Original hemi dart information

[bobbyboy]

Originally Posted by mbaird

This has been a great read.....

So... I work for a luxury car dealer in Boise and last night I had a customer stop in to look at a used Tahoe. Somehow we got around to talking about old cars and I mentioned that I still owned my 1st car... a 70 Charger with a bigblock.. and he says he used to have a Hemi Cuda'.... I asked what year ? He says '68... I think "yeah right"... not another one of these guys.... I asked if it was Black thinking I would trip him up.. He says "only the fenders and the hood...because they were fiberglass... WOW !!!
What was your name again ? .... Jerry Taylor he says... Now I'm excited !! I meet some high end people at this job but an original owner of a BO23 trumps them all....The car was "Gentle Ben" ...



I didn't move to Idaho until around 83 but I have heard about the car from mopar circles and racing at Firebird.
He said that he also ran the 1st funny car in Id . A 68 Barracuda...Apparently he ran the west coast circuit ...but most of you already know that.

He said last he knew the car was in MN. Which is interesting since that is where I grew up and just went racing with my brother at BIR
( DonneyBrook to some) last July.

I will ask him next time we talk if he has any pics from the day

My name is Bob Leenstra , I own Gentile Ben , alias De-Frank - Cohen
, Harry Holton , Mike Brewer etc . If you see Jerry again can you give him my ph # 253-261-1198 . The car is in Seattle WA. I also own the Sam Auxier Pro-Stock Ultra 1969 Mustang [red white & blue] that ran with the Sox & Martin Cuda & Grumpy Jenkins Camaro & the Nelson Ekdah factory backed Boss 429 Mustang . Somebody said the original eng for Gentile Ben is floating around somwhere , if anybody knows about this car feel free to call me anytime . This is a great site.

[bobbyboy]

Originally Posted by mbaird

This has been a great read.....

So... I work for a luxury car dealer in Boise and last night I had a customer stop in to look at a used Tahoe. Somehow we got around to talking about old cars and I mentioned that I still owned my 1st car... a 70 Charger with a bigblock.. and he says he used to have a Hemi Cuda'.... I asked what year ? He says '68... I think "yeah right"... not another one of these guys.... I asked if it was Black thinking I would trip him up.. He says "only the fenders and the hood...because they were fiberglass... WOW !!!
What was your name again ? .... Jerry Taylor he says... Now I'm excited !! I meet some high end people at this job but an original owner of a BO23 trumps them all....The car was "Gentle Ben" ...



I didn't move to Idaho until around 83 but I have heard about the car from mopar circles and racing at Firebird.
He said that he also ran the 1st funny car in Id . A 68 Barracuda...Apparently he ran the west coast circuit ...but most of you already know that.

He said last he knew the car was in MN. Which is interesting since that is where I grew up and just went racing with my brother at BIR
( DonneyBrook to some) last July.

I will ask him next time we talk if he has any pics from the day

My name is Bob Leenstra , I own Gentile Ben , alias De-Frank - Cohen
, Harry Holton , Mike Brewer etc . If you see Jerry again can you give him my ph # 253-261-1198 . The car is in Seattle WA. I also own the Sam Auxier Pro-Stock Ultra 1969 Mustang [red white & blue] that ran with the Sox & Martin Cuda & Grumpy Jenkins Camaro & the Nelson Ekdah factory backed Boss 429 Mustang . Somebody said the original eng for Gentile Ben is floating around somwhere , if anybody knows about this car feel free to call me anytime . This is a great site.

[pthomasely]

I was 2nd owner of the cuda I bought it from Doug Warren he was sponsored byBill Binko I sold cuda to John ,less engine which I sold to Chick DiNinno

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by pthomasely

I was 2nd owner of the cuda I bought it from Doug Warren he was sponsored byBill Binko I sold cuda to John ,less engine which I sold to Chick DiNinno

Small world! Thanks for the info. More history, your experiences, and pix (if you have any) would be appreciated. Speaking of Chick DeNinno, I used to talk regularly with him on the phone and a few times in person back in the early-mid-1990s thanks to a former job of mine. He's a very amiable guy who always had the time to answer questions I had about drag racing in the 1960s/1970s and was glad to share stories about Ronnie Sox, Sam Auxier, Clyde Hodges, Hemis, the early days of Pro Stock racing, etc. Now, if only I could recall them all!

Here's one story that comes to mind: Back in the mid-to-late-1970s Chick was one of the mechanics with Sox & Martin. I don't recall what track, year or what race but the Hemi engine in the Sox & Martin Pro Stock (circa) 1978 Dodge Challenger wasn't running right one day. Ronnie was a bit perturbed and decided he was going to blow it up on the next pass. I don't recall if Chick told me if he told him that prior to the run or not, but for sure afterwards. On the next pass Ronnie left the Lenco trans in third gear and took that Pro Stock Hemi in his Challenger through the lights at over 10,000 rpm! That the Hemi didn't blow up is amazing. As I'm typing it's coming back to me; I believe the discussion that led to this story was about Hemi egines and high rpm oiling/bearing concerns and/or problems.

I will always have fond memories of those chats with Chick. I can still hear in my mind the voice on the other end of the line when I called his shop: "Fabrication..."

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

M68,

That first photo of 'Check Mate' must be from early-1970.
SS/AA record 10.36. (Set by Don Grotheer in 10/69).

There was an original SS/BA Barracuda from Jacksonville, Florida
'Super Fish',,,,,, I think........Mind blank at the moment.

Canadien Darts;
*) Chinook Dart
*) Demented Dart
*) Dick Panter
*) Gil Clark

Paul, as always, your historical knowledge and information makes great reading and is much appreciated.

Regards,

M68

[Paul Ceasrine]

M68,,
I have to search for a couple of magazines, with photos of the Hemi's
thta some have never seen.

Chick Brignolo, 'Play Thing' Hemi Dart
'Micro-Lube', Hemi Cuda
'Double Trouble', Hemi Cuda

[fatboy1875]

my name is Noah Lutman, my father-in-law was friends/worked with Doug Warren and originally painted "checkmate"! His name is Barry Pell, they worked together at Bill Binko Chrysler. Barry has pictures of the car before paint but not after, and would like to see if anyone has pictures of the car. Thank You!

[Hemi Moose]

Here's a couple of the '68 Hemi Barracuda called 'Checkmate'...