It’s pretty fair to say that “nostalgia” drag racing really found another gear right around the year 2000. This was when the Cacklefest was created and a time period where people not only were building cars that LOOKED like old school drag machines, they were actually rebuilding and recreating some of the most legendary machines the sport has ever known. This car that we found for sale on eBay is a gem. It is the utterly accurate recreation of one of 1960s California’s most gnarly top fuel cars, the Safford-Gaide-Ratican “Sour Sisters” top fuel car. This baby won AHRA national events, loads of local races, and was a legit challenger to win wherever it pitted. No matter the day of the week or the track.
The original version of this car kind of peaked in terms of its ability to kill the competition in 1964. Using a nitromethane burning 400ci Olds engine, it was one of the few and the proud top fuelers to ever win anything with Olds power and while the Olds did not prove to be a viable plant after the introduction of the hemi, it did have a day in the sun and there’s no doubt that this car inspired imitators during its heyday.
How accurate is the reproduction? The original chassis builder did the chassis, the paint color and lettering is spot on, Kenny Safford (a guy who’s career this car helped launch) built the engine just like he did back in the 1960s, and it burns the same acrid and awesome fuel that it did back in the day. Long story short this baby is dead nuts on.
The car has been a Cacklefest participant since 2000, it has a spot in the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum, It can perform burnouts and exhibit squirts and it’s a damned fine example of the closing of top fuel’s short, wild, non-hemi dominated era. The money is spot on as well.
eBay: The recreated Sour Sisters dragster from the 1960s is for sale – legendary car!
The original listing has expired. New listing here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274066300591?ViewItem=&vxp=mtr&item=274066300591
Starting bid of $60k. Don’t know what the reserve is, but I know $85k will buy it….
Notable, Kenny Safford moved to the Chicago area in 1969 to drive the Mr. Norm’s funny car for Gary Dyer. He was with them deep into the 1970’s.
Sadly, both Peppmuller, who built both chassis, and Safford, passed within days of each other in April of 2014. Both were members of the famous Road Kings car club which included Ivo and Prudhomme.