Old Drag Racing Cars (1 Viewer)

cantdrive55

Nitro Member
I've been thinking about this for a little while. We all know old race cars usually fall down the ranks from their previous glory, aside from Garlits who pretty much kept everything he ever raced. Most racers sold their old cars; successful or not, for new ones. Since it's the off season I thought it might be interesting to discuss and learn who has what, or where something might be located.

Some that I remember are:
Bill Jenkins' 1974 Pro Stock Vega - sold at Barrett Jackson 2007 Scottsdale.
Warren Johnson's 1987 Goodwrench Pro Stock Olds Firenza - sold at Barrett Jackson 2008 Scottsdale.
Don Prudhomme's 1982 Pepsi Challenger Trans Am Funny Car - sold at Mecum 2012 Indianapolis.
Ronnie Sox's Sox & Martin 1968 Super Stock Barracuda - sold at Barrett Jackson 2014 Scottsdale.
Ronnie Sox's Sox & Martin 1971 Pro Stock 'Cuda - sold at Mecum 2016 Indianapolis.
Dave Boertman's Rod Shop 1971 Super Stock 'Cuda - sold at Barrett Jackson 2016 Scottsdale.
Don Prudhomme's 1972 Hot Wheels 'Cuda Funny Car - sold at Barrett Jackson 2017 Scottsdale.
Don Prudhomme's 1989 Skoal Bandit Trans Am Funny Car - sold at Barrett Jackson 2017 Scottsdale.
Tommy Johnson Jr.'s 2007 Skoal Impala Funny Car - sold at Barrett Jackson 2017 Scottsdale.

Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing: (not listing Garlits' cars since they're all there)
Steve Carbone 1965 Creitz, Greer, & Donovan Top Fuel Dragster
Chris Karamesines 1966 Kendall Top Fuel Dragster
Connie Kalitta 1967 Ford Cammer Top Fuel Dragster
Don Prudhomme's 1969 Wynn's Winder Top Fuel Dragster
John Weibe 1970 Top Fuel Dragster
Don Prudhomme's 1970 Hot Wheels Wedge Top Fuel Dragster
Don Prudhomme's 1974 Army 'Cuda Funny Car
Shirley Muldowney's 1980 Attebury Top Fuel Dragster
Tom McEwen's 1983 Coors Corvette Funny Car
Raymond Beadle's 1984 Blue Max Mustang Funny Car
Mark Oswald's 1986 Old Milwaukee Trans Am Funny Car
Darrell Gwynn's 1990 Coors Top Fuel Dragster
Darrell Alderman's 1990-'91 Mopar Pro Stock Daytona
Shirley Muldowney's 2003 Last Pass McKinney Dragster

NHRA Wally Parks Museum:
Tom McEwen's 1978 English Leather Corvette Funny Car
Don Prudhomme's 1979 Army Arrow Funny Car
Bob Glidden's 1980-'81 Pro Stock Ford Fairmont
Frank Hawley's 1982 Chi-Town Hustler Charger Funny Car
Mark Oswald's 1983 Candies & Hughes Trans Am Funny Car
Kenny Bernstein's 1992 Budweiser King Top Fuel Dragster
Warren Johnson's 1997 GM Performance Parts Pro Stock Firebird

Private:
Don Prudhomme's 1968 Shelby Super Snake Top Fuel Dragster - Owned in restored condition by Don Prudhomme in California.
Don Prudhomme's 1994 Skoal Bandit Top Fuel Dragster - Owned in restored condition by Don Prudhomme in California.
Larry Dixon Jr.'s 1995 Miller Genuine Draft Top Fuel Dragster - Owned in restored condition by Don Prudhomme in California.
Larry Dixon Jr.'s 2002 Miller Lite Top Fuel Dragster - Owned in original condition by Don Prudhomme in California.
Don Prudhomme's 1970 Hot Wheels 'Cuda Funny Car - Owned in restored condition by Rick Hendrick in North Carolina
Lee Shepherd's 1981-'82 Pro Stock Camaro - Owned in restored condition by Rick Hendrick in North Carolina
Bruce Larson's USA-1 1969 Camaro Funny Car - Owned in original condition by Bruce Larson in Pennsylvania.
Shirley Muldowney's 1977 Attebury Top Fuel Dragster - Owned in restored condition by Dave Mandella in California.
Warren Johnson's 1980-'82 Pro Stock Olds Starfire - Last I heard it was sitting outside WJ's shop in Georgia.
Lee Shepherd's 1983-'84 Pro Stock Camaro - Owned in restored condition by Delmer McAfee in Texas.
Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s 2000 JEG'S Pro Stock Cutlass - Owned in original condition by JEGS.
Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s 2002 JEG'S Pro Stock Cavalier - Owned in original condition by JEGS.
Don Prudhomme's 1962 Greer, Black, & Prudhomme Dragster - Owned in restored condition by Bruce Meyer.

I'm sure a lot of them are still being raced for example:
Erica Enders-Stevens' 2014-'15 Pro Stock Camaro - I think it's the car she ran during the 2017 Pro Stock season.
 
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Would be cool to see some of the 1950's drag cars restored. I know there is a copy of the Cook & Bedwell car. Original is long gone but the copy looks just like the original. Bean Bandits car, which may have been restored. Stuff like that is what I hope survives, cuz that is our history.
 
Wally Parks Museum:
Joe Amato Valvoline TF dragster
Frank Hawley Chi-town Hustler Dodge Charger
Stone Woods & Cook 41 Willy’s Coupe
Don Garlits/Bruce Larson Kendall TF dragster w/ canopy
Tommy Ivo slingshot & funny car
Fast Jack Beckman Super Comp dragster
Don Prudhomme's 1994 Skoal Bandit Top Fuel Dragster

John Force Racestation has a ton of John’s cars on display from the old Brute Force days of Wendy’s, Mountain Dew, Coca Cola, Leo’s Stereo through Castro, Corvettes to Olds, Chevys and Fords plus a car from Robert, Courtney and Brittany depending on the rotating displays.
 
