The mid 1960s “Match Bash” cars were the last evolutionary step before Funny Cars with flip top bodies showed up on the scene and became the hot ticket to the winner’s circle. The rules were very loose and the Detroit manufacturers were making wild alterations to their race cars in order to one up the other companies they were battling for the hearts and minds of American performance car buyers. No one took this as far as Chrysler did with their altered wheelbase machines. Guys like Dick Landy, Sox and Martin, Bob Harrop, and the Ramchargers got their mitts on these factory built creations and laid waste to the competition in match races and large meets across the country. This car is an amazingly accurate tribute to those days.

Built by Rich Lefebvre, this is supposedly the last AWB car he constructed. Lefebvre’s creations were all very much correct for the period that these cars raced, in looks anyway. The only real modern update to this machine is the EFI conversion to the Hilborn style stack injection. Everything else is 1960s stuff.

Speaking to the detail of the build, Lefebvre went so far as to do the front suspension in the correct manner by using elongated torsion bars and a relocated K-member and control arms. Later cars used the straight axle from a Dodge van, but the first cars that came down the pipe were independent front suspension setups and it is generally agreed that the handled better, which is relative because it probably handles like a pissed off school bus at top speed.

The 511ci Hemi sends power to a Torqueflite and it all ends up at a relocated Dana 60 with 4.56 gears. As light as this car is and with the power and gearing that provides the go power, it will probably run deeply into the 11s and maybe even touch the 10s if you have the sack to hold the pedal down long enough.

The interior is perfect, the refrigerator white paint is perfect, the steel wheels are perfect, and the overall vibe is sublime. This is one recreation done to a level that most casual, non-drag geeks would never even know it was not the real McCoy. We hope whoever buys it has it in their heart to pound on the car some at the drags. After all, that is what these things were built for, right?

eBay Link: 1965 Coronet A/FX Recreation – Hemi power!

1965 Dodge Coronet A/FX recreation

1965 Dodge Coronet A/FX Recreation interior

511ci Hemi with EFI stack injection!

Dig the sexy freakshow wheelbase!