{"product_id":"mopar-factory-drag-cars-hemi-under-glass","title":"Mopar Factory Drag Cars \u0026 Hemi Under Glass","description":"\u003cp\u003eStock-based drag racing throughout the 1960s demanded that the cars competing on the track be genuine production models and that they could be purchased by anyone. The strict regulations dictated total commitment from the manufacturers if they were to be successful. None were more committed than Chrysler.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChrysler attacked Stock (Super Stock) drag racing in the 1960s with the same fervor as it did the NASCAR Grand National, which itself spawned the reintroduction of the Hemi engine. Its engineers designed and produced a new factory Super Stock turnkey race car most years throughout the decade and enjoyed absolute success on the track, forever cementing its legendary performance status.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe introduction of Pro Stock in 1970 brought with it exciting heads-up racing with the expectation of producing multiple winners from a variety of brands. Instead, it resulted in total Mopar supremacy, as Hemi-powered Chrysler cars won 12 of the 15 national races throughout the first two years, prompting the NHRA to introduce weight breaks to scupper the Chrysler domination. The new 1972 regulations favored small-blockpowered compact cars and were the first major step toward Pro Stock spiraling away from its roots and into the tube-frame silhouette formula seen today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRacing historian Steve Holmes delves into this fascinating period, capturing the careers of the Ramchargers, Melrose Missile, Bud Faubel, Dick Landy, Sox \u0026amp; Martin, Herb McCandless, Don Grotheer, Motown Missile, and countless others. He provides a blow-by-blow account of Chrysler’s factory drag car programs and the incredible cars it produced to trounce its rivals during the most epic era in Stock drag racing history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• Mopar drag cars routinely sell for more than $150,000 at auction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• The most famous names in drag racing history campaigned Mopar drag cars\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• No manufacturer created more factory drag cars in the 1960s and 1970s than Mopar\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the established stock and modified brackets are\u003cbr\u003elong-recognized as the heart and soul of drag racing, it was\u003cbr\u003ethe wheelstanders that more often than not put butts in the\u003cbr\u003ebleachers. In that category, some of the most well-known\u003cbr\u003enames included Bill “Maverick” Golden’s Little Red Wagon,\u003cbr\u003eBill Shewsberry’s L.A. Dart and Chuck Poole’s Chuck\u003cbr\u003eWagon. Although, most memorable of all was the Hurst\u003cbr\u003eHemi Under Glass Plymouth Barracuda campaigned by\u003cbr\u003eBob Riggle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRiggle started his career in the early 1960s as a car\u003cbr\u003ebuilder and mechanic for Hurst-Campbell and eventually\u003cbr\u003eascended to pilot the Hemi Under Glass. When he left\u003cbr\u003eHurst in 1969, the Hemi Under Glass franchise transferred\u003cbr\u003ewith Riggle. He continued for six more years as the owner\/\u003cbr\u003edriver of a succession of Hemi Under Glass renditions.\u003cbr\u003eIn the 1990s he resurrected the concept of the original\u003cbr\u003ecar—making four different versions (1966, 1967, 1968,\u003cbr\u003eand 1969)—and continued to thrill drag racing fans with his\u003cbr\u003ewheelstanding antics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the time of this writing, Bob’s last run with the Hemi\u003cbr\u003eUnder Glass was in the summer of 2019. He claims to have\u003cbr\u003eretired (he was 83 years old at the time), but he’s claimed\u003cbr\u003ethat before!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is Bob’s story, one that Mark Fletcher and Richard\u003cbr\u003eTruesdell, co-authors of the 2012 book Hurst Equipped, are\u003cbr\u003ehonored to share. They say the story was easy to tell—given\u003cbr\u003etheir unprecedented access not only to Bob but also to\u003cbr\u003ehis vast archive of photos that reflect his ongoing popularity.\u003cbr\u003eMany of the photos in this book are seen in print for the\u003cbr\u003every first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• Bob Riggle is recognized as the greatest wheel stander\u003cbr\u003eof all time and as drag racing’s most popular exhibitionist\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Many never-before-seen photos from the Bob Riggle\u003cbr\u003earchive illustrate this history of Hemi Under Glass\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Bob Riggle has made 10s of thousands of drag racing\u003cbr\u003epasses, entertaining 10s of millions of fans\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbout the Authors\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichard Truesdell is a veteran magazine editor with\u003cbr\u003emore than 25 years of experience. He has written scores\u003cbr\u003eof magazine articles and has been the editor-in-chief of\u003cbr\u003eChevy Enthusiast and Car Audio and Electronics. Currently,\u003cbr\u003ehe is the editorial director of Automotive Traveler.\u003cbr\u003eMark Fletcher has been a regular contributor to several\u003cbr\u003eautomotive websites and magazines. Mark is a long-time\u003cbr\u003emuscle car enthusiast, and owns a Hurst SC Rambler. Currently, he resides in Steven’s Point, Wisconsin.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"DOES NOT APPLY","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45161236300056,"sku":"KIT9781613257227\/9781613255612","price":59.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/9813\/3831\/files\/kit97816132572279781613255612.jpg?v=1772254264","url":"https:\/\/www.midlifeclassiccars.com\/bs\/products\/mopar-factory-drag-cars-hemi-under-glass","provider":"MidlifeClassicCars.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}