There are lots of things in life that are acquired. We have acquired skills that we learn after hanging out with people who are good at stuff for a long time or practicing on our own, we have acquired tastes for things like bourbon, beer, and other foods, and we have acquired knowledge that we get from experiencing things. For those of you that are into drag racing and have spent lots of time at the track your ears are pretty well trained we’d guess. You can discern between four, six, and eight cylinder engines, you can tell when clutches are slipping or locking up, and in the case of nitro cars you can tell who is running a big load, a weak load, and maybe even what type of engine they have. If you aren’t there yet, let this video give you a little education about the pure beauty of what a 496ci Chevy wedge motor on an 85% load with a small fuel pump and a small blower sound like. It is a crisp staccato that will make you smile and make the hair on your next stand up. This is the sound of what a funny car was in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Before the massive fuel pumps and before the hemi became the only nitro noise maker in the class.

The car here is Houston Platt’s old Dixie Twister Camaro and it is the original car. Found and restored over a period of years by Randall Davis who crewed for Platt back in the day it is a faithful look back at the world of a match racing funny car maven back in the day. As you will see in this video, somethings are a little different, like the available traction on a set of modern slicks. There’s a big wheelie involved! The car does not set any ET records or anything like that but it is perfection in and unto itself. The sound, the look, and the knowledge that one of Platt’s old crew guys is driving tells a powerful cackling story, the kind that we love more than any others around here.

PRESS PLAY BELOW TO HEAR ONE OF THE BEST SOUNDING OLD SCHOOL 496ci CHEVY NITRO BURNING CARS IN THE COUNTRY – HOUSTON PLATT’S DIXIE TWISTER