The Budweiser Rocket Car
Name/Title
The Budweiser Rocket CarEntry/Object ID
2025.7.95Scope and Content
The Budweiser Rocket was a three‑wheeled, rocket‑powered land‑speed vehicle built in 1979 with the goal of becoming the first car to break the sound barrier on land. Designed and engineered by William Fredrick, owned by stuntman and film director Hal Needham, and driven by Stan Barrett, the car used a powerful Aerojet LR87 liquid‑fuel rocket engine supplemented by a Sidewinder missile solid‑fuel booster. On December 17, 1979, Barrett made a high‑speed run at Rogers Dry Lake in California as part of “Project Speed of Sound,” and the team claimed the car reached Mach 1.01—but no sonic boom was heard, and later analysis revealed the radar had mistakenly tracked a distant truck rather than the car itself. As a result, the Budweiser Rocket’s “supersonic” achievement remains highly disputed, and it is not recognized as an official land‑speed record. Despite the controversy, the car remains a fascinating chapter in American speed‑record history and a symbol of the bold, experimental spirit of the era.Collection
Dr. Frederick A. Simeone Founder CollectionCategory
Posters