Doug Rose and his Green Mamba jet dragster were two of the most enduring things in modern American motorsports. The classically styles jet dragster that placed Rose out ahead of the front tires was no longer a drag strip streaker but rather an exhibition vehicle that rose used to wow crowds at circle tracks and other venues by melting cars with the afterburner and performing “burner pops” while circling the track. Rose’s 80 years of life came to an end late last week at Michigan’s Norway Speedway when his slow burner pop show turned deadly and the Green Mamba accelerated uncontrollably and crashed with devastating effect at the speedway.
Rose’s life was dedicated to the car and to the road. He traveled the country endlessly for more than 50 years ad since 1966, on a pair of prosthetic lower legs. Rose lost both legs from the knees down in a 1966 crash while performing on a damp track to try and help a promoter keep people in the stands. The car hit the guardrail and the fact that Rose was seated so far forward meant that his legs basically lead the crash.
The Green Mamba itself was a lot like its owner. The car has been through some stuff over the years with the constant race schedule, a theft, a rebuild, and stories for eons about all the adventures and misadventures it had seen with Rose over the years. The car is basically a J-46 Westinghouse engine that has a pair of axles under it and a man sitting ahead of it. The car has all of the same hallmarks of the early jet dragsters that populated strips in the early 1960s with its beam truck front axle and wide rolling stock.
Doug Rose won lots of races during the height of his career. His car was a top performer in its day. Unlike other jet dragster competitors, he did not want to abandon the thing and the style of thing that brought him notoriety, instead he stuck with it right to the very end.
There’s something to be said for that in today’s world.
Here’s a great remembrance of Doug Rose’s life and times
There is a video of the wreck and couldn’t believe Doug Rose and the Green Mamba were still performing. RIP Mr Rose.
We saw Doug Rose and the Breen Mamba do a car burn at Grandview Speedway in the early 90’s, we still talk about it to this day. The car was killer, little beedy eyes protruding out with the green snake scale down the side, it showed many years and miles of wear and tear but it was just awesome. Doug was a mirror image of his creation showing the same patina.
And just as awesome.
RIP to a jet car legend.
P.S. How on earth do you pull a wheelie in a jet dragster?
When the chute hit the front end would yank the front end up….
big parachute…..
The high mounting point of the parachute caused it at the initial hit of deployment.
Again balls to big to fit in a wheel barrow
reports say heart attacks may have played a roll. will never forget seeing the green mamba run the 1/4 at great lakes only to light up the sky melting cars later…..