Author Topic: Proud American Land Speed car???  (Read 37865 times)

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Offline Paul Songas

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Proud American Land Speed car???
« on: September 14, 2009, 09:12:31 PM »
I came across this picture of the Pollution Packer rocket dragster, but behind it appears to be a land speed record car called the Proud American. I have never heard of this car, and I am curious to how it ran.  Does anybody have any info???

Paul

Offline Seldom Seen Slim

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2009, 11:14:05 PM »
Paul, the Pollution Packer has been discussed at least ten times here on the Forum.  For those posts, go to the home page of the Forum and search "Pollution Packer" -- and you'll see that some folks here do know of it.

Welcome to the Forum.  Your id doesn't tell us much -- where are you, and so on?  Don't be afraid to fill in some of the bloanks when you register -- and please consider going back to the profile and tell us some more so we know to whom we're speaking.  Thanks.

Jon -- owner/operator of landracing.com
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Offline sabat

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2009, 11:29:54 PM »
Long day I'm sure Jon. Seems like (late senator?) Paul is asking about the car behind the PPacker. I've never heard of it, but I'm a LSR newb.

Offline racefanwfo

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2009, 12:06:24 AM »
the car you are asking about is a mockup.
it never ran.
The speed that you wish to achieve is only limited by the depth of your wallet.

Offline Paul Songas

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2009, 01:27:02 AM »
Paul, the Pollution Packer has been discussed at least ten times here on the Forum.  For those posts, go to the home page of the Forum and search "Pollution Packer" -- and you'll see that some folks here do know of it.

Jon -- owner/operator of landracing.com


I came across this picture of the Pollution Packer rocket dragster, but behind it appears to be a land speed record car called the Proud American. I have never heard of this car, and I am curious to how it ran.  Does anybody have any info???


Yes I was asking about the car in the back.

Thanks for the info on the car... Too bad it's a mockup it looks like it would be a cool car!

Offline Malcolm UK

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2009, 03:28:30 AM »
Proud American.

Tony Fox, the backer of the Pollution Packer, wanted the outright LSR in 1074 and the design was said to be supersonic.  Project lasted until 1977 without raising construction finance for the peroxide rocket (35,000 lbs thrust) 45 ft long streamliner.  Possible driver was the late Sammy Miller (Vanishing Point rocket funny car 'pilot').

Small amount of information from the book Land Speed Record (Posthumus and Tremayne)

Malcolm UK
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Offline Seldom Seen Slim

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2009, 09:43:04 AM »
Ooops, I'm guilty of not reading carefully enough.  But I'll duck the rotten tomatoes and say that I was getting in a shot on the value of the search tool, okay?

And just to show that I'm not completely brain-dead -- I believe the Senator's name was spelled with a leading "T".
Jon E. Wennerberg
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Offline MAYOMAN

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2010, 11:59:08 AM »
Paul's question re the Proud American and Pollution Packer may have been answered - but here is the real story.
The foreground car is the original Pollution Packer that set international records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1972 for the standing start 1/4 mile, 500 meters, and one kilometer, driven by Dave Anderson. The car was built for Tony Fox by Ky Michaelson - employed by Tony's trash compactor company (Pollution Packer) - using the hydrogen peroxide rocket motor from the X-1 dragster and, later, Tony's Sno-Pony snowmobile dragster driven by Ky. Dick Keller restored and tuned the rocket after it was installed in the dragster.

In 1973, Dave drove the car with a newer rocket motor, the Keller Design HPR-3500, which set the fastest speed in the quarter mile ever turned at an NHRA national event, at Indianapolis during the 1973 US Nationals. Dave later was killed driving the car at Charlotte Speedway in an 1/8 mile drag race using the oval track's pit lane for a dragstrip. He spun the car trying to avoid a dragster crew that was in the shutoff area, the parachute not opening as the car rotated 360 degrees into the first turn wall. Two crew members of that other car were also killed.

During the 1972 record-setting weekend at Bonneville, Craig Breedlove (who was invited along with Art Arfons and Gary Gabelich) showed Tony a model of his proposed new LSR vehicle. Tony considered sponsoring Craig briefly, but the car behind the Polluion Packer was just a fiberglass knockoff of Craig's design with the driver compartment moved rearward. The concept was used by Tony to further promote his Polluton Packer company but no attempt was ever made to actually build the car.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline thundersalt

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2010, 12:41:33 PM »
FR?
916 REMR
2017 AA/FRMR Bonneville Record holder 234.663
2018 AA/GRMR El Mirage Record holder 223.108
2020 AA/BGRMR Bonneville Record holder 252.438
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Offline Glen

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #9 on: September 26, 2010, 04:50:30 PM »
Ya think :roll:
Glen
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Offline Seldom Seen Slim

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #10 on: September 26, 2010, 05:04:40 PM »
We'll see what else Mayoman posts.  While there are similarities to what FR has posted, the "ban" on him for this Forum is pretty inclusive -- in that he'd need to change quite a few things to be able to register.

Mayoman, I hope you don't take my comment as an insult, nor the comments that others have (or might) made.  We've had troubles with a windbag on this Forum and are very sensitive to folks that appear to "lecture" us on topics 'til we get blue in the face from listening.  Your post is sort of in that manner -- full of data and so on.  Join in the Forum and swap stories about your experiences and interests and what you've raced or built -- you'll fit right in.

Best --

Jon, a/k/a Seldom Seen Slim, the owner of landracing.com
Jon E. Wennerberg
 a/k/a Seldom Seen Slim
 Skandia, Michigan
 (that's way up north)
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Owner of landracing.com

Offline MAYOMAN

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #11 on: September 26, 2010, 05:41:30 PM »

Sorry to get your undies in a bundle. Just thought you'd appreciate the facts from someone who was there.
The attached shows Craig's concept model with the driver's compartment in the front - and Tony Fox.
Compare that with the car in Paul's photo.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline Glen

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2010, 10:27:17 PM »
This mayoman just sent a nasty and name calling message to Jon W. on the landspeed@autox-team web site. He doesn't have the balls to use a real name and will find it won't go far here with his name calling.
Glen
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Offline interested bystander

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #13 on: September 26, 2010, 10:53:54 PM »
. . . if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck

who else but FNR?
5 mph in pit area (clothed)

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Proud American Land Speed car???
« Reply #14 on: September 26, 2010, 11:18:34 PM »
This looks to me what we call here in Australia a "Dorothy Dixer"...... When one member of parliament asks someone from their own party a question...which is really just an excuse for the second member to talk endlessly on their chosen subject ..invariably themself....

So, Paul Is on Gas asks " oh my, what is this marvelous machine from the Golden Age of LandSpeed Racing that all you ignoramuses have over-looked"...

up steps Mr Mayonaise...""why it's funny you should ask Grasshopper, sit yourself down on the rug and let me expound"...

How bored are you Franklin?.....
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

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