Well, I FINALLY got one past you crew of super sleuths yesterday and admittedly it was a nearly impossible job I tasked you with. The guesses were all good and many were getting so close to the bulls-eye that I thought you’d get it but no one came forward with the right one. Even reader Steve Buckley, who knows the story on the engine bit his tongue. Thanks for that Steve!
So, you all nailed the blown Pontiac part, but you didn’t guess what iconic and frankly weird race car it is going into. I made a couple of vague hints in the blog item about someone who was “devoted” to the brand (Pontiac). Well, that someone was none other than Dick Jesse and the car that this engine will eventually fall into is a restored version of his famous Mr. Unswitchable GTO. Jesse’s car was a wild creation that really personified the wide open nature of Funny Car racing in the late 1960s. Using an actual steel roof that was heavily modified and a fiberglass lower body, the car was unique because Jesse’s head stuck clear out of the roof when he drove it. The car has been undergoing a long restoration process here in Massachusetts and someday that Pontiac engine will roar again.
Here’s a couple of photos of Jesse’s car in it’s heyday -
Sticking with the race theme, here’s today’s challenge. This race block is cool for a myriad of reasons. Give us the make on this bad boy and what makes it so neat!
