Vintage Sports Car Club Bulletin - No. 264 / Summer 2009

Bill Milliken is a remarkable man who has written an autobiography covering the many aspects of his life. It missed the Bulletin review net when first published, but has now appeared as a weighty paperback. Milliken was born in Maine in 1911 and his first interest was in aviation, he studied at MIT and built his own aircraft at 22, then subsequently joined Vought where he worked on the prototype Corsair. He moved to Boeing where he was one of the flight crew on the first flight of the prototype B29. After World War 2, he joined the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory where he did research on aerodynamics and aircraft stability.

He developed an interest in cars and in motor racing. In 1946, he bought a T35A Bugatti which he raced in the earliest SCCA events and in hill climbs including the daunting Pike's Peak. He moved onto the 1931 4wd Miller which has subsequently been seen in Club races driven by Dean Butler. The Miller was followed by one of the fearsome 4.9-litre T54 Bugattis. In his early races, Milliken had perhaps more enthusiasm than skill and there were several spectacular prangs from which he escaped virtually unhurt. There had been similar escapes in some of his aviation exploits. His racing enthusiasm was combined with a deep interest in the technical aspects of the cars he drove and he made some interesting modifications to the Bugattis and the Miller. Surprisingly, he makes no reference to the well-known technical limitations of the T35A engine, nor did he have the usual disasters with it.

In 1952, he bought the Steyr-engined 4wd AJB from Archie Butterworth. Renamed the Butterball, this was developed in the USA over five years with some success. In the mid-50s Milliken moved into car chassis research at Cornell Aviation Laboratory and worked on many projects for General Motors and other companies. During this time he continued to race and drove Elvas and Alfas in the Sebring-12 Hours. He also played a major part in establishing Watkins Glen as an international circuit and making it the home of the United States GP for many years. On retiring from CAL, he established Milliken Research Associates and carried with research projects. His work on chassis design led him to build the unorthodox MX-1, notable for its permanent wheel camber, which he has driven at the Goodwood Festival.

Even in his 90s, his enthusiasm and vigour remained. Over the years he has known almost everyone who mattered in the motor racing world. For the technically-minded, the accounts he gives of the projects with which he has been involved will be of great interest, while for the racing enthusiast, it is a fascinating story of the growth of road racing in the United States.

Review of Equations of Motion from Vintage Sports Car Club Bulletin - No. 264 / Summer 2009