The Budweiser rocket car is mired in controversy. Financed by movie director Hal Needham–remember Smokey and the Bandit? –built by William Fredrick and driven by ex-Air Force pilot Stan Barret, the car may or may not have broken the sound barrier in 1979. The answer depends on who you ask. On December 17, 1979, Barret rocketed this missile-shaped car, which employed a liquid hydrogen peroxide jet engine and two solid-fuel booster engines, down Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force base. Neither the FIA nor the SCTA, the two most widely recognized sanctioning bodies, were present. Allegedly, the car went 739.66 mph, which on a cold day (20 degrees F) would have beaten the sound barrier. But this was a speed briefly measured, based on data from the Air Force’s radar installation and accelerometers mounted in the car, not over a timed, measured distance as is the accepted practice. For unknown reasons, another official run was not attempted. The run is generally not recognized, although even Chuck Yeager claimed that photos showed visible shock waves and that the rear wheels lifted off the ground, two signs that the car had gone supersonic. Bystanders didn’t report hearing any sonic booms, however. The debate continues.

1979 Budweiser Rocket Car

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