G - O - L - D

You know when Evel Knevel calls you a fool, you might want to pay attention.

I heard about this on Russ Martin's show today. Daredevil Ken Carter prepares to jump a rocket powered Lincoln Continental over a MILE WIDE section of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1979.

This is a clip from the documentary following the 5 year quest to jump the river entitled Devil At Your Heels. It is pure gold. I have to find a copy of this film!! The whole backstory of the jump is just crazy. Sounds like a perfect candidate for Movie of the Week.

From stuntdriver1.com:

Five years into the project, on September 26, 1979, everything finally seems in order: the ramp, the weather, even the rocket car, housed in the body of a Lincoln Continental. A Hollywood producer has underwritten the stunt for exclusive film rights, on the condition there be no live audience. Fire trucks, rescue boats and helicopters stand by as Carter straps himself in, and the countdown begins. However, a mere five seconds before takeoff, a mechanical failure forces him to abort the mission. Sadly, this is the closest he'll ever come to realizing his dream.

Nine days pass. The film crew suspects Carter has lost his nerve and, not wanting to lose any more money, secretly convinces Carter's friend Ken Powers hijack the stunt. Powers doesn't hesitate. With only a few spectators on hand, Powers blasts the car down the runway; meanwhile, Carter sits in his hotel room,unaware of what's afoot.

The bumpy ramp prevents the car from hitting the requisite 270 mph, going only 180 as it launches into the air. The wind immediately tears off its paneling as its parachutes halfway deploy. The car flies a paltry 506 feet, far short of a mile, and crash-lands in knee-deep water. Powers breaks eight vertebrae, three ribs, and a wrist. The footage is spectacular.

Carter soon discovers what happened and is understandably furious, exploding into a muffled rage behind his hotel room door. After spending five years and a million dollars chasing his dream, a backstabbing friend jumped his car off of his ramp, stealing his thunder.

Sadly, Carter was killed instantly in a car jump just a few years later.

Dialup warning: The clip is 4 minutes long, but well worth the wait. Trust me.