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Miller Wedge (dragster)
The "Miller Wedge" is a pioneering streamliner dragster. Designed by dragster and funny car builder Sammy Miller in 1974, the car was allegedly a product of Miller's dislike of repeated funny car fires. It featured bicycle front wheels, a low-mounted, front-sloping rear wing, and a mid-mounted engine (placed further ahead of the rear axle than most similar dragsters). The body was a pronounced wedge shape, and covered the front of the slicks (unlike '' Wynns Stormer'', which had a more conventional body and broad wedge fairings over the engine and exhaust, ahead of the rear tires). The exhaust pipes were also enclosed. In theory, the wedge body offered an aerodynamic advantage, decreasing turbulent airflow over the rear wheels, as well as increasing downforce Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Top Fuel
Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.62 seconds. A top fuel dragster accelerates from a standstill to in as little as 0.8 seconds (less than one third the time required by a production Porsche 911 Turbo to reach ) and can exceed in just . This subjects the driver to an average acceleration of about over the duration of the race and with a peak of over . Because of the speeds, this class exclusively races to only a distance, and not the traditional one-fourth of a statute mile, or . The rule was changed in 2008 by the National Hot Rod Association following the fatal crash of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta during a qualifying session at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The shortening of the distance was used by the FIA at some tracks, and as of 2012 is n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating wikt:streamline, streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "High-speed rail, bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully Bicycle fairing, faired upright and recumbent bicycles. As part of the Streamline Moderne trend, the term was applied to passenger cars, trucks, and other types of light-, medium-, or heavy-duty vehicles, but now vehicle streamlining is so prevalent that it is not an outstanding characteristic. In Land speed record, land speed racing, it is a term applied to the long, slender, custom built, high-speed vehicles with enclosed wheels. Trains Before World War II Europe The first high-speed streamliner in Germany was the "Schienenzeppelin", an experimental propeller driven single car, built in 1930. On 21 June 1931, the car set a speed record of on a run between Berlin and Hamburg. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragster (car)
A dragster is a specialized competition automobile used in drag racing. Dragsters, also commonly called "diggers", can be broadly placed in three categories, based on the fuel they use: gasoline, methanol, and nitromethane. They are most commonly single-engined, though twin-engined and quad-engined designs did race in the 1950s and 1960s. The design of dragsters evolved from the front-engined rail (named for the exposed frame rails) of the earliest days of drag racing, into the "slingshot" (with the driver between or behind the rear tires, or "slicks") of the early to middle 1960s, to the "modern" type common in the 1970s. Depending on the class they run in, dragsters can be injected or supercharged (or turbocharged), with a variety of possible engines. The engines are most often derived from automobiles'; some early examples used surplus aircraft engines. Today, they may also be electric. Dragsters are distinct from "bodied" cars such as funny cars and gassers, as well as fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sammy Miller (engineer)
Sammy Miller (nicknamed "Slam'n Sammy") was a dragster and funny car builder in the 1970s and 1980s. Miller was responsible for the "Miller Wedge" digger in 1974 and the rocket-powered ''Vanishing Point'' Vega Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, an ... FC in the 1980s. The Wedge was allegedly a product of Miller's dislike of repeated funny car fires. It featured bicycle front wheels, a low-mounted, front-sloping rear wing, and a mid-mounted engine (placed further ahead of the rear axle than most similar dragsters).Taylor, p.38 photo. Miller was killed in an accident on Tuesday 29th October 2002 whilst working in the Texas oilfields for his company Applied Force. Notes Fastest quarter mile run ever. 3.22 @402 mph. Sources *Taylor, Thom. "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Z ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating wikt:streamline, streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "High-speed rail, bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully Bicycle fairing, faired upright and recumbent bicycles. As part of the Streamline Moderne trend, the term was applied to passenger cars, trucks, and other types of light-, medium-, or heavy-duty vehicles, but now vehicle streamlining is so prevalent that it is not an outstanding characteristic. In Land speed record, land speed racing, it is a term applied to the long, slender, custom built, high-speed vehicles with enclosed wheels. Trains Before World War II Europe The first high-speed streamliner in Germany was the "Schienenzeppelin", an experimental propeller driven single car, built in 1930. On 21 June 1931, the car set a speed record of on a run between Berlin and Hamburg. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Funny Car
