As car enthusiasts, we are always interested in extreme records. A great deal of us will likely get excited about “the world’s fastest.” Case in point is Sammy Miller’s legendary, but relatively unknown 3.22 second quarter mile rocket-propelled car run. Check it out:
Fastest Quarter Mile in history ever recorded on video
Officially, the fastest quarter mile (0.40 in kilometers) is 3.58 seconds set by the same man at Santa Pod raceway in Florida in 1984. But during this era, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) had to resort to announcing elapsed official times and speed limits, which was done for the safety of the drivers.
As such, the aforementioned record was, and still is, the official fastest rocket car quarter mile run. Then again, this is “Slammin” Sammy we’re talking about, a guy who ignored those rules and thus set about setting incredible quarter mile runs with the Vanishing Point rocket car. Of note, it even managed to become the first ever rocket car to reach 300 mph (482 km/h) on a quarter mile run. This was performed in Europe in July 1979.
The Vanishing Point rocket-propelled dragster [Photo source: SlamminSammymiller.com]
Back to the 3.22 run in question, it was achieved by Sammy with the Vanishing Point rocket car at Zandvoort, Netherlands in 1977. That’s seven years prior to the officially NHRA sanctioned run mentioned above. During the said run in the Netherlands, Sammy managed to reach an incredible 646 km/h.
To put that incredible feat into perspective, the world’s fastest 2JZ powered Supra is held by EKanoo Racing with a quarter mile time of 5.97 seconds at 387 km/h. The fastest top-fuel dragster meanwhile, can manage a quarter mile run of 4.3 seconds. The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, one of the world’s fastest production cars at the moment, can achieve a quarter mile run of 9.3 seconds.
So how can the Vanishing Point reach such ludicrous speeds? For starters, its rocket engine can produce up to 25,000 horsepower, which is equivalent to the output of 17 Bugatti Veyrons, or two and a half top fuel dragsters. The said power is then combined with a very light and very aerodynamic fiberglass body, and a sturdy but light frame.
Also crucial is its long wheelbase [Photo source: Dick Thompson]
Then of course there’s the driving skill of Sammy Miller himself, a man whose body can consistently handle the 7.8Gs the Vanishing Point generated during the 3.22-second run. That’s as much Gs as what an experienced jet fighter pilot can handle.
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