Funny Car Video! This Footage From Atco In The 1970s Is A Brilliant Window Into How It Was


Funny Car Video! This Footage From Atco In The 1970s Is A Brilliant Window Into How It Was

It has been a while since we delighted your senses and showed you some classic drag racing footage. The good news is that we recently ran into an amazing video that was taken back in the 1970s at Atco Dragway during a big funny car show with many of the top runners in the country, especially the east, featured. From Jungle Jim in his red Camaro to the brilliant green Bob Banning Dodge, this is a collection of historic hitters that you’ll love to watch. From the burnouts that have smoke rolling out the windows to the people hanging on the fence, this is a scene we would have loved to spectated first hand on what looks to be a chilly day at one of New Jersey’s best known drag plants.

This is 8mm footage but proper sound has been dubbed over it and timed right so when the cars are burning the tires, it sounds like the car are burning the tires. Two of the neatest cars are featured at about 2:10. Bill Flynn’s Yankee Peddler Charger and of course Jungle Jim’s red Camaro. They are shown in great detail, especially Flynn’s car because it was very close to the camera. Pee Wee Wallace was on hand with his beautiful Virginian and there’s the yellow Mustang owned by Bill Leavitt and driven by Jim “Superman” Nicoll. That one caught our eye because it had the cool Mach 1 style factory paint job.

The spread of years on the bodies may be of interest to some readers. You’ll see some “new” cars like the Banning Dodge, Leavitt’s Mustang, and Jungle’s Camaro but there are some oldies in there as well, specifically a couple of the Barracudas. A little more proof that lots of guys raced what they had until it expired, burned to the ground, or they were able to scarf up a newer body for cheap.

This is funny car history come to life! Oh, and one last thing. Don’t let the “flat” hoods fool you. There’s plenty of blown goodness powering these things.

PRESS PLAY BELOW TO TRAVEL BACK TO ATCO DRAGWAY IN THE 1970s!


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