History For the "old guy's", who built the 1st "funny car"?

the big al 2 was in the game before the comets even and how can you ignore that v12 im sticking to big al seems you guys are stuck on the popular ones it has all elements once you get past nostalgia

 

Uhhhh, once we get past nostagia? The O/P ask a HISTORICAL question. Big Al was a circus act....

 

History isn't what you "make up". History is based on facts.
Just because you want "something" to be "so and so" doesn't make it so.
You haven't a clue what you are even talking about.

As they say, "you can't learn anything with your mouth open".

 

If a funny car is a short wheelbased, tube framed dragster covered by a flip up one piece 'glass body like we can see at any NHRA race today, then it was the Mercury Comets of 1965. Ford Motor Company pretty much invented the class we call Top Fuel Funny Car through their Mercury division. There may have been others that were similar in some ways but I don't think anyone can argue that FoMoCo/Mercury spawned the class 1965. Ford and it's involvement in "Funny Car Eliminator" have come full circle as well. I don't think any auto company has invested as much money, talent and technology as Ford has the past few years into the class. Beginning with aero and driveline help, later chassis, electronic data collection and saftey innovations through the Eric Medlen project. Finally with the Boss 500 engine project (though the NHRA really hemmed them in on this) Ford and John Force have made a huge impact on nitro classes.

 

Well, the Comets came out in '66, not '65...

but, how do you explain the fact that the term "funny car" had been around for a couple of years before the Comets came out?

 

In 1974, a friend was looking for some slicks for his Challenger. We had heard of a guy in Horizon Park (in Tampa) that had some old race parts. We only knew him as "Fast Eddie" He had a ton of stuff! and we sat and talked with him for several hours as he showed us all of his scrapbook stuff and rare parts. He then took us into his back yard where a 64 or 65 Fiberglass bodied Mustang was sitting! He said it was the very first Funny car and that he had built it! It was white and resembled the Gas Ronda car only a one piece body. Anybody ever heard of Fast Eddie?
I don't know if anything he told us was true or not, but it was cool that he spent the time to reminisce and talk hot rods with a couple of teenagers looking for speed parts!

 

That sounds like "Fast Eddie" Schartman, one hell of a racer, one one who drove one of the Logghe/SOHC Comets.
I think he may mean "one of the first funny cars", I don't know, but....
????

I think one of the glitches here is this:
There seems to be two answers for two questions.

What was the first car that was called a "funny car"?
That is the question that I have been trying to answer.

Now, had the question been..."what funny car was the breakthrough car with a full race purpose built chassis and a full fiberglass body?"

Two different questions with two different answers.
The question as poised at the beginning of this thread is asking for which car was the first to be considered a "funny car"?

That is the question of this one thread.....

 

What year was garlits dart roadster....?

 

I'm in Florida. If that is Fast Eddie Schartman I'd love to meet him. Do you know how to get ahold of him still (longshot)? Fast Eddie was and still is a drag racing legend.

 

I agree my mistake it was `66.

 

Like I said... this was in 1974. I do know that the land that his residence was on no longer exists as residential as the Tampa Airport expansion in the '90s took all that land. I did go by the place before the area was leveled to see if anything was left and the property was vacant.

 

hot rod deluxe has an article on big al thats worth a read, may not be the first funny car as in the lifeless hunks of junk that became funny cars no more engineering and real creativity and most of all the willingness to do something different for the drag world. funny cars were the beginning of end. u wanna see funny cars watch modern drag racing and the joke it has become that is what funny cars have done to a great American past time those are funny cars.

 

Ah...Please Define 'Funny Car" First metal body quasi altereds? or altered wheelbase former super stockers ,turned A/FX.. or just a big injected motor stuffed in an old Super Stock .

 

Heres Sox at Dover in 64...running"S/SS"

 

My vote for the first funny car would with my limited knowledge go to the Ramchargers High N Mighty,you have to admit it does look kinda funny but it did kick a**s.
Watching an interview with some of the original Ramchargers,they were always looking for an edge,so they moved the wheelbase a little to get more traction and it worked so they moved it a lot and they cleaned house, then the other racers like Dick Landy followed suit and the track anouncers said they all wanted to see the funny looking car run,then they just called them funny cars,but they were still basically alterd wheelbase factory experimental cars.
That is what i have been lead to believe,if i am wrong then i will get my coat now.

 

I was there too. but at the starting line (think I was getting an In N Out) and would have sworn that Dyno Don was Done

That Mustang of Gas Ronda made an impact on me that lasts to this day! And I can show you pics of my Anglia Gasser having to run as an Altered at Irwindale in 69 as well - (no headlights or rear fenders so it got bumped)

I don't think High n Mighty fits ANYONES description of a "Funny Car", funnly looking as it may be.

 

what about the super chief out of pawhuska ok nelson carter i think he was one of the first at least out of okla

 

He was waaay late to the party....late 60's. Beautiful cars though....

 

afrons green monster with a alison motor

 

Some of you guys are turning this into a farce. Big Al, Green Monster??? Get serious....The O/P ask a legitimate question about a specific style of car.

 

What a great thread, I always thought the Ramchargers were the first to alter the wheelbase, but that the term "funny car" did not appear till the next year when the wheel base alterations became so exaggerated that the cars looked "funny". Without doubt, to me, those were the best days of drag racing.

 

Fred Flintstone

 

Here is the First funny car!

 

This thread is deteriorating rapidly. But Mazooma and Finch have it right.

 

Come on. Dick Landy. Before that were "sneaky" AFX altered wheel bases.
Dick blew the whistle on the Emperor's New clothes.

 

64' you say? Better look at your car pic again, it's a '65. Someone made a mistake when they dated the pic later on. Actually looking at the injectors and tank set-up, it's later season '65.

'65 was an utterly awesome year of transition. I watched some go from carbs & gasoline, to gas & stack injectors, then alky & light nitro, then run heavy loads of nitro and then nitro & huffers - all in one season.

This thread has kinda' degraded into total bull. As said before, Mazooma & Finch have it exactly right.

 

After reading this thread, and relying upon my knowledge of 60's drag racing (I was but a wee pup then), I believe that the early wheelbase doorslammers (Ramchargers, et al) spawned the NAME "funny cars". But I also believe that the later tube-chassis 'glass flip-tops were the first of what would BECOME "funny cars".

Here's where it's weird: I'm not sure I think that there is a direct link between the two. The later "funnies" were a big technological leap from the AWBs. The early AWBs were modified production cars with moved wheels. The later flip-tops were a clean-sheet deal, purpose built to RESEMBLE production cars. The natural evolution of AWBs would be Pro Stock, not the tube-framers. I don't see how you needed the AWB cars to get to the flip-tops, they're far different.

So I think what "funny car" meant at first (AWBs) is NOT what "funny car" meant by the time there was a class for them.

So everybody is right.

 

and after recalling what the original question was, and out of respect for the way in which it was worded........which was....:

History: For the "old guy's", who built the 1st "funny car"?

I rest my case.....



now, if you want to start a thread asking something like...:

"What was the first drag car that had a specially built chassis and fiberglass body similar to what we today recognize as "funny cars"?"

Well, that is a different question which would get a different answer than the question that was asked in this thread.

 

I guess it's the first with Funny Car painted on the side, but I don't think it's probably the first car with the wheelbase altered enough to be called funnycar, since Chrysler released a faqctory bulletin on doing the work at least a year earlier.
Larry T

 

Not a problem. Sometimes it's kinda hard to tell around this place, pop.
Larry T