Exhibition cars , how many were kitted ?

[Draggon]

The AMT '66 kit was first issued in '67 as a funny car. 

And here it is!

[GaryR]

IIRC there were no NHRA legal funny cars until, what, 1969? Until then, all those guys were earning their bread and butter match racing. None of the AWB stuff we love today was technically A/FX legal. Sometimes they'd run as Altereds or Fuel Dragsters and I think there was S/XS for a season but for the most part, the glory days of Funny Car were the story of match racing.

S/XS through C/XS were classes for FUNNY CARS, nothing else from 1966 to 1969 when they were reclassified as FUNNY CARS! You got it all wrong.They ran in nHRA Super Eliminator if blown, Competition Eliminator if injected. They OF COURSE ran match races as well.

[GaryR]

Walt Stevens, and later Swingle, both drove it in Fuel, Funny Car and Match Racing 

Uh,no.Simply no. It didn't fit funny car rules, was NOt a copy of a real production car. 

And it was too short and not legal as as an AA'FD.

It was a match racer, that's all.In that sense it was an exhibition car.ANY car that did not fit an NHRA class was an exhibition car by definition.

[Daddyfink]

Uh,no.Simply no. It didn't fit funny car rules, was NOt a copy of a real production car. 

And it was too short and not legal as as an AA'FD.

It was a match racer, that's all.In that sense it was an exhibition car.ANY car that did not fit an NHRA class was an exhibition car by definition.

Well, there is the issue, you are under NHRA thinking. Quite a few tracks ran funny car shows that included unconventional "Funny Cars". Like Secret Weapon, Holy Toledo and the Piranha 

It did not really matter what NHRA called what, they where not the only show in town back then. IHRA, AHRA and even NASCAR had a for in the game for sometime, but you know that. LIons held a few Funny Car shows that included such cars for quite some time and they where sanctioned by the AHRA

Granted, the car may have started as an Exhibition car, but it quickly got into competition

Tell you what, next time we go to the Reunion, let's got talk to Walt about the Piranha, maybe he can clear up a few things.

[Snake45]

S/XS through C/XS were classes for FUNNY CARS, nothing else from 1966 to 1969 when they were reclassified as FUNNY CARS! You got it all wrong.They ran in nHRA Super Eliminator if blown, Competition Eliminator if injected. They OF COURSE ran match races as well.

I thought S/XS started in '67, and you're right, they ran in Super and Comp eliminators, but they didn't do all that well at that many big NHRA events, and in fact NHRA tried to treat them like red-headed stepchildren--Top Fuel, Top Gas, Super Stock and Junior Stock were the marquee "brands" in NHRA until it became obvious even to NHRA that the funnies were here to stay, and they were going to bring in the crowds. But for most if not all of the late '60s, the funnies paid their way in match racing and in special all-funny meets. And, of course, AHRA, UDRA, and other, lesser sanctioning bodies.

[GaryR]

IIRC there were no NHRA legal funny cars until, what, 1969? Until then, all those guys were earning their bread and butter match racing. None of the AWB stuff we love today was technically A/FX legal. Sometimes they'd run as Altereds or Fuel Dragsters and I think there was S/XS for a season but for the most part, the glory days of Funny Car were the story of match racing.

S/XS through C/XS were classes for FUNNY CARS, nothing else from 1966 to 1969 when they were reclassified as FUNNY CARS! You got it all wrong.They ran in nHRA Super Eliminator if blown, Competition Eliminator if injected. They OF COURSE ran match races as well.

 

 

Sigh.It raced, lot's of exhibition cars did.In match races.It did not qualify as a funny car in NHRA, AHRA, NASCAR, UDRA or anything else.Did it race funny cars? YES> It still was an exhibition car. CLEARLY you do not understand what an exhibition car was.Jets also ran dragsters, funny cars, even a go kart.They were exhibition cars. Ask Walt what class he ran. He'll be honest, NO CLASS.Match racing sure.

 

LOL

 Not going to argue.

[Snake45]

 CLEARLY you do not understand what an exhibition car was.Jets also ran dragsters, funny cars, even a go kart.They were exhibition cars.

 Not going to argue.

If you'd stop trying to argue, you might see that I'm trying to make exactly the same point.

Oh, whatever.

