Always found this car Cool and read some additional info on the net about this early FC .. before it goes to the auction This Mercury Comet Funny Car is the only surviving Comet of five of the first flip-top funny cars that were built in 1966 . The lightweight bodies weighed only 225 lbs and were built for Mercury Racing Division by Plastigage Corp. in Jackson, Mich. The custom stage 1 tube chassis worked was contracted to the Logghe Stamping Co. of Fraser, Mich. The funny car had the first automatic transmission and the first escape hatch. Of the five cars built, Pete Gates Gate Job received the most colorful paint scheme. The car defeated such racers as Arnie The Farmer Beswick, Dyno Don Nicholson, Eddie Schartman, Roger Lindamood, Dickie Harrell, Jungle Jim Liberman, Gas Rhonda and many more. The Comet has its original body, running gear, wheels, chassis and factory magnesium parts. The engine is a genuine 1966 Mercury 427 SOHC.
"Gate Job" Along with the drivers name being Pete Gates this has got to be one of the COOLEST names for a drag car ever.
That car is amazing would like to see some old footage of it going down the track thanks for shareing.
I'm no expert but, I am a bit if a historian on these early AWBs and floppers. I knew of 3 factory Comets in '66- Nicholson, Schartman and Chrisman. Chrismans Roadster burned to the ground, I think at Bristol. Nicholsons Comet body blew off at Irwindale in '66 but, am pretty sure it was repaired. Have not ever heard of the other 2. I know Pete Gates bought Dynos '65 AWB Comet and raced it in '66. Did not know he also got a 66 Comet flopper. so he raced 2 Comets in '66 ( AWB and Flopper)? Not likely. Some related questions for this thread. 1. What is the story on this car? When did Pete take possesion of this car? 2. What about the alleged 5th 'glass Comet? 3. What happened to the others? Steve Hosting- 8th annual Nostalgic Show & Go! April 11, 2010 Phoenix www.nostalgicshowandgo.org
Go to this Thread and follow it for a couple of pages and you will see more about the "Gate Job" http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=335534&highlight=comets&page=20
Nicholson's first body that blew off at Irwindale was taken to the end of the track and burned. He received a replacement body and the other car not mentioned was Kenz and Leslie (777) out of Colorado. Gates received his '66 body in '67 with a new chassis, then later that year received an updated '67 body.
It's a shame the owner is selling it so soon after the resto was completed. He worked on it on and off for years to finally get it done this past summer. It was at the Norwalk Ford event in grey primer. He found the body in an attic cut in half so it would fit up there! Hopefully someone will get it that will share it with others, not just put it in a warehouse and wait for the prices to climb for a resale. It is an awesome looking car. Pete Gates came from a family who was in the furniture business. He ran pretty good with Dyno's help for a couple of years until the family cut off the $$$. He won the 1966 Super Stock Nats in Dyno's '65 car. SS&DI has a cool shot of him in the antiquated '65 car taking on the flip tops and winning. Hydrazine was good to him that day!!!
Chrisman's topless body(it must have been his '67 car) blew off and burned at the '67 Super Stock Nationals in Cecil County, Maryland. It occured just as we were entering the track on our HONEYMOON!! and we're still together.
While still a teenager in the 70's I was among a group of guys that worked on our cars in an old theater in Leetonia,OH. Besides the ambiance that the place had that could never be duplicated, was one of those flop top Mercury bodies gathering dust up against one of the walls.The memories are just too faded for me to say which one it was but I've often wondered what became of it. At the time it was just a discarded piece that nobody really had a use for.
Chrisman's topless car was destroyed at the Super Stock Nationals in 1966, finished the season off in his old 65 Comet (then owned by Dee Keaton). Received a new car (non topless) in 1967.
I'm betting it won't bring near as much as it would have about 2-3 years ago. Barret Jackson would probably be the best place to take it but even the prices they get for historical cars has been down. Frank
I was in the pit side grandstand when that happened an actually got the incident on 8mm movie film, but at a quarter mile away, you have to look for it to see it. I was 15 at the time and everyone in the stands thought that the entire car went airborne. It never dawned on us that it was just the body. But, it was one of those days you never forget. That was possibly the day that was the most visable of the change that was occurring. To my west, you could see all the way down the pits. Along the fence was a dozen or so A/FX cars, ,most with altered wheelbases, but all on a factory platform. Then there was the Nicholson Comet, sticking out above the rest with the body raised like they are today...purpose built Logghe chassis, no factory body panels whatsover, everything all race car. The other cars were, what was, the baddest of the bad just months before. Radical wheelbase alterations, Hilborn stacks about 18 inches worth of Hilborns...blowers weren't seen, yet. But they all started life as a "car", not a "race car". This photo is from the same day...Bill Lawtons Tasca Ford long-nose...one bad MoFo, tilt front end, but not flip top body like the Comets... I went to the drags every weekend at either Irwindale, Lions or Fontana, and from what I would say was "ground zero". That was the day that the AWB, A/FXers started to become obsolete and the new age of purpose built funny cars was ushered in. What a time to be THERE!
I'm in the "I was there club" , I was 11 years old sitting with my dad (RIP) in the first grandstand pit side (starting line) at Irwindale. If I remember right they gave Dyno Don a award at the starting line. The car was in the right lane, after taking pictures Don got in the car fired it up took off and lost the body (which went waaay up in the air) and it landed in the spectator parking lot. My older brother said he saw some guys get the body. I didn't know it was burned . That was a great day for this kid.
After the Judge made a idiot of himself and made a big mess at barrett jackson with the ramchargers cuda, I am surprised they accepted a drag car.
Does anyone know if this is a "running" restoration or just a static display car? I'd like to hear it "cackle" myself.
Jody, It is my understanding, that Earl Wade built that engine, but I don't know how wild it is. I will ask him. Eric
Very true and very well stated. You were watching history during the most exciting era of drag racing and probably did not know it. At 49, I would never want to wish I was older but, I'd give my left nut to spend a month or a few weeks at so cal drag strips in 1965-1966. How fortunate you were to be able to be there and witness all that. I miss the front motor and AWB era in the live but, saw it in the mags. I got to see it in publications and hear from people who were there. Now I have my own AA/FD and have a AWB under construction so I can experience the era myself. Steve
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