Holley has been doing a new video series called Rendered Rides where they put something out there and ask folks to chime in on whether it is good, bad, weird, or what. This latest one is about Funny Cars, or the bodies on them to be more specific. And while the Challenger in the rendering is modern, the message this rendering sends is really harkening back to the days when Funny Cars were identifiable as a specific make and model. And before you argue that you can tell what modern funny cars are supposed to be, keep in mind that this is only because of the badging. Remember, Chevrolet signd with John Force as his sponsor a few years ago and they didn’t have Camaro bodies available for months after the deal was signed. Instead, they ran the Mustang bodies with a Camaro grill and emblems. No, it didn’t look like a Camaro, but it didn’t look like a Mustang either.
Here is the description from the video:
There was a time when nitro-huffing, monsters resembling Challengers, Camaros, Mustangs, and more took to the staging lanes, duking it out on track in a blaze of flames and glory. Today, the Funny Car class has been wind-tunnel-honed into shapes only subtly reminiscent of their brand heritage. We teamed up with designer Rotislav Prokop to imagine what a modern, Mopar, Funny Car might look like.
That’s awesome!
Wouldn’t they first have to start making “Pro Stock” cars look less like funny cars? I certainly think that in “nostalgia” funny car, the cars need to be period correct. But what period? One you kick the ball down the hill, it’s hard to stop it from rolling away.
The NHRA side of the sport is dead to me…
Hell yes
That’s a great rendering! Honestly, what NHRA SHOULD do is far removed from their most recent decisions the last 10 years. The most obvious is their insistence that 1,000 ft. is still racing;- coupled with the fact that they refused to change anything about slowing the engines down. (The resistance to change is similar to NASCAR prior to Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death.)
You’re correct about the Funny Car bodies with all the barge board spoilers and wind tunnel bodies. The bodies are in the Pro Stock class could use the same kind of revisions that look more OEM too.
Unless they change, (doubt seriously), then I probably won’t be changing my decision to boycott any of their races.
Absolutely
i just spit out my coffee when “snot rod” popped into my head! lol!
Yes, without a doubt. To even call them ANY brand of model of car is a complete joke the way they look. Here’s what Is do….make them actually resemble a factory car, mandatory use of stock headlights and grille area, limit the giant flat sides and teardrop roofs, and make the run 1/4 mile again. I’d rather see slower cars I can identify than the ultra fast unidentifiable abortions they are now. They also need to get Pro stock cars back to factory roof and quarters like they were in the 90’s and early 2000’s. And something besides all Camaros please. They look more like funny cars than pro stock cars. Just my two cents.
I agree with you 100%
They must do something! Its friggin boring and how many toyotas do you see with boxy sides? Im tired of going to a local funny car meet and seeing NHRA funnys that with the lock up clutch cant peddle any more worth a damn!
I agree with you 100%
YES! Enough said
The problem with racing is this… They with the most money will win most often – and – once the fast set up is found, everyone will start running it. In the end all the cars will look the same again. And that is what has ripped the heart and soul out of NHRA drag racing. Clone car racing in Top Fuel, FC and Pro-Camaro. Nitro injected clone cars dominating “alcohol” dragster. How about opening alcohol FC to nitro injected and altereds ?
OK, “Big Show” F/Cs will never go back, Nostalgia F/C is headed that direction too. Now about that rendering, with the short WB, odd wheel locations, it reminded me of the Psycho ’66 Mustang/Colt 45 Mustang from the very early FX cars, just plain odd
NHRA = No Hope for Racers Anywhere