Joe Amato has WJ's 97 Firenza: http://www.joeamatocars.com/Race Cars/87OF/index.html

Bernstein's 1987 Lesabre Body is somewhere in Florida. When I lived there it was parked right next to Military Trail in Boynton Beach (I think it was at a hole in the wall bar). https://bangshift.com/general-news/...-1987-buick-batmobile-lesabre-funny-car-body/

Also makes me wonder what happened to the cars at Race Rock Cafe. If memory serves, there was a Force Olds, Amato's Valvoline dragster (maybe the one at the Parks museum?), Alderman's Wayne County Dodge, Dave Schultz and John Meyer's PSB's.

And of course, you can't forget that (my favorite car) Swamp Rat XXX is still at the Smithsonian: http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1276317
 
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probably around 10 years ago drove past garlits' buildings in ocala....aside one of the bldgs. in his complex
was what i think i remember an old chuck etchells body.....kendall livery if i recall.....just the body.....looked pretty rough too.
 
I wasn't really thinking about tribute, or clone cars. But I guess in certain circumstances they apply. I kinda forgot about Force having his old cars, and of course the storage of Funny Car bodies at I think the Yorba Linda shop. I think Snake has more than I listed, but he has been selling cars off over the past several years. The 1962 Greer, Black, & Prudhomme car is owned in restored condition by Bruce Meyer, not sure when it was last seen in public though.

You pulled all that info from your memory?:eek:

More or less, I had to Google the auctioned cars to get the correct years they were sold.

probably around 10 years ago drove past garlits' buildings in ocala....aside one of the bldgs. in his complex
was what i think i remember an old chuck etchells body.....kendall livery if i recall.....just the body.....looked pretty rough too.

Gar has undoubtedly the largest collection of drag cars anywhere, and the trip to his place is worth it. It's been a while since I've been there; I have a ton of pics from my last visit, I'd have to look at the time code to get the correct year. I don't recall seeing the Etchells body, but he had a Castrol GTX Force Olds body in the museum It looked to be a '91 or '92; it was the narrowed up Cutlass, not the wider '88-'90 body.


And of course, you can't forget that (my favorite car) Swamp Rat XXX is still at the Smithsonian: http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1276317

Sadly Swampy isn't even on display anymore; hasn't been for a really long time. Personally I think they should give it back to Big. They didn't spend anything on it; so they're not out anything. I just hope they took some care in storing it, otherwise it's probably a mess right now.
 
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George Montgomery`s AA/GS Mustang is at the Peterson Museum in L.A. Just saw it last week.
 
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has a Mark Oswald top fueler. It was on display in 2013 and ‘14. It was not on display in May of 2017 due to a special exibit dedicated to A J Foyt. (Which was VERY good by the way)

I can’t remember precisely which car it was, but I have a picture of it and will post it when I find a good replacement for Photbucket. (Suggestions anyone?)
 
It should be Oswald's 1982 car. I remember it quite well as I thought it was really strange to see a Top Fuel dragster at the IMS Museum. It was on display the last time I was there in 2002, actually it was there the first time I visited the Speedway back in the very early 90's.
 
I believe I took these in 2012 at IMS.

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Gar has undoubtedly the largest collection of drag cars anywhere, and the trip to his place is worth it. It's been a while since I've been there; I have a ton of pics from my last visit, I'd have to look at the time code to get the correct year. I don't recall seeing the Etchells body, but he had a Castrol GTX Force Olds body in the museum It looked to be a '91 or '92; it was the narrowed up Cutlass, not the wider '88-'90 body.

My wife and I visited the Garlits museum in 2010 after watching shuttle Atlantis blast off.
That museum is absolutely amazing and has a much better collection of old cars than does the NHRA museum.
We went to the NHRA museum in March 2017. For me, it was a big letdown when compared to Garlits’ facility.
If I ever get to the Gators (a bucket list race for me), I will definitely go back to the Garlits museum.
 
There are many cars that are in private collections that take part in the Cacklefest scene here on the west coast. Here is a list of original cars (not recreated) that have been shown at reunions and other shows; http://cacklefest.com/cacklecars.shtml

I have to say some of my favorites are the Eagle Electric, Assassin and Smirnoff cars.
 
I believe that the IMS museum also has a Gary Ormsby/Castrol car.

Several years ago they bought the Parnelli Jones collection (except the Big Oly Bronco) in it was the Vels/Parnelli Jones Mustang. I asked one of the curators at the time what happened to it and she stated they donated it to the NHRA museum as they did not need another drag racing car at an Indy car museum.

The IMS museum has a basement full of cars plus as I understand about 5 warehouses full of vehicles (Indycars, pace cars, donated cars). They even had a old fire truck for some reason but it was recently sold.
 
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I believe I took these in 2012 at IMS.

Yep. That's it. It hadn't budged from that spot by the time I visited in 2014 for the 99th running. It looked to be in good shape.

That museum takes good care of their cars. Most of them are not just museum floor queens, but do run, and are occasionally taken out for a few laps. That includes Ray Harroun's 1st running winner.
 
I went to the Indy museum once and the first car I saw was Ray Haroon's (sp?) 1911 Indy 500 winner. Wow.... that just blew me away. Car was restored and it was right there in the entrance. Just seeing that car was worth the price of admission. :)
 
I believe race rock had amatos valvoline car, and dunns la victoria rails.. along with prior mentioned cars... any ideas who got them at auction?
 
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