Bill Bagshaw's Red Light Bandit Challenger

[Svendsen]

In 1994, John Gastman of Roanoke Motors purchased Bill Bagshaw's Red Light Bandit 1970 Pro Stock Challenger. Soon after, Gastman contacted Bagshaw and established the car's authenticity. Last year, John called on Bucky Hess and son Travis to restore the car to as-raced 1970 NHRA Pro Stock condition. Bill Bagshaw agreed to serve as consultant during the entire restoration. Cole McAllister did the metal work, while Bagshaw himself rebuilt the 426 Hemi motor at Ron Shavers Racing Engines last winter. The motor eventually produced 679 horsepower at 7800 rpm, certainly 1970's standards for those engines.

Bucky spent an incredible amount of time getting the car right, even sacrificing race car testing time in order to complete the car as promised. John Gastman picked the car up a couple weeks ago, and brought it to the 2012 US Nationals, where Bill Bagshaw saw it for the first time after 38 years. Bagshaw and Gastman were thrilled with the final product!

Special thanks to Bucky and Travis for an amazing job, and sticking to their commitment to get the Red Light Bandit done for Indy. Below is the car the day Gastman picked it up at Bucky's shop in WV:



Thanks for watching!
Arvid Svendsen

[Hemi Moose]

I posted some of the cars photos in the Indy thread, but can you post all of the restoration photos you have of from start to finish on here, would like everyone else on here to see'em...very nice restoration.

[mopar68]

Arvid,

I'd like to know the history of the car after Bagshaw sold it up to the time it was delivered to Bucky Hess' shop in less-than-pristine condition.

Thanks,

M68

[Svendsen]

Originally Posted by Hemi Moose

I posted some of the cars photos in the Indy thread, but can you post all of the restoration photos you have of from start to finish on here, would like everyone else on here to see'em...very nice restoration.

Saw those pics, thanks! I will start doing posting pics from start to finish, I want to use photobucket, so as soon as I'm set up with that, I will post pics. Thanks!

Arvid Svendsen

[mopar68]

M68

[mopar68]

Then...



...and now.



But what I'd really like to know about is...


"Gary Dodd in the ex-Bill Bagshaw Pinto Pro Stocker at Irwindale."

...when did Bill Bagshaw campaign a Ford Pinto?

M68

[Svendsen]

Originally Posted by mopar68

Arvid,

I'd like to know the history of the car after Bagshaw sold it up to the time it was delivered to Bucky Hess' shop in less-than-pristine condition.

Thanks,

M68

Unfortunately, we don't know the entire owner history. Bill sold the RLB Challenger in '73 to Jim Marshall (pic attached), the same guy who bought Bagshaw's '68 Dart in 1970. The next 21 years are not known, we don't really know how long Marshall held on to the car. The car was found in 1994 by John Gastman when he went to buy a Viper in Kansas. John believes that the owner did not know it was the Red Light Bandit car, John didn't know what it was either. However, he knew it was something unique with all the fabricated panels and lightening holes.

John bought the Viper and this basket case Challenger with a ton of parts, a lot of them turned out to be parts that Bagshaw used. We checked the numbers on one of the 426 motors that came with the deal, then checked with a guy who knows the 68 cars, and concluded that it was probably the motor that Bill had in the '68 Dart. Bill had used the '68 motor in his Challenger, along with a couple other motors.

Further, Bill always painted his motors and tranmissions Krylon Cherry red, but the motors and trans that came with the car were orange. However, Bucky scraped the paint away on the motor, and there was cherry red paint found under the orange... trans, same cherry red under the orange paint. I'll try to find the pic of that red paint under the orange that Bucky sent us. Of course, Bill rebuilt that 426 motor, and then used that original orange/red trans that came with the car.

Arvid Svendsen

[Svendsen]

Originally Posted by mopar68

Then...



...and now.



But what I'd really like to know about is...


"Gary Dodd in the ex-Bill Bagshaw Pinto Pro Stocker at Irwindale."

...when did Bill Bagshaw campaign a Ford Pinto?

M68

Bill never raced or owned that Pinto race car, or any Pinto race car.

There were four Red Light Bandit race cars: 1) the C/Gas 57? Corvette; 2) the '68 Hemi Dart real Hurst car; 3) the 70/71 Challenger built from a body in white with a '70 Hemi Challenger street car that Mopar supplied, the paint scheme on the '70 is what we used... the same car was then updated to 72/73 Challenger status with tweaked paint scheme, 72/73 grille and tail light swap; and 4) the '73 Pro Stock Dart Sport that was featured on the cover of SSDI.

I've got to admit that the Pinto looks pretty good with that Red Light Bandit paint scheme.

Arvid Svendsen

[mopar68]

"Bill never raced or owned that Pinto race car, or any Pinto race car."

Arvid,

My hunch is: Bill Bagshaw built the car, never raced it (for whatever reasons), then sold it.

"I've got to admit that the Pinto looks pretty good with that Red Light Bandit paint scheme."

It sure does. Check out the gold anodized Super Tricks a la the 1973 Red Light Bandit Dart Sport.

M68

P.S. On its fender it says "Engine by Earl Wade."

[Geerhead55]

Hey Bucky,, I'm just wondering,, was that interviewer just playing with you, or was he really that stup, er, a, misinformed?
Truly, you guys did a great job bringing back a piece of history,, thanks for all of us who appreciate these cars.
Danny Durham