Since today’s the day that Hot Rod Magazine Drag Week 2017 arrives at historic Byron Dragway in Illinois, we thought it would be cool to look back on the good old days of the class in the form of this video from 1973. Things sure have evolved since the early 1970s and today’s cars are sleeker, safer, and exponentially faster. They do lack some of the personality of the classics though as those cars had unique factory looks that people really loved.

Thanks to a hot tip from pal o’ BangShift Dawn Mazi Hovsepian, we’re able to share this fantastic video from the 1973 Manufacturer Funny Car Showdown which was held at the awesome Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois. This race really drew them out with the Chi-Town Hustler, Shirley Muldowney, The Blue Max, Don Schumacher’s Wonder Wagon ‘Cuda, the Snake and the Mongoose, and a pile of regional nitro burning heroes. The film was made on a Super 8 camera so there isn’t sound, but that didn’t stop us from being totally into it for the five minute length of the video.

This is a perfect time capsule of the nitro funny car scene in 1973! What’s kind of incredible to think about is the fact that loads of street cars that have driven hundreds of miles will be faster than these nitro burning floppers were back in 1973!

PRESS PLAY BELOW FOR 5-MINUTES OF VINTAGE FUNNY CAR ZEN!