Vampire was originally constructed by Allan 'Bootsie' Herridge, a pioneer British drag racer, as one of a pair of identical match-race jet dragsters in 1981.
[4] The sister car "Hellbender" was involved in a crash in 1986 at Santa Pod, in which Mark Woodley (an experienced dragster driver) was killed.
[6] However, he did not officially break the British record as, according to the rules, two runs in different directions and an independent observer are required.
[8] After an extensive restoration and recommissioning, Vampire made its first appearance since the 2006 crash at the Bromyard Speed Festival at Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb in August 2021.
[10] A week later, DriveTribe published a follow-up video where Mike Fernie, their content editor, started up Vampire.