July 19: Funny car and a cat

 Here she is, the world(?) famous Car Modeling Cat, my model building partner, checking out the instructions for building a vintage Funny Car from about 1970. The "Rambunctious" Charger build has been stalled due to poor instructions, that both she and I are having a hard time with. Not near as straightforward as the one we just finished.........

I like the old Funny Car's, as I remember seeing many of them run way back in the day. Never did see this particular Chi-Town Hustler 1970 Charger from Illinois, but always liked the car anyway. Run by three partners, Farkonas (a pilot and the main $ man), Coil (the mechanic) & Minick (the driver), for many years until they went their separate ways. If the name Coil sounds familiar it is. Austin Coil joined John Force's team as crew chief in the mid '80's and of course, you know what happened then. Force, the perennial runner up, started to win and has become the winningest driver in NHRA history.

But back to the Chi-Town Hustler..........nostalgia Funny Car racing replicates the old racers with more or less modern powertrains generating a lot more power. The current racers all look the same, but there was a time when they looked almost exactly like their street counterparts. Like this one........

At last weekend's Nitro Nationals (see July 16th's blog), there were two nostalgia cars, but this one really got my attention (with 3000 HP hard not to), the 1973 Chi-Town Hustler. This came after the one the CMC and I just built. As you can see big name sponsors, in this case Revell, had come on the scene. You could also buy a scale model of your favorite at your local hobby shop.

I remember seeing the original of this car run at the long gone Georgetown Dragway just outside Toronto. They used to run Wednesday nights and booked in some great shows. The new Chi-town belongs to Ontario resident, Doug Cadman, who has quite a collection of famous old dragsters. Although they don't come near the 8000 HP monsters of today, their 3000 HP sure gets your attention.

Compared to the modern machines these nostalgia pieces are tame, but there is something unique about their sound that takes one back, way back. And who wouldn't like watching a race with cars that look "real" as opposed to a carbon fiber covered arrow? The good ol' days?

Until next time.......