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Today, the cars that were campaigned in that fabulous era are in a state of resurgence. While there are certainly some that will never see the racetrack again, restored as exact artifacts of the era, others have received the necessary safety upgrades and are being readied to hit the strip again in 2002. We thought it would be nice to give the readers a chance to find out who is doing what with which cars. Jim Paulson, Kenosha, WI
'65 Jake's Speed Equipment Plymouth
Vehicle: Original restored.
Original owner: Paul Candies and Leonard Hughes, Houma, Louisiana
Best e.t.: 9.89/134 mph The shortened Jake's Speed Equipment Plymouth, the first Funny Car entry of noted race team Candies and Hughes, has been a regular at nostalgia events in the Midwest for several seasons. Owner/driver Jim Paulson plans to run several events focusing on Great Lakes Dragway, the Monster Mopar Weekend in St. Louis, the Goodguys Nationals in Indy, and several other regional Mopar and nostalgia drag shows. This car is considered the forerunner of many restored cars today, debuting with Chet Gibbs' Jayhawker during an appearance at the Chrysler Classic in Columbus in 1995. Jett Townsend will continue on the tuning chores. Craig Handley and Bob Pickle, St. Louis, MO
'65 El Toro Plymouth
Vehicle: Original restored
Original owner: Ed Haulsey, St. Louis, Missouri Jett Townsend is also involved in the El Toro car, which will be running out of former A/FX racers Craig Handley and Bob Pickle's stable. The car is injected on alcohol with Bob behind the loud pedal, and the car will probably be at many of the events that the Paulson/Townsend juggernaut attend in 2002. The car is currently in the paint shop. The A990 Belvedere was converted to AWB trim in 1966 using blueprints obtained from Dick Maxwell at Chrysler by owner Ed Hausley. Handley and Pickle owned the car twice, obtaining it again in sad shape in 1997 at the urging of Townsend and Chet Gibbs. The four-year restoration includes new suspension pieces from Just Suspension, upgraded safety equipment, and should be ready to rumble early in the season. Postscript
There are other cars out there. Dan Fuller recently sold a replicated altered-wheelbase car that will probably end up on the race track. Several private collectors are still working on restorations, although there is no word as to whether these vehicles will actually be upgraded to safely race once they are done. Over the course of the last dozen years or so, several other cars have shown up at various events. We, of course, would be interested to hear about others and will print information on them in Mopar Drag News. Larson's Blast
The lead image in this story was staged at Drag Fest 2001 at Bruce Larson's farm near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, last November. Larson, a long-time Funny Car racer and the '89 NHRA FC champion, opens this personal museum once a year for this get-together, which features privately owned home movies, slide shows, and photo collections from various nostalgia enthusiasts. The $12 admission charge for the day includes lunch as well. We will note the '02 date in the Events Section once it is released. Bruce does have a slew of Chevy-bodied Funny Cars on display (most of them have Hemi power, though). Brian Kohlmann, Racine, WI
'65 S/FX Belle Dodge
Vehicle: Replication
Original prototype: Mr. Norm's Supercharger Of course, no story would be complete without an update on the Belle Dodge replica, a supercharged nitro-burning beast that wows fans everyplace it goes. The blueprint for this machine was the ex-Roger Lindamood "Color Me Gone" Dodge, which Mr. Norm Kraus and Gary Dyer converted to supercharged nitro status in mid-1965; the original version of this machine remains unaccounted for by researchers. Now having run several seasons, owner/driver Brian Kohlmann continues to find time to campaign his replicated tribute despite increased costs and a hectic work schedule. For 2002, the nastiest S/FX machine the world has ever known (7.90s at 170-plus) will be racing at approximately a dozen events, with locations still being decided. Kohlmann is now hinting at considering an increase in the volume of nitro the car runs; currently, that number is around 45 percent. Another possibility is barnstorming to some of the country's most "authentic" vintage racetracks in the byways and hollows of mid-America, or perhaps an east coast tour of well-known tracks that existed in the car's heydays. Regardless, this will bring the house down.  Greg Sullivan, Albequrue,...  Greg Sullivan, Albequrue, NM
'65/'66 Pandemonium Barracuda
Vehicle: Original restored.
Original owner: Bob Sullivan, Kansas City, Kansas
While the altered-wheelbase machinery was certainly in the limelight during early 1965, making waves out of Kansas City was Bob Sullivan, who swapped the 392-inch blown nitro engine out of his dragster into a Barracuda and then wowed the fans at Indy that year. This car, which was updated in 1966, has survived and is presently being restored by Greg Sullivan (no relation to Bob Sullivan) of Albequrque, New Mexico. Plans are to return the car to full race status, including a blown late-model Hemi on fuel. Greg has owned it for a little over a year, and has it at Gary Hansen Racing Cars in Pomona, California, being restored. Ralph Suman, who was involved with the original project, is also involved in making this project complete.  Rick DeMarco, Hammonton, NJ...  Rick DeMarco, Hammonton, NJ
'65 Mr. Tomato Dodge (former A990)
Vehicle: Original restored
Original owner: The Lindquest family, Southland Gardens, Aberdeen, Texas
This car was created as an altered wheelbase machine in 1966, and is currently being restored at DeMarco's shop. DeMarco hopes to have it track-ready by June, and plans to run it with the Virginian at specific events. The car will also be powered by a Ray Barton elephant, and, like the Virginian, uses an automatic transmission. This car is special to Rick as he is in the nursery business; the original owners had a 1000-plus acre tomato farm in Texas, hence the name "Mr. Tomato," a business similar to Rick's grandfather's tomato business.Incidentally, Rick also has three other nice vintage restorations: the '65 A990 California Flash, the '64 Flying Carpet Dodge, and Maverick's '63 Max Wedge. Those cars will also see some track time on the east coast during the next 12 months.
Confirmed dates:
April 28: Atco; May 26: Atco; June 30: Atco;
July 28: Atco;
September 23: Atco (S/S race)  Mark Ulinski, Racine, WI ...  Mark Ulinski, Racine, WI
'65 Atlantic Dodge Flyer
Vehicle: Original restored
Original driver: Charlie Allen, Los Angeles, California
For slightly less exciting thrills, Kohlmann will also be campaigning the "wild card" of the '02 A/FX tour, the original Atlantic Dodge Flyer built in mid-1965 by racer Charlie Allen for west coast use. According to sources, the car posted an amazing 25 victories during its short half-season appearance, including a runner-up in class at the U.S. Nationals. Now owned by collector Mark Ulinski, also of Racine, this car made its first public appearance in almost 35 years at Bruce Larson's bash last November. Many aficionados were unaware that this car remained in existence. A true artifact, but now updated to current specs, the car will be seen at a select number of venues this year, based on available opportunities. According to Brian, after it has made a few passes, it will probably be retired for good. See it if you get a chance.
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