It’s since been restored and appears at nostalgia events such as the annual California Hot Reunion, held at historic Famoso Raceway, outside Bakersfield. Tucker later modernized the car with a big, blown Chrysler Hemi and the domination continued. There was no more feared or competitive AA/Street Roadster than Hugh Tucker’s ’29 Chevy bodied, (’32 Ford grille shell) blown Olds powered car. Many claimed this killed the A/GS class, but Nitro Funny Cars were more to blame as fans craved smoke, flames and noise! His ’33 Willys wound up with a blown, 427 SOHC Ford “Cammer” before George went to a ’66 Mustang.īy 1967-68 the high-water mark for A/GS rivalries had led to abandoning the classic Willys bodies for sleek, modern sheetmetal. In spite of big, blown Chrysler power in the S-W-C Willys, George’s blown small-block Chevys often prevailed at Indy. The rivalry between S-W-C and “Ohio George” Montgomery was fierce in the 60’s. Doug Cook is on the left.Ħ0’s A/GS rivals gathered at the NHRA Nationals for a hotly contested class shoot-out, to claim national superiority… and sign contracts for match races with the scores of track promoters on hand! Here Doug Cook wheelstands against NY standout Jack Merkel’s ’33 Chevy powered Willys at the ’65 Nationals. “A” was ink well-deep, black lacquered, and bad-ass fast! Long time friend of Stone and Woods, Jack Engle, designed and ground special roller cams for the nationally famous team. S-W-C built a second Willys coupe, “Swindler A” with all the tricks, including the switch to big-inch (480 CID), blown Chrysler Hemi power and a B&M Hydro-Stick trans. “Cookie” was a constant with the S-W-C team. Driver-mechanic Doug Cook joined them, first with this Oldsmobile powered, ’41 Willys. Fred Stone and Leonard Woods, Jr., were among drag racing’s earliest African-American figures. The famous Stone-Woods and Cook blown Gassers were legendary. Note the FC inspired coil-over front suspension. Pittman. ‘Maz left A/GS fora storied career with nitro Funny Cars and their lucrative booking fees. Called “The Football”, it was later run by K.S. Still, among the faithful, drag racing, at least in spirit, remains alive and well in the hearts and minds of graying veterans who long for the days when raw horsepower, smoking tires and slamming torque were everyday topics in The Golden State.īig John Mazmanian had this Austin sedan built into a customized “coupe”. Even Pomona’s famed LA County Fairgrounds are restricted to a few races per year. In So-Cal, Orange County, old Irwindale, Fontana, Riverside, Santa Ana and Carlsbad disappeared into the dust of a hazy, golden California sunset. Noise and traffic were issues, but exploding land values doomed California’s drag strips. Once remote drag strips became prime real estate. Like the rest of the nation, CA was heading for the suburbs. The ’69 Manson Family murders, the deadly concert at Altamont Speedway and a growing anti-Vietnam War movement changed California, and the nation.įinally, those ubiquitous California drag strips fell to So-Cal’s real estate moguls. Other, social changes were also in the works. Ironically, heavy industry and powerplants were largely ignored. The infamous LA smog spurred government to sharply reduce vehicle emissions. Even little old ladies from Pasadena drove shiny-red, Super Stock Dodges!Īs the 60’s waned the culture changed. Hot rods, drag racing and surfing were cool. All benefited from a hot rod culture that created scores of drag strips, and was even reflected in the pop music of The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, The Ventures and others. Many racers began their careers first in Gassers, and then up through Top Fuel and Funny Car. Pittman, Junior Thompson, Kohler Brothers, Shores & Hess, Big John Mazmanian, Hamberis & Mitchell and what seemed like “a cast of thousands” filled the stands and the pages of Drag News, National Dragster, Drag Times and Drag World as well as the monthly magazines. Before Funny Cars grabbed the spotlight, blown Gassers were kings, and spawned a huge following. In particular, California’s supercharged Gassers created a lasting heritage of heroes. From the 50’s through the 60’s, Gassers and the other Street/Modified Eliminator classes were both popular and plentiful. Arguably, the candy apple red, A/Gas Supercharged, 480 CID Chrysler Hemi powered ’41 Willys coupe of “Big John” Mazmanian symbolizes the Gassers of California during the 60’s, shown here at the Winternationals, Pomona, CA.Īs the birthplace of drag racing, California once enjoyed a bountiful Gasser legacy.
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