Very cool. If you don't have this movie, add it to your hot rod stash. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1718898/
It is not a "Re-creation" as the title story suggest. It is the real car, the first time it was restored was done shoddy, Don go it back and went thru it again with help of the original builder Don Long
I think the "recreation" they are talking about, is recreating the original tire smoking, flame throwing footage from back in the day. Anyone got a copy of the original to compare to the new stuff?
That's about the most abusive tease we could imagine, no? I mean I have to play it over and over just to maintain the anticipation! The night shot is perhaps the worst of it. Sick man, really sick...
I saw this car race at the Beach when it was one of the baddest in the country. Glad to see they got it making noise again.
SHIT! I'm gonna need a razor to remove the goose bumps. Is there ANY car guy, who DIDN'T have the Hot Wheel's Snake and Mongoose Set?
Strikes like a snake. "I get asked that question a lot, but there’s really no great story behind how I got that nickname. One of the crew guys from back in the early days made the comment that when I left the starting line, I had a quick reaction, like when a snake strikes. I didn’t really care for it at the time, but I learned to like it and it definitely stuck." Don
First off, we’d like to thank @Ryan for posting this. To clear a few things up, this is video is of the original “Shelby Super Snake,” complete with Don Long chassis, Ed Pink Cammer and none other than Don Prudhomme behind the wheel. A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to spend the day with Prudhomme at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield. Although we’ll have the full feature in TRJ #72, we’re particularly excited about the high angle, head-on shots captured by our car-mounted camera. This was inspired by Bob Swaim’s Car Craft centerspread from June 1968, as posted above. Stay tuned for a more in-depth video in the near future and the full story in issue #72!
To me, that Car Craft centerspread ranks as one of the absolute best drag racing action shots I've ever seen. I liked it so much I kept it for years, finally getting Don to sign it at B.I.R. during his 1994 "Final Strike" tour. Still one of my favorite wall-hangers. That teaser preview was just evil.
Bout a year ago both funny car rigs (yellow and and red Dodge haulers w/Snake & Mongoose cars loaded) were up for sale on one of those auction shows (Barret Jackson or whatever) at what I deemed a very reasonable price. No one bid on em and they didn't sell. I couldn't believe it. If I were a gozillionaire, they would've gone to the house (maybe why I'm not a gozillionaire.)
They did sell. Nascar team owner (and mega car dealer) Rick Hendrick now owns them as he negotiated a deal after the auction. Roo
Be sure to checkout Joey (@J.Ukrop) Ukrop's excellent "SHELBY SUPER SNAKE" article [with photos by Steve Coonan / Geoff Miles (@TRJ)] in issue Number Seventy Two of the Rodder's Journal: Back in 1967 the team of Lou Baney, Ed Pink and Don Prudhomme dominated Top Fuel drag racing with their SOHC-powered slingshot. Nearly 50 years later, Prudhomme restored the car with the help of the original team. Just like the first time around, the dragster is based on the same Don Long chassis and runs a multi-thousand horsepower Ed Pink Cammer. This isn’t strictly a display piece—Prudhomme was excited to jump back in the seat and do some smoky burnouts for our cameras in Bakersfield. As an added bonus, this article includes a double-sided three-page foldout of the Super Snake cackling and shooting flames, making this issue even more collectible.
On a side note (from a San Diego Union-Tribune news story about @rodster's passing): Ralph Whitworth’s love of cars led to a long-time friendship with auto racer Don “The Snake” Prudhomme. “I just barely got out of high school, but we were still on the same level in getting in these conversations,” said Prudhomme. “I have been with him driving to some hot rod shop. He’s talking to Meg Whitman on the cell phone, and he couldn’t wait to get off the phone so we could go look at wheels for a hot rod.” A couple of weeks ago, Prudhomme told an ailing Whitworth that he probably would not attend Nitro Night, a hot rod event in Escondido held Friday. “Ralph says to me, ‘You better go,’” said Prudhomme in an interview. “These guys are your fans. Paul McCartney goes on tour and makes millions of dollars, but when he’s in Liverpool he plays for free. “So Ralph passed away yesterday. The car is in the trailer. I am going there tonight,” said Prudhomme. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1452289051464402 video by Pam Conrad images by Chick (@barebones32) Koszis
Thank you @HEMI32 and everyone for the kind words. This was a challenging yet fun issue to put together, and we're excited with how it turned out. We'll be back in Bakersfield for the Hot Rod Reunion and we hope to see you all there. In the meantime, we're offering the Prudhomme (newsstand cover) to subscribers for $7.98—half off the newsstand price—until midnight tonight. If you're interested, here's the cover and here's the link.
The Jalopy Journal