[Greg Myers]

OK, next page, what exhibition cars have we missed ?

[GaryR]

If you'd stop trying to argue, you might see that I'm trying to make exactly the same point.

Oh, whatever.

I didn't really aim it at you! Sorry, I'm not trying to argue at all, just clarify a very fine and obscure point...from 50 years ago! LOL!

Not intended to be snarky at all!

[Daddyfink]

Well, since apparently anything that ran competition can be an exhibition vehicle as well. Then this will fit right in! Yeah, not a stock body, as required by the NHRA 

 

Edited June 9, 2017 by Daddyfink

[Bucket T]

Changin' the subject a bit, although not kitted but scratch-built:

 

[waynehulsey]

Was wondering were you would fit the Charger III body in. When he ran OCIR in 70 or 71 (brain gets a little fuzzy on some of those dates now) he had a Maverick (really ugly) body on it, but his handout sheet that I still have was the Charger III. Was told NHRA wouldn't let him run it at their sanctioned tracks. Don't know about AHRA or UDRA (I think they were still around). I guess he could use it for match racing also. I remember being really bummed about it not running, cause it was really cool looking.

[GaryR]

All sanctioning bodies required funny car bodies to be American production cars, no Jeeps or pickups allowed.

This was NHRA, AHRA, UDRA, all of them. Could strips run exceptions? To an extent, if it didn't invalidate their insurance or expose them to liability. Stretch the rules (in local competition), sure. There was a period when "roadsters",Jeeps, Jaguars and Bronco's were legal. By 1969 when the FC funny car class was established, none of those were allowed.

By definition anything that wasn't class legal was an exhibition car. Can't think of anything in scale that hasn't been mentioned here!

[Daddyfink]

Started out as a Drag Car and ended up as an Exhibition Car

[oldcarfan]

Are exhibition cars the same as match racers? I was thinking the Snake and Mongoose funy car kits were more exhibition than actual competition racers, but I could be wrong. Also, I Google imaged 1:1 wheelstanders and never would have guessed how many of those things were built. Wow, Galpin Ford even built an Econoline pickup that was reversed on its frame called the BACK-UP Pickup.

[Daddyfink]

Are exhibition cars the same as match racers? I was thinking the Snake and Mongoose funy car kits were more exhibition than actual competition racers, but I could be wrong. Also, I Google imaged 1:1 wheelstanders and never would have guessed how many of those things were built. Wow, Galpin Ford even built an Econoline pickup that was reversed on its frame called the BACK-UP Pickup.

Yeah, almost anything was fair game

[Snake45]

Are exhibition cars the same as match racers? I was thinking the Snake and Mongoose funy car kits were more exhibition than actual competition racers, but I could be wrong. Also, I Google imaged 1:1 wheelstanders and never would have guessed how many of those things were built. Wow, Galpin Ford even built an Econoline pickup that was reversed on its frame called the BACK-UP Pickup.

My definition of "exhibition car" is one that was designed primarily to make solo passes, not race against another car. Now, some of these things did race against each other on occasion, but in general, not. And they certainly didn't race in sanctioned competition against real race cars.

[oldcarfan]

I always thought of exhibition racers as sort of like wrestlers are now. Putting on a performance rather than an actual race.

[oldcarfan]

I always thought of exhibition racers as sort of like wrestlers are now. Putting on a performance rather than an actual race.

[Snake45]

I always thought of exhibition racers as sort of like wrestlers are now. Putting on a performance rather than an actual race.

Well put.

[Vince Nemanic]

There was a model of a Jet powered truck by AMT - I never got one so I don't recall the name.

 

Yeah oldcarfan and snake, exhibition cars were not real racers and kind of a waste of time. So were the Hurst Girls (especially Linda), Drift Cars and Ken Block videos.  But they DO have their fans! 

 

Tongue firmly planted in Cheek, Hee Hee.

[socal76]

Vince, that jet powered truck was called Shockwave and it was in 1/32 scale. Les Shockley was the owner, driver, mechanic, engineer, promoter and builder. One of the 3 engines in the kit will work for a 1/25 scale engine (slightly different model number) but paying the $40 and up for just that engine is not that good of a deal for me. Wish I could remember what engine it would pass for in 1/25th scale. Too many years ago and I do not remember which issue of Scale Auto had the review.