Looking at Joe’s photos from Beaver Springs yesterday had us totally cranked up on nostalgia drag racing. That’s led to more than a couple conversations regarding our favorite old drag cars. We’ve got piles of favorites so narrowing them down to just one is virtually impossible. Just picking a favorite class has us mired down pretty bad.
If guns were placed to our head, we’d probably pick Don Garlits’ first rear engine dragster, Swamp Rat 14, as our favorite car ever. Why? Probably because of the way it totally revolutionized the sport, and also because of how spindly, low, and minimalist looking the thing is. It looked a little like a Formula style road racing car of the day being as low slug as it was and also for the driving position. As hairy as the slingshots were, and we’re not discounting that fact, Garlits’ first rear engine machine had the appearance of a guided missile. The totally clean nose, lacking the big pile of Hemi, side canards of modern fuel cars, and humongous nose wing, is so different it is kind of shocking.
So that’s us, now what about you?
What’s your favorite vintage drag car?
[img]http://image.hotrod.com/f/eventcoverage/12072174+w799+h499+cr1+ar0/hrdp_0809_05_z%2Bvintage_funny_car_racing%2Bhot_wheels_dragster.jpg[/img]
Joe’s drag car from that photo looks amazing!!
Wild Willie Borsch’s ‘Winged Express ” and any of the ‘ classic ‘ (pre 50’s bodied ) AA/GS’ers
The Winged Express and just about anything with Stone Woods and Cook on the side of it.
Arnie Beswicks “65 blown GTO funny car. Simple, crude, but a bad ass race car with a driver to match!
TF – Rain for Rent
FC – Fighting Irish or Candies and Hughes
Gasser – All of them
Super Stock – Sox & Martin cars
TF – Swamp Rat XXX
FC – Bruce Larson’s TMI Corvette
PS – Glidden’s ’80 Fairmont
To add to the fray
TJ – Tom ‘ The Mongoose’s last front engined dragster
FC- Roland Leong’s ‘ Hawaiian ‘
PS – Bill Jenkins ‘ Grumpy’s Toy ‘ 69 Camaro
Mr Norm’s SuperCharger.
Herb Fox and his 67 Z28 Camaro ‘Little Hoss” and the Fred Gibb COPO Novas and Camaros.
Wild Willie Borsch’s Winged Express is, to me, the epitome of what a drag car should be. Nothing else even comes close.
The Magicar 🙂
The High and Mighty:
1. It was a very original design when it came out, representing a new approach to building drag cars.
2. It kicked off a lot of the gasser trends.
3. There were a lot of features on it (the eight exahust trumpets and the ginormous long runner intake) that were more over the top than most of the cars it inspired.
Amen!
Wow!!!! Only one???? Ummm, Bob Gliddens P/S T-Bird? Or maybe the Pinto? No wait! Stone Woods and Cook 41 Willys? No, maybe the early Blue Max Mustang F/C? No, I know!! The yello Schumaker Vega. Orrr how about Prudomes Army Vega??? I cant decide!!!!!!!
Richard Petty’s Dodge Charger.
it has to be the 1967 Buick Skylark funny car called “Ingenue”
Could not agree more Chuck…!
Stone, Woods and Cook, A/G Car.
Mike Sullivan’s blue and white Awful Awful Fuel Altered Fiat.
Color Me Gone, the Golden Greek’s Chizzler and Pandemonium are just a few because the are thousands that denote a time and a place.
The Marcellus & Borsch “Winged Express.” Is there any sports photo that can compare to the iconic shot of Wild Willy sideways, drag slick rolled over, and tires smoking?
Big John Mazmanian’s ’61 Corvette gasser & the “Football Car” Austin gasser. That man knew how to build a damn classy racecar!
Most all of them, sorry I can’t pin it down to just a few..! But a shout out goes to Jess Tyree’s metal flake gold/red flamed 69 firebird AA/FC
Wild Willie, no doubt…Screaming hemi,ground shaking and the dude is going sideways in a cloud of rubber.
That, is American kick ass drag raising baby.
Same as it’s been for many years now; the “Midnite Oil” car. 😀
PURE HELL–MONDELLO,MATSUBARA—-local cars, THE ENTERTAINER 55 CHEV, –GUNFIGHTER 57 FORD–YUGO BROS. VETTE– THIS LIST IS ALMOST ENDLESS P.S THE WIDOW MAKER–CAPT. JACK McCLURES ROCKET GO-KART
AA/FA Winged Express and the Color Me Gone AA/FC !
STARDUST Don Schumaker
Any of the Old Reliable Strickler-Jenkins Chevys….
Mooyham & Sharp 34 Ford A / Fuel coupe Bad 554
Jungle Jim or Wild Willie Borsch