Sam Collier

Samuel Carnes Collier (May 14, 1912 – September 23, 1950) was an American advertising entrepreneur and auto racer. He made his fortune in streetcar advertising.

Family

Collier was the son of Barron Gift Collier and Juliet Gordon Carnes, the founders of Collier County, Florida. He had two brothers, (Cowles) Miles Collier and Baron Collier Jr.

He married Dixie Thompson from Honolulu in 1936. Together they had three children, Samuel Carnes Collier Jr., Terry Collier and Richard Collier. He started racing cars on a private racing course built on the estate. He attended Yale where he was a member of Skull and Bones. He graduated in 1935.

"He was one of the founders of the Automobile Racing Club of America, competed in the 1939 Alpine Trial, and was the founder of the concern of Motor Sport, Inc., sole American importers of M.G. cars."

Collier drove in the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans: "Of the two Cadillacs entered by Briggs Cunningham, the strictly stock saloon, driven by the brothers Miles and Sam Collier, which had been nicknamed 'Clumsy Pup', had come in tenth at an average of 81.398 m.p.h." He died at 6:30 pm in Montour Falls. The accident received front-page coverage in the New York press. A memorial stone was placed at the spot where Sam Collier left the road. His brother, Miles, gave up racing soon thereafter and died of polio in 1954. Samuel was honored in 1995 in front of the Court House at that year's Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival.