The Drag Package Challengers are also stripped down and fitted with lightweight components like a composite lift-off style hood, which also comes in handy if you want to disturb the peace in your neighborhood. Of course, the cars won't be street legal, so if you want to cruise Woodward, you'll be asking for trouble.

Center Line, Mich., Jul 13, 2008 - Mopar® is bringing the iconic Dodge Challenger muscle car to National Hot Road Association (NHRA) drag-racing competition. Mopar revealed two Dodge Challenger Drag Race Package Cars at the 29th Annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals today before thrilled fans at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. Mopar Mile-High Nationals is the longest-running NHRA sponsorship.

"Big Daddy" Don Garlits and Judy "Miss Mighty Mopar" Lilly were behind the wheels for their inaugural track run. Garlits drove the car featuring the Stone White paint scheme. Lilly was behind the wheel of the "Mopar Liquid Metal" prototype. NHRA named Garlits the #1 driver of the Top 50 drivers from its first 50 years. His victories and accomplishments are virtually unmatched in drag-racing history. "Miss Mighty Mopar" is one of the female pioneers in drag racing. Spending 12 years on the NHRA circuit, Lilly is the only female driver to win two NHRA national events in one year.

Mopar built the first two Challenger Drag Race Package Cars for development and testing for its new Challenger Package Car program. Based on the Challenger SRT8®, the prototypes were finished in Stock Eliminator configuration. They ran successfully in June 2008 as proof-of-concept and for NHRA certification. Mopar dropped approximately 1,000 lbs. off the production Challenger SRT8 by eliminating major production components and systems. To accentuate the weight savings, they also feature added composite, polycarbonate and lightweight components designed for drag racing that will be part of the new Package Car program.

The engine was repositioned to improve driveline angle and weight distribution. The 116-inch wheelbase was shortened by ½ inch. They also feature a front cradle with bolt-in crossmember and solid engine mounts.

"Today is a great day for Mopar, Dodge, SRT, drag racers and motorsports enthusiasts everywhere. Not made for the streets, our drag-race-only Challengers will be running soon in NHRA competition—the best grassroots racing series in the world," said Sunil Lahoti, Mopar Marketing and Brand Manager, Chrysler LLC. "And who better to drive our new Challenger Package Cars on their inaugural track run than 'Big Daddy' and 'Miss Mighty Mopar'—the greatest drag racer of all time and a female pioneer of the sport."

New Dodge Challenger Drag Race Package Car Program by Mopar
The first drag-race, factory-prepped package cars built in 40 years, the new Challenger Drag Race Package Car by Mopar builds on the heritage of the limited-edition 1968 HEMI®-powered Package Cars. Those '68 Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas solidified the Mopar brand as a quarter-mile force.

Mopar will build a minimum of 100 Challenger Drag Race Package Cars to meet NHRA requirements. Based on the production Dodge Challenger SRT8, Mopar's modern factory-prepped Challenger Drag Race Package Car will begin as a special Body-in-White (BIW) from Chrysler's Brampton, Ontario, Canada, assembly plant. The body sealer, sound deadener and undercoat will be eliminated. To reduce vehicle weight, major production component and systems will also be eliminated including: windshield wiper assembly, complete HVAC system, all airbag components, rear seats, power steering system, exhaust system and underbody heat shields, cross-car and side impact door beams, rear bumper beam and rear deck lid spoiler.

The drag racer has three engine options—6.1-liter or 5.7-liter HEMI or 5.9-liter Magnum® Wedge—as well as manual or automatic transmission.

A build book/owner's manual will be provided to document the modifications made to the Challenger SRT8 as well as provide recommendations to finish the Package Car for Stock Eliminator competition. To accentuate weight savings, there are unique drag-race components in the Package Car program including: composite lift-off hood with functional scoop, Viper-style front seats, polycarbonate door windows, lightweight cooling module with electric fan, manual rack and pinion steering, special cable-operated deck lid release, special lightweight front brake assembly