32feet!
"I just walk off on another highway in the sky man... "
Rocket man Samuel A. Miller, alias, Slamin' Sammy.
Born April 15, 1945, Test Pilot, Designer, Driver, Builder and Instructor of Rocket funny cars, dragsters and motorcycles. World quarter mile record holder since 1975. United States Congretional Salute and certificate of Merit 1988. World ice speed record 1981. NHRA Division 1 Hall of Fame. Holder of 30 US track and state records. Builder of the world's first approved rocket car 'Spirit of 76'.
The man has a resume that looks more like an excerpt out of the Guinness Book of Records!
Here in Europe Sammy Miller is best known for his Vanishing Point Rocket Cars, 2001, 2002, 2003 which he ran from 1976 to 1986. Some of you will remember the last time he ran at Santa Pod back in 1986. Some of you will also remember what a 300+ mph run looks like. Those of you are don't are in for an exhilarating thrill of a lifetime!
Due to popular demand, Santa Pod have brought Sammy Miller and the Mustang-bodied Vanishing Point Rocket Car back from the US. The rocket engine is new. The fuel is Hydrogen Peroxide. The experience is out of this world. We hope you enjoy it!
Sammy's runs will be on Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon only
Here are just a few of Sammy's speedy achievements over the last 20 years ….
1/4 mile records
First 5 second Funny Car
First 4 second Funny Car
First 250mph Funny Car
First 300mph Funny Car
First 350mph Funny Car
First 250mph car in Europe
First 300mph car in Europe
1/4 mile record 396mph in 3.58 seconds
1/8 mile record 319mph in 1.60 seconds
INTERNATIONAL RECORDS
1/4 mile
Canada 4.26 secs at 331mph
Denmark 4.97 secs at 267mph
England 3.58 secs at 386mph
Mexico 4.95 secs at 274mph
1/8 mile
Belgium 3.13 secs at 211mph
Holland 1.60 secs at 307mph
Sweden 2.27 secs at 297mph
Germany 2.49 secs at 259mph
Card Handout:
Blast Off
Slam'n Sammy
The World's Fastest Accelerating Man
0-60mph 0.28 seconds
0-100mph 0.36 seconds
1/8mile 1.606 seconds & 319mph
1/4mile 3.58 seconds & 386mph
World Ice Speed Record (Oxygen rocket dragster)
247 mph in 1.6 seconds
BLAST OFF
A Super Thrust Power Portrait (c) Mike Collins
Vega pic courtesy Andy Willsheer
2001/R Chevrolet Vega 5000lb thrust/10000hp
0-316mph 2.54 seconds
2002/R Ford Mustang 12000lb thrust/24000hp
0-109mph in 32 feet
2003/ PONTIAC TRANS AM ROCKET-POWERED FUNNY CAR
Designed/built by Sammy Miller. Paint by Bob Gerdes, Circus Custom Paints, Hebron, NY.
130in wheelbase 60in rear track 42in low. Front axle/steering Mark Williams.
Tyres 5x25 Goodyear Front Runners 10x27 Goodyear Talladega (NASCAR) all at 45 psi.
Hurst Airheart brakes. Deist parachute & safety equipment. Total weight 1100lbs.
GG Industries radial rocket weighs 97lb developing 14000lb thrust/28000hp.
20 gallons of 87% Degussa hydogen peroxide would give Sammy a 3.58 elapsed time.
Performance potential 0-400mph plus under 4 seconds. 0-200mph under 1 second!
Watch out for shock waves and don't blink . . . Seeing is not always believing!
THE LSR CAR
37ft long 10ft rear track 8ft tall
Basic engine as 2003/R Trans Am - plus a
booster developing 5000lb thrust/10000hp
to take Sammy Miller slam'n through the
sound barrier to a new World Land Speed
Record. Performance potential 800mph plus!
ABC-TV coverage of the USA#1 Rocket Dragster 1979 1979 World Series - Santa Pod Sammy Miller – Oxygen Rocket Car Drag Racing action from 1979 including the UK's first 300m.p.h. run as Sammy Miller records 307m.p.h. in 4.20secs with his "Vanishing Point" Rocket Funny Car.
Clips from Time Travel 51 DVD. https://timetraveldvds.blogspot.co.uk Trevor Webber's sound cine film from the 1979 September World Series including Sammy Miller in his Vanishing Point Rocket Funny Car,
the parade of Fuelers, Funnies and Pro Comps which were all fired up together, the wet T-shirt contestants and the record breaking
Funny Car final as Gene Snow wins with a holeshot 6.04 to Raymond Beadle's 6.00/227mph!!!
1979 World Series
Slam'n Sammy Miller and Ron Vigneri's world record holding "Oxygen" rocket powered ice racer.
It used a rocket engine of a radial screen catalyst design, rather than the traditional packed disk design,
which was installed with the ability to produce the equivalent of 8,000 horsepower at about 600 psia inlet pressure
with 90% concentration by weight hydrogen peroxide.
On Sunday Feb. 15th 1981 with a crowd of over 20,000 people watching to a Slam'n Sammy Miller
officially took Oxygen from 0 to 247.78 mph in 500 feet in 1.6 seconds. A new World Record.
Boss Cat Legacy site - Oxygen - Ice record>
-- Posted by Berserko Bob on 4:28 am on Nov. 7, 2002
All during Sammy Miller's career I often heard about a balls-out run he made in Florida that was supposedly
the quickest 1/4 mile run ever, even surpassing the 3.48 he ran in Europe.
After his funeral I received the following email and with the authors permission am posting it here for all to ponder.
Dear Berserko Bob,
I am a long time friend of Sammy Miller, I live in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and my Dad worked for Sammy
on the Vanishing Point Rocket Funny Cars and was also on the crew for the Ice run done by Oxygen at Lake George.
Well, I want to tell you a little story about when he attempted to break the world 1/4 mile speed record
at Miami-Hollywood in 1981. Sammy had rented the track the Thursday before he was suppose to run that weekend,
you know the exibition weekend singles he did here ( about once every couple of months)
as a matter of fact it was in late March early April of 81. He came with-in 1/10,000 of the record.
Well, we ran out of time for the track. Sammy said we are going to do this and as you know they would not allow Sammy
to go under 4's in the States. So I am here to tell you now, and I was there, Sammy did the ultimate unthinkable,
He broke the record that weekend in front of spectators so NHRA will not recognize it .
Sit down for this, 2.87 sec. @ 398.12 MPH. Trust me on this, Sammy was like my uncle..
and I was there for every pass he made in Florida. When someone like him is in your life
you remember every detail especially when you're 14 years old. I will greatly miss him
but I truely love him for all the great memories.
Thanks for listening Bob.
Tommy Leckliter Jr.
Let the debate begin...
Photo Albums (click through Google Photos)
Sammy Miller Photos
Vanishing Point Rocket Cars
Oxygen Rocket Ice Sled/Dragster
Spirit of '76
Early Funny Cars
Wedge Dragster
Pollution Packer
Jets
Early Rocket Dragsters
Kitty O'Neill
Bob Feeler (Vanishing Point car)
Hydrogen Rocket Car
Eric Teboul - Rocket Bike
Henk Vink Rocket Bike
Commuter Dragster
BloodHound LSR
Thrust SSC - Land Speed Record
Budweiser Rocket
The Blue Flame
Jessi Combs N. American Eagle
Photo Credits:
Steve Reyes
Franklin Ratliff (Tribute page)
James Hoover
Ian Alexander
Nick Pettitt
UKDRN
Dave Kommel
Peter Jones
Bob Plumer
Tom Nagy
Kelvin Fagan
Peter Hurwood
Pat Salt
Martin Kelly
Norman Blake
Keith Lee
Kenneth Robbins
Kelvin Fagan
Jan Smit
Nick Dammers
Ivan J. Sampson
Lawrie Gatehouse
mcPix