Funny Car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a custom-fabricated chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers' showroom models. They also have the engine placed in front of the driver, as opposed to dragsters, which place it behind the driver. Funny car bodies typically reflect the models of newly available cars in the time period that the funny car was built. For example, in the 1970s, then current models such as the Chevrolet Vega or Plymouth Barracuda were often represented as funny cars, and the bodies represented the Big Three of General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Currently, four manufacturers are represented in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car — Chevrolet with the Camaro, Dodge with the Charger, Ford with the Mustang, and Toyota with the Supra. Worldwide, however, many different ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slick (tire)
Slick may refer to: People * Slick (wrestling) (born 1957), American former professional wrestling manager * Slick (nickname) * Slick (surname) Musicians * Slick Aguilar (born 1954), American guitarist * Ricky Bell (singer) (born 1967), a.k.a. Slick, R&B singer * Slick Rick (born 1965), rapper * Darby Slick (born 1944), American guitarist and songwriter * Earl Slick (born 1952), American rock guitarist * Eric Slick (born 1987), American singer, songwriter and drummer * Grace Slick (born 1939), singer * Mitchy Slick (born 1978), rapper * Sgt Slick, DJ in Melbourne, Australia Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Slick (comics), two different characters in the Marvel Universe * Slick, the final boss in the video game ''River City Ransom'' * Slick, one of the main characters in the webcomic ''Sinfest'' * Slick, a character in the television series ''Oddbods'' * Sam Slick, a character created by Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a Canadian judge and author * Soapy Slick, salo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wynns Stormer
''Wynns Stormer'' is a streamliner dragster. Built in 1972 by Woody Gilmore (who also produced Don Prudhomme's wedge digger), on a Woody chassis, the car had bicycle front wheels and dropped front axle, a very pointed nose, and an engine cover with broad, wedge-like fairings over the exhaust pipes, ahead of the rear tires; the fairings sloped steeply from track level to the top of the tires. In theory, the wedge body offered an aerodynamic advantage, decreasing turbulent airflow over the rear wheels, as well as increasing downforce; in practise, the extra weight exceeded any advantage. Driven by Kenney Goodell (nicknamed "Action Man"), the car turned in routine 6.67 second e.t.s, no better than Goodell's contemporary funny car Funny Car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a custom-fabricated chassis, giving them an appea ... ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Downforce
Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip. If the vehicle is a fixed-wing aircraft, the purpose of the downforce on the horizontal stabilizer is to maintain longitudinal stability and allow the pilot to control the aircraft in pitch. Fundamental principles The same principle that allows an airplane to rise off the ground by creating lift from its wings is used in reverse to apply force that presses the race car against the surface of the track. This effect is referred to as "aerodynamic grip" and is distinguished from "mechanical grip", which is a function of the car's mass, tires, and suspension. The creation of downforce by passive devices can be achieved only at the cost of increased aerodynamic drag (or friction), and the optimum setup is almost always a compromise between ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1970s Cars
Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * February 19 – Battle of Lugdunum: Emperor Septimius Severus defeats the self-proclaimed emperor Clodius Albinus at Lugdunum (modern Lyon). Albinus commits suicide; legionaries sack the town. * Septimius Severus returns to Rome and has about 30 of Albinus's supporters in the Senate executed. After his victory he declares himself the adopted son of the late Marcus Aurelius. * Septimius Severus forms new naval units, manning all the triremes in Italy with heavily armed troops for war in the East. His soldiers embark on an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
