In 1964 drag racing changed forever. It was at this time that the recently started Factory Experimental classes took a crazy turn. Some of these cars crossed the line and were no longer legal for NHRA’s classes and that is what ultimately led to what would become Funny Cars. Check out this awesome video from Tommy Lee Byrd, the Hot Rod Hoarder, as he takes us on a deep dive of how Funny Cars came to be, and some of the combos that led us there.
Video Description:
Drag racing history wouldn’t be complete without Funny Cars and funny cars wouldn’t exist without the OUTLAWS of drag racing. The earliest forms of funny cars were illegal Factory Experimental cars that didn’t fit the rules of NHRA or AHRA classes. These cars previously ran in the A/FX class, but would later become a sensation that deserved its own classification. Funny Car racing wasn’t official until 1967, but there were lots of great cars between 1964 and 1967 that led to this class formation.
In this video, we’re diving deep into the history of several early funny cars, including Jack Chrisman’s famous nitro-burning Mercury Comet, the Tiger II ’65 Chevelle, the Dixie Twister, and MANY more. We’ll even throw in a few clips of the Southeast Gassers Association A/FX class, which pays tribute to the early days of match racing and funny cars. Then, at the very end we have a couple examples of late ’60s and early ’70s funny cars to show how far these cars evolved in such a short amount of time.
