CLASS RACER FORUM - The Factory Wars

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The Factory Wars

Back in the 60's & 70's the factory was at war with each other...I would like to here about any personal stories & races from back then from guys that drove some of these products from Ford GM & Chrysler...

The big three auto makers from back in the day when it was "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday"

http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/...ionals1964.jpg

Re: The Factory Wars

The NewBreed Drag Team ran a 68 Hemi Barracuda that was sponsored by Harris Auto Sales in Providence RI. Check out thier Facebook page "The New Breed Drag Team"

BO29 M88390663 ..............

Ken Adams

Re: The Factory Wars

the cuda was called "the highlander" if memory serves me correctly.

Re: The Factory Wars

Also do any of you remember some of the colorful ads printed in the magazines back then like the Cobra Jet, Dr. Olds, Scat Pack, & Rapid Transit System ads, did any of those ads influence you...

Or did you happen to take any new cars out for a test drive and maybe ended up buying one from a dealership that you visited back then...lets here some of those old stories or flashbacks that you might have about them! :)

.

Re: The Factory Wars

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemi Moose (Post 358361)

The big three auto makers from back in the day when it was,
"Race on Sunday, sell on Monday"

http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/...ionals1964.jpg

Looks like 1963 to me.
Danny Durham

Re: The Factory Wars

During the seminar at the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame, Mr. Tom Hoover of Chrysler was one of the key speakers. I can not quote this exactly but here goes. Chrysler had several "Factory Teams" back then. The people in the upper offices only asked one thing that on Sunday they wanted a Chrysler car in the winner's circle. The racers, Sox & Martin, Landy etc. were instructed that they had a quota of doing at least two of the Super Car shows at Chrysler dealerships every week. If you are not old enough to remember these shows, the racers came to a Chrysler Dealership, transporter, cars, handouts the whole bit. Mr. Hoover noted that since the other Chrysler "Factory Teams" could not do these seminars all over the country, test and race, Chrysler did the testing for them and the Motown Missle program was this test.

Joe Pappas told a story about a test in which he had an old 8 mil video camera and was "tied into the back of the Motown Missle" remember no seat belts back there. He was to video from the inside of the car. A Chrysler 300, I think he said, was in the other lane with a guy hanging out the window video taping the Missle as it went down the track with little pieces of paper taped to it. Pappas commented that after he was tied in the back of the car Mr. Hoover asked "don't you think you might need to wear a helmet?"

Back in those days, a day at even the local tracks here in North Carolina, you could see the "Factory Wars". Car Dealerships were sponsors on local cars. Hendrick Chevrolet, Royal Dodge, old age just set in and I can't remember others.

These "Factory Wars" were what drew hundreds of drag race fans to little small town and big drag strips almost every night back in the "Match Race" days. Local racers would be added into a show with big name racers. The track operator advertised 8 car match race featuring Sox & Martin, Grumpy Jenkins, Don Nicolson, Don Carlton, etc., the other four racers were racers willing to get paid to travel to a track and be the first round loser. If one of them slipped a little bit maybe you could be in the final four. Next round Sox vs Jenkins and Nicolson vs Carlton and the final was what they came to see. Hundreds of spectators would be at the track on a Wednesday or Thursday night to see these races.
One night in Henderson, NC, myself, Ronnie Sox, Hubert Platt and Roy Hill were talking an it was a mutual agreement that it was a tough road but "no current "pro racer" has the fun we had back then. The stories from those days could fill volumns

Re: The Factory Wars

Aero testing of the Missile. Somewhere I have the inside shot that I got from Stewart via Oldfield/Pappas. I had the pleasure of spending Wednesday with Stewart and Joe Pappas and his wife. Joe gave me the story of the post Missile era with the D5 Colt, the wire car and then the two stretched Colts (I always thought the gold Colt was the white one with a repaint, but Joe said they were two different cars).

Re: The Factory Wars

Quote:

Originally Posted by James L Miller (Post 358519)

I have an autoplaying CD of photos from Stewart. I need to break that back out, it's been a while since I looked at it.

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Those are some good stories guys...anyone ever buy a car from Baldwin Motion, Grand Spaulding Dodge or some other high performance dealership...how about some before & after shots of Mr. Norm's old dealership.

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/im...9034/79034.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/8...82f7e49f_c.jpg

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Dose anyone know what happened to Sox&Martin 66 altered wheel base Baracuda.
They sold to Buckeye in Baltimoer,around late 66 or 67. He and Vernon Rowley raced it,,then he sold to someone and car was lost
as to ownership from that point on.
Would love to find and restore it.

Re: The Factory Wars

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackarnew (Post 358602)

Does anyone know what happened to Sox & Martin 66 altered wheel base Barracuda. They sold to Buckeye in Baltimore, around late 66 or 67. He and Vernon Rowley raced it, then he sold to someone and car was lost as to ownership from that point on. Would love to find and restore it.

Jack, don't know what ever happened to their '66 Barracuda a/fx funny car but Ronnie Sox, Buddy Martin, & Jake King had quite the race team back in the 60's and early 70's...starting off with a Chevy Impala & Mercury Comet before switching to Plymouth's in 1965...maybe you can tell us some more old race stories from the past if you can remember some of them.

http://reasbeckracing.webs.com/Sox%2...066%20Cuda.bmp

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Here's an interesting story of one of the Sox & Martin team haulers...

http://www.snakeracing.com/newsitem....kenews_id=1213

http://www.snakeracing.com/images/pr.../certicard.jpg

Re: The Factory Wars

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommycarl (Post 358226)

the cuda was called "the highlander" if memory serves me correctly.

Great Memory Tommy!

The New Breed Cuda became the "Highlander" in 69 when campaigned by Phil Cerrone.

Re: The Factory Wars

Quote:

Originally Posted by wv_bob (Post 358528)

I have an autoplaying CD of photos from Stewart. I need to break that back out, it's been a while since I looked at it.

Finally got around to locating that CD, here's an example or two

Re: The Factory Wars

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackarnew (Post 358602)

This car is the "Holy Grail" of race car collectors. From what I've been told it possibly was rebodied in the late 60's-early 70's and disappeared.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by troublemaker427 (Post 362680)

This car is the "Holy Grail" of race car collectors. From what I've been told it possibly was rebodied in the late 60's-early 70's and disappeared.

http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/t...ly-grail-2.jpg

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Polewik (Post 362855)

http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/t...ly-grail-2.jpg

Guffey on the right, Reed on the left ??

Re: The Factory Wars

Quote:

Originally Posted by troublemaker427 (Post 362860)

Guffey on the right, Reed on the left ??

Now that you mention it they do look a little like those guys. Reed would be a little taller though :).

I can think of a few guys before them too...and alot after.

Re: The Factory Wars

Want to be a factory Chrysler Racer for the '69/70 season?

Here's the contract you had to sign:

http://www.allpar.com/racing/missile/contract.html

Bet the contracts of today have just a few more words and pages.