Just for yuks and grins (1 Viewer)

[Cliff]

Drag Racing’s Twilight Zone – Streamline Dragsters

The streamline trend has died and come back more than a couple times as ideas, materials, and the need for speed have compelled builders.

www.motortrend.com

One of these cars was driven by Roger Gates. My favorite of all of 'em was The Wedge, Prudhomme's car. Always wonder why no one runs a 'liner today, what with the light weight materials available.

 

[Ramjet]

Drag Racing’s Twilight Zone – Streamline Dragsters

The streamline trend has died and come back more than a couple times as ideas, materials, and the need for speed have compelled builders.

www.motortrend.com

One of these cars was driven by Roger Gates. My favorite of all of 'em was The Wedge, Prudhomme's car. Always wonder why no one runs a 'liner today, what with the light weight materials available.

Where is the article?

 

[Nunz]

Looks like a cool article, but when I go to the link, I get a "Houston we have a problem" message stating there's an issue.

 

[Gone Dead Train]

Where is the article?

Roger is this you in the seat or Jim Moser in the seat? Didn't the car become the
20 Mule Team Boraxo hand soap car?

AA/FD Roger Gates in the seat. 1971 NHRA Supernationals

 

[Ramjet]

Roger is this you in the seat or Jim Moser in the seat? Didn't the car become the
20 Mule Team Boraxo hand soap car?

View attachment 11757

View attachment 11758
AA/FD Roger Gates in the seat. 1971 NHRA Supernationals

Yes - That is me in John (Hippie) Glaspy's "Quicksilver" car. It was the last Jim Davis car built. It had an early Keith Black "Elephant" moter in It. They were 396 cuubic inches. The body made it super heavy. I drove it to shake it down. It was not competitive and they got Boraxo to sponsor the car in the "Pro Comp" Class on alcohol and Jim Mosher drove it.
The bottom picture is the "Cracklin Rose" Wagner & Diaz SPE car. Tied for # 1 Qualifier but Wiebe got it by running 1/2 MPH faster. Beat Clayton Harris in the first round but had a fire that was what National Dragster said was the worst fire anyone got out of basically unharmed at that time. Still have some breathing problems from it.

 

[Cliff]

I just clicked on the link I sent and article came up. I found it on line, from Motor Trend, with the title from above. Has a ton of streamliners and some that really ain't Liners, but cool photos.

Drag Racing’s Twilight Zone – Streamline Dragsters

The streamline trend has died and come back more than a couple times as ideas, materials, and the need for speed have compelled builders.

www.motortrend.com

OK, posted it again.

 

[Bobby Bennett]

Written by the same one who penned the blockbuster article about how Pomona was closing. I think I will wait until a more reputable source writes the same article.

 

[Cliff]

Bobby, are you talking about the Streamliner article?

 

[Gone Dead Train]

Yes - That is me in John (Hippie) Glaspy's "Quicksilver" car. It was the last Jim Davis car built. It had an early Keith Black "Elephant" moter in It. They were 396 cuubic inches. The body made it super heavy. I drove it to shake it down. It was not competitive and they got Boraxo to sponsor the car in the "Pro Comp" Class on alcohol and Jim Mosher drove it.
The bottom picture is the "Cracklin Rose" Wagner & Diaz SPE car. Tied for # 1 Qualifier but Wiebe got it by running 1/2 MPH faster. Beat Clayton Harris in the first round but had a fire that was what National Dragster said was the worst fire anyone got out of basically unharmed at that time. Still have some breathing problems from it.

AA/FD From one of many Drag Racing Photo Great magazines, I have in my collection.
It's 1971 and Roger Gates is trying to turn himself into a crispy critter. (It didn't work out)
I for one am really grateful for racers like Roger and fans (You know who you are) for giving
their insight on the glory years of drag racing (60s & 70s) I started going in 1968, 9 years old.
I'm stuck in the 60s and 70s and don't give a rats ass what people think. That's my final answer!

AA/FD Forever!

 

[Dennis]

Looks like a cool article, but when I go to the link, I get a "Houston we have a problem" message stating there's an issue.

I keep getting it too. Here's the Google cache of the article: https://webcache.googleusercontent....treamline-dragsters/&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Weird how some of us get the error and some don't!

Also, don't know why I never noticed it before, but I assume the Snake had to walk on the body every time he got in/out?

 

[Cliff]

Hmmmm I wonder if it's a computer program that blocks the article? I use Duck Go and it blocks content for certain items (for "privacy" reasons". I like to go on Edmunds to research cars and recently McAfee has blocked it; sez Edmunds is "phishing". Never had that problem before. Well, just thought I'd throw that out.

 

[J. S.]

I keep getting it too. Here's the Google cache of the article: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cachea_GpFD5Ik8J:https://www.motortrend.com/features/drag-racings-twilight-zone-streamline-dragsters/&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=u

That link finally worked for me. Thanks for posting it. That was a real good article. Longer article than most, and a reasonable amount of depth - covering many more cars than the usual ones we have all read about so many times before.

 

[glofria]

Unless I missed it, the article didn't mentioned the Dunn & Kruse rear engine car. Still an interesting read though.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/188025353175904507/

 

[Gone Dead Train]

Unless I missed it, the article didn't mentioned the Dunn & Kruse rear engine car. Still an interesting read though.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/188025353175904507/

Fantastic trick photography. The car (chassis) was one and the same, The idea was to run AA/FD and AA/FC
just by changing the body. Looking at a couple of my 1973 issues of Drag Racing USA magazine. By all
accounts the car only ran twice with the dragster body. AHRA race at OCIR and the AHRA Grand American
race at Fremont, and what the article says it rained at Fremont and the dragster body never did see the
track. Did the body ever run again? One thing for sure, Doug Kruse was a master tinman.

1973 at Fremont

 

[Cliff]

I was at that race (OCIR). Dunn went to Rd 2 with the dragster body and I think Rd 2 or 3 with the funny car body. Busy pit area! Dunn had the most successful back motor funny car; only one to win a Nat'l event (Ontario).

 

[Gone Dead Train]

I was at that race (OCIR). Dunn went to Rd 2 with the dragster body and I think Rd 2 or 3 with the funny car body. Busy pit area! Dunn had the most successful back motor funny car; only one to win a Nat'l event (Ontario).

Very cool Cliff. I would have bet money that you were at OCIR that day. Saw the Cuda body at
Seattle a couple of times.

 

[Cliff]

Funny how long ago Lions, Fernando, OCIR etc were. But I go look at my old photos and it all comes back (more or less).

 

[glofria]

The Dunn & Kruse body is still around. I remember going to an open house at one of the big salt flats racer's barn down in Long Beach (the name I can't remember) and there it was hanging in the rafters. That's what reminded me when seeing the article.

 

[Cliff]

Wonder if that fellow wanted to use the body as a Bonniville car? It actually looked more like that than a dragster.

 

[Gone Dead Train]

Wonder if that fellow wanted to use the body as a Bonniville car? It actually looked more like that than a dragster.

Even as a teenager back then. I thought Dunn's car and the wedge cars of the day, looked cool and silly at
the same time (Sorry Cliff, if I remember the Snake wedge AA/FD one of your favorites?) Here is my issue
of Drag Racing USA Sept,1971 The Snake said the wedge was a good idea, but the weight and maintenance
were the drawbacks to this design. From what I can remember and find out, the Snake went conventional
within a month or two. Pretty sure the only wedge car I saw run (1972, 2 or 3 times) The late Kenny Goodell.
One thing for sure. I love tripping back in time!

AA/FD Same car without the wedge body

AA/FD 1972 From the Great Northwest it's the "Action Man" Kenny Goodell
Goodell always had pretty cars!