To the unknowing, he is an older guy, short in stature, and packing a set of Popeye looking forearms that have been built up doing God knows what. To gearheads, he is the living embodiment of everything right with hot rodding’s past, its present, and now potentially its future. Like the title says, listen to Big Daddy talk about his electric dragster, that’s what the video below is about. Don Garlits has been on a hardcore quest to break 200mph in his electric dragster for a few years now and starting from scratch he has already gotten the thing running nearly 190mph.
He has been stymied by the problems anyone has when trying to break mechanical barriers. Parts attrition, delays, time, resources. Well, as we learned at SEMA, those roadblocks are being removed and removed quite judiciously by the largest name in the high performance aftermarket.
Holley has launched its new EVi division by partnering with Garlits and helping him break that most magical of drag strip barriers, 200mph. He did it back in 1963 with piston power and he wants to be the first over it in a car with electricity.
This video relives the 1963 moment in vibrant color and it really lets us in on the thought process that Garlits has had for this project since the beginning. He wants to see drag racing live and thrive forever, even when the forces of the world seem to be conspiring against it on some levels and even some that are increasing year over year.
Noise, pollution, fuel availability, all of these things could be potential problems in the future and this is one solution to give people viable options and perhaps a new generation a more interesting way to compete.
We do not have a stated timeline from Holley on their upgrades and tweaks to the car but we do know that they are not going to waste any time with this deal and they want to see it happen sooner rather than later. We’re going to keep our ears down and see what we can hear but rest easy knowing that when this happens, we’ll be hot on the trail of the news.
Unmatched.
Always the innovator. Once the electric dragster is perfected who will be the first to try an electric funny car? I say Big Daddy!
We don’t care about an electric dragester
You might not. Plenty of people do.
Its just like when the import craze kicked off 20 years ago. People cried foul and “I’ll never watch one of them turbo things” but we’ve all learned to coexist at the track. Electric race cars won’t take over, the V8 will still be there
Shut up idiot.
I guess if I lived in Florida, was retired, and old, I would race electric as well like my golf cart
Get rid of that ancient roller chain drive and go with a carbon fiber timing belt like they use on the blowers of today. Should be about the same width as the chain so no space constraints to worry about.
Show some respect to the king of drag racing!
Tough crowd, tough crowd I tell ya. I get no respect.
You are the King Big Daddy and you always will be.
Love this guy! Innovative when it comes to speed, safety, and sincerity about his craft. Hope we are all as fiery as him at that age. Have met the man more than once read his book and gave it to my grandchildren to read. They don\’t come any better than BIG DADDY!
Big Daddy is a living legend need to show respect if not for some of the things he perfected drag racing would not be were it is today
Garlits WILL get it done!!
Unbelievable the man is a greenie. Must be from all those nitro fumes over the years.
If you want to go Goofy then go D I E S E L !
Wundering if I recognized that motor. Started as a pair?
met his buddy tc lemons at his home at the time in lenard oklahoma, i was looking for some some old hemi parts, he was a very nice guy , he spoke very highly of the man which says a lot. race on big thank you . bill