VANISHING POINT World’s Fastest Vega
We’ve all seen funny cars powered by Nitro Methane, jet cars powered by Kerosene, but the wildest of all drag racers were the rocket cars. These cars were powered by rockets, similar to those used by NASA and the US Air Force and used a variety of fuels. One of those cars took home a drag record that still stands to this day and was driven by “Slammin’” Sammy Miller and his Vanishing Point rocket cars.
In 1984, Sammy Miller set a record pass at Santa Pod Race way in Bedfordshire, England of 3.58-seconds at 386.26 mph. No, you have not read that wrong. It was nearly 400 mph in a quarter-mile in 1984. It was insanity then and now.
Here is a video of that run:
Just like any other Funny Car, the Vega is in body only as the rest of the car is made to not only hold the rocket but withstand the tremendous g-forces exerted on the body of the driver. It’s been said that, even with the car built as it was Sammy still would experience bleeding from his ears and nose.
The fuel source is Hydrogen Peroxide and cars of this nature are exhibition only and not allowed to run in the U.S. since 1980. Though, in 1979 he was able to make a pass in Florida and record the first ever 3-second run in a quarter mile and the first ever 300 mph pass in Europe.
Sammy went on to build a rocket dragster named “Oxygen” and set up the first ever rocket races at Santa Pod Raceway with Al Eierdam. When those rocket races were run, they were not only the fastest side-by-side races in Europe, but 0-60 mph in 0.2 seconds and 0-100 mph in 0.3 seconds were normal for the rocket cars. Sadly, in 2002, Sammy Miller lost his life in an accident on an oil field in Texas.
Just as a note, Kitty O’Neil has actually gone faster in the quarter mile. However, her run was never credited by the NHRA or the FIA.
“In 1977 in the Mojave Desert, she piloted a hydrogen peroxide powered rocket dragster built by Ky Michaelson to the quickest quarter mile elapsed time in auto history, with a timed run of 3.22 seconds at 396 mph (637 km/h) with an average speed of 279.5 mph (449.8 km/h). During the same time, she also made a quarter mile run with a top speed of 412 mph (663 km/h). The NHRA contends that Top Fuel dragsters hold the fastest quarter mile times in the 4.4x seconds and 330 mph (530 km/h) range as of 2005. But NHRA rules state that any run that sets a record on a drag strip must be backed up within one percent during the same meet. FIA rules on land speed records require any run to set a record must be based on the average of two runs, each way, within one hour. Because the quarter mile elapsed time was not set under these conditions, neither the NHRA nor the FIA recognize this achievement as an official record.”