Ever See Bill Coburn's Iron Mistress? (1 Viewer)

[TopFuel@Lions]

Anybody on here see the outrageous and ultra radical "Iron Mistress" dragster owned by Bill Coburn? This contraption featured two rear slick per side, 2 axels, and 2 blown Chryslers. This things had a "Messerschmitt" type body. The brave soul that shoed it for the most part was Neil Leffler, dude had some sack to drive this thing, it ran over 170mph.



TopFuel@Lions

 

[dutch52]

can u post a site to go to to c it ??

 

[MM]

 

[Cliff]

I have seen photos and videos of this monster. Weighed a ton but must have been wild to see in person. Check out that chute. this is what they ran back then, humongous size chute like paratroopers used. I remember seeing these in early 1960's. Sometimes the chute coming out would pick up the rear of the car. BTW, that car body was from a real car (google it). Had 3 wheels & a tiny engine. You had to be braver than an AA/FA driver to drive that car on the street.

 

[Cliff]

History - Comp Coupes, All but forgotten?

[ATTACH][ATTACH] Dye getting the jump on Gary Cagle/Herbert Cams FED at Lions Hello, The most unusual competition coupe from Eldon Dye went through...

www.jalopyjournal.com

These cars, Competition Coupes & Sedans and Modified Roadsters went from cars with engine set back to basically dragsters with coupe or roadster bodies. I think they were, in a sense, the fore runners of funny cars. What is an F/C? It's a short wheelbase front engined dragster with a replica of a car body. I used to love these cars. Some of them on nitro would qualify & race in Top Fuel in the 1960's. The last AA/FMR (AA/Fuel Modified Roadster) was Larry Dixon Sr, in the Fireside Inn car. Used to see him run T/F at San Fernando in 1968-69.

 

[DG]

Larry wasn't the last , but one of several. He transitioned back up into a traditional TF'er, as a lot of us did.
Here is out Butters and Gerard AA/FMR, driven by Dave Hage and occasionally, Larry Sutton!

 

[Cliff]

Wow, didn't know Sutton drove the roadster. Cool! I remember you guys running the modified roadster. Somewhere I have a B/W photo taken at San Fernando of one of your cars. Also remember you guys going to Top Fuel. AND, he said, I once went to Irwindale, & you guys had a B/ED. It rained out the meet, but I remember talking to you guys about the car. I remember all this stuff, right? Ask my wife what she told me yesterday that I forgot. HA

 

[DG]

Larry was an occasional driver, as was primarily the starter. Dick Huerta was the last driver.
The roaster stated life as our second TF car, that ran with a chute pack body at some of the bigger events.
We had two more TF'ers later.

 

[DG]

Here is the next TF'er:

 

[DG]

HERE is our last TF'er. When we had the Bonney Tool sponsorship, Fred Farndon drove and our final driver was Mike Clancy.

 

[DG]

In the early 70's, our combo was obsolete and buying new rear engine car and 426 engine was too expensive for us.
We had Kenny Cox build us a car for the then new Econodraster class. I drove that car. [that's one of the crew guys in the car]:

 

[Cliff]

I remember Fred Farndon. Was Mike Clancy a JR/F racer at one time, Clancy & Carpenter? When I saw the B/ED, it was new, just had a shorty body on it. Boy what a change from T/F to Comp Elim, but this car was a lot easier on the wallet. What happened to the car?

 

[DG]

The same Mike Clancy! Great guy and active in the Nostalgia Racing groups.

Fred Fardon recently was running Nostalgia Funny Car on the East Coast, but I think he just retired from driving at 80!

Huge change from a blown fuel Chrysler to a 366 ci small block Chevy! We got a lot of help from the other Comp racers and especially the technical guys at Edelbrock. After several years of racing the B/ED, my partner, Bill Butters, decided he would rather go camping and fishing. We sold off most everything to a guy in Colorado. He ran it for a couple of more years and then I lost track of him.



Here is an very early 1974 picture the car, likely about when you saw it:

 

[Cliff]

Yeah that looks about right. Car may not have been painted when I saw it. Good memories. Car looks short by todays' standards. What does B/ED run now? 6.90's, something like that. I have lotsa memories of the old tracks I used to go to, including OCIR.

 

[DG]

The current record for the B/ED class is 1/4 mile: 6.75 seconds to a 7.48 second index.
However, under the recent personal CIC rules they regularly run .600+ seconds under Personal CIC index during qualifying and "wheel race" to stay under -.600 seconds to their index, if possible, to not change it. "Complicated Eliminator"!

​

​

​