Pretty cool article about Gas Rhonda Mustangs vs. Mopars.

[SteveSS]

A cool experimental batch of Mustangs. This article is mostly about those Fords but they were trying to beat Hemis. All this was before my time so I found it fascinating. One driver of these cars was beheaded during a race.


Sorry, it wouldn't let me upload pictures.

With quicker times and faster speeds, Dodge and Plymouth became all the rage on the lucrative match race circuit, where most of America got to see drag racing. NHRA only ran four national events then. Ford didn’t want the publicity of a Mustang built for NHRA losing to a Mopar on an uneven playing field, so the factory cars were banned from going head-to-head against Dodge and Plymouth.


https://www.fordmuscle.com/features/still-racy-after-all-these-years-gas-rondas-first-a-fx-mustang/

 

[Budnicks]

Gas Ronda was a hell of a match racer
Hell of a car salesman too
the 427sohc was to try/attempts to compete with
Dodge/Plymouth 426 Hemi's

they did all kinds of stuff back in them days

MoPar was kicking everyone's *** in AFX

Dyno Don was another guy, his Comet 65-66,
really the 1st flip top F/C

Mr. Norm's & Flying Dutchman
Phil Bonner Daddy Warbucks (Ford), Sox & Martin (Ford & Plymouth)
Butch Leal, Dick Landy, Grumpy Jenkins, Arnie Beswick
among 100's of others, was/were all hell of AFX AWB guys too
that's a short list

I have 100's if not thousands of photos saved
from various places

I saw many of them in later years, I was too young in 64-65
I didn't start going to the track with my stepdad Bob until 1967 at like 7-8 y/o
all up & down Calif, 26+ tracks & all the west coast
some were still running the old AFX &/or AWB cars in match racing
my love was Fuel Altereds, next was AFX, AWB & Gassers,
then they morphed into the F/C's that was badass times

straight from MoPar, Chrysler Engineeers Plymouth
body in white AWB Belvedere

 

[VANDAN]

THOSE WERE THE DAYS !
I couldn't get enough mags, or News about the Car Wars on the 1/4, Back Then. No TV, or Internet, so I couldn't Wait, to go shopping and find the Next Month's Edition, of Any News on Them. Wish I would have Saved the Print, and Pics...

 

[64BEL]

Cool article, Steve - thanks!

Bud - do you know the story behind the second from last pic? Where it was taken and when?

 

[Dave6T4]

Some of you older racers may be familiar with the AFX Falcon "Wild Child". It was sponsored by Rankin Ford in nearby London, Ontario, and was powered by a SOHC 427. The car has survived all these years, was restored and now is owned in N.E. United States. Concurrently, Rankin also campaigned a AA/FD also powered by Ford's answer to Mopar's 426 Hemi, a SOHC 427. This dragster was driven by Scott Wilson. This combo was never really competitive and was hard to keep in tune, due to the long timing chain that ran all the camshafts. In order to win some races, Scott quietly removed the Ford SOHC and replaced it with a 426 Hemi, keeping all the Ford graphics on the dragster. Shortly after this, Ford requested that Scott and the rail to be part of a Ford racing display in Detroit. During the display, one of the Ford exec's called Scott over to discuss "a big problem". Scott figured he was really going to be in crap for switching the motor. The problem seemed to be with the size or color of a graphic. The Ford exec's never noticed the engine change.

 

[khryslerkid]

Sorry, it wouldn't let me upload pictures.

Had the same problem. I changed the size slightly.

 

[Jeff Peterson]

When Mike Guffey found it.

 

[Budnicks]

Cool article, Steve - thanks!

Bud - do you know the story behind the second from last pic? Where it was taken and when?

no I don't unfortunately
I think I got that from a Tribute some internet article
(Maybe Dragzine newsletter)
to when Ronnie Sox had died

 

[Budnicks]

Dale Armstrong

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]

1st car in the 8's Ramchargers Coronet

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]

 

[Budnicks]