Among racers it has never been a
secret that a lighter car is a faster car?particularly in drag racing.
When Detroit?s automakers got involved in organized drag racing, they paid
heed to this principle, issuing a series of rare race-only cars that
became legends in their own time. Unbound by warranty and durability
concerns, these wild cars featured lightweight additions such as
fiberglass and aluminum body parts, Plexiglas windows, and many more
weight-saving tricks. Under their hoods were wicked, raucous engines that
only felt at home on the quarter mile.
Factory Lightweights: Detroit?s
Drag Racing Specials of the ?60s chronicles these rare cars that still
inspire admirers and imitators today. Cars like the Ford
Fairlane 427 Thunderbolt, Pontiac?s
Super Duty Catalina, Dyno
Don Nicholson?s Chevy II Wagon,
and a whole assortment of Hemi-powered Mopars, sit at the top of the
heap when you?re talking about the fastest American muscle cars produced
during the 1960s. Limited numbers of these cars were produced and very
few still survive today.
Charles R. Morris tells the
complete story of these remarkable drag racing specials. The book
explains how the Big Three came to build these insane cars and
describes, in detail, the cars and engines that helped make the 1960s
such a unique era in drag racing history. A huge collection of period
photographs, many previously unpublished, captures the spirit of the
times and shows readers how these cars looked as they ran?particularly
important, given that so many of them have been lost to history.
Dodge -
Lancer, Dart, D/Dart, 330, Coronet
Mopar Engines - aluminum engine, Ramcharger, Max Wedge, 413, 426, Stage
II, Stage III, Race Hemi, Street Hemi, A990 package
Plymouth - Sonoramic Commando, Valiant, Savoy, Belvedere, GTX,
Barracuda, Super Stock 413v
Ford - Galaxie, Custom 300, Starliner, Fairlane, Thunderbolt, Mustang,
Holman-Moody conversions, 289, 352 Fe (360 hp), 390 (401hp Thunderbird
Special), 406 Thunderbird Special, 427, Cobra Jet 428
Mercury Comet & Cyclone 427
Chevy - Bel Air, Z-11, Impala, Chevelle 396, Chevy II (with 283 or 327
swapped in), Nova L-79 with a 327, 409, 427
Olds - F85, Cutlass, 442, W-30, Ram Rod 350 W-31
Pontiac - Catalina, ?Swiss Cheese? Catalina, Super Duty, Tempest,
LeMans, GTO, '68 Firebird, 389, 421
'69 S/S AMX
About the Author
Charles R. Morris is an auto
enthusiast who has written numerous magazine articles for Ford-related
publications. A drag racer for 40 years, Charlie has run cars in Stock,
Super Stock, and modified production.
FACTORY LIGHTWEIGHTS Drag Racing
Specials of the ?60s
Ford Thunderbolt Holman Moody
Lightweight Racing
Ford Thunderbolt Comet Cyclone Chevy 409
327 Hemi Drag
Chevy Drag Racing History Lightweight
327 396 409 427
