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Topic starter
03/09/2024 8:46 pm
BZ1 is the Budweiser rocket car, and this one appears to have been UNOPENED for 20+ years. It even still has a spare front antenna.
The 1:1 traces back to the SMI Motivator (BZ17), also a Fredrick design. Both are quite similar to The Blue Flame (BZ2), which took the official record in 1970. The Budweiser car was owned by Hal Needham (Smokey and the Bandit screenplay writer, among other accomplishments) and was driven by stuntman Stan Barrett. Propulsion was by a hybrid liquid and solid fuel rocket engine, with additional boost provided by a Sidewinder missile's rocket. Must have been a sale at the military surplus store. Anyway, Barrett supposedly went 731.9 mph. But the timing was not through a measured mile or kilometer, but was estimated using ground radar from Edwards AFB. So not an official record, and controversy exists about whether the sound barrier was broken or not. The Smithsonian has the real car, though I saw a modified version at Talladega a couple decades ago.
04/09/2024 4:18 am
An exceptionally cool replica of the rocket/jet car. The color is amazing and this model is bound to cause amazed questions from viewers of one's collection. The turning radius is a bit large so I may not take the real one to the local drive-through ..... although I would be back with my food in a flash ! 
04/09/2024 5:34 am
Harve, CONGRATULATIONS on getting your Holy Grail! It is always something extremely special when, if ever, that happens with collectors. The model is fabulous and in the perfect scale for land speed record cars.
04/09/2024 6:59 am
Neat car, model and writeup Harv.