I received a message from Karol’s Daughter that he peacefully passed away yesterday at the age of 95. As an unheard of Texan Karol drove his orange and white 56 Ford to Bonneville to complete in the C Coupe class and shocked everyone with passes of 140 mph +. Granted he was out shone by the 56 Chrysler 300 hemi but no one expected the speeds he attained with his 312 Y-block. He continued coming back over the next 10 years with his 56 followed a 1960 Ford Starliner and a 1965 Mustang. He always drove them up from Texas to Utah and home. During the NHRA fuel ban he and Rodney Singer took the 1960 Top points Championship with their Potvin blown Lincoln powered Gas dragster. I met him thru our grandchildren when they played on the same baseball team as youngsters. We became close friends and spoke often and my wife and I always stopped in Texas to visit with him and his wife Linda.
I remember reading about him and his '56 Ford in HRM when I was a kid. Mighty impressive to drive it there, go fast and drive it home. It sounds like he had a full life. Another legendary Texas car guy. R.I.P. Karol.
One of the greatest Ford land speed racers, his home brewed engineering made him a force to be reckoned with. Thanks for the memories Mr. Miller.
I seem to remember that he designed and built some of the tuning and testing equipment he used. For those not familiar with Karol, here is an excellent story by Brock Yates. http://yblockguy.com/articles/KarolMillerStory.html
Dammit, we've lost another one of the good ones. Those runs with the '56 at Bonneville made him a legend to me.
I first learned about Karol in a '62 Ford performance book that detailed his work with Y-blocks and FEs. Very gifted and talented Ford man that I still enjoy re-reading about. RIP.
That guy was an absolute genius... Ive been reading about his stuff since I was little and I'm a Chevy guy. He was the brains behind the rail that took it all in Ingenuity in action. R.I. P. Mr. Miller
Great feats by a great guy. I only wish I had met him in person. Read his story as soon as you get the chance. Not many out there that will a drive their street car to the salt flats, wrench, race, and and set records. Drive back home to Texas.
RIP Karol. Read his story when I was a youngun in the 60s, and read it again in Y-block magazine years later. Always admired what he accomplished. Anyone not familiar should look it up.
After reading that article, it appears that this gentleman was way ahead of the rest of us, in more ways than one can imagine. We should all be that lucky, to have lived a life such as his. R.I.P.
I too remember him from reading about his 56 Ford in HRM. As I recall, he pulled out all the stops, even using thin engine oil in his transmission to cut down drag. He was my hero when I had my 56 Ford RIP...
Whenever I hear someone bad mouthing the performance capabilities of the Y-block I refer them to what Karol did in 1956...
May he rest in peace, I'm another one of those guys who followed his endeavors with his race cars back when I was young.
Karol Francis Miller September 5, 1928 – June 29, 2024 1957 1958 1959 Ad recent photo by Kent Campbell
The team of Rodney Singer & Karol Miller won Top Eliminator at the 1959 NHRA Nationals in Detroit: Left to Right: Wally Parks, Rodney Singer, Glyanna Ham, & Karol Miller HRM - December 1959
The Jalopy Journal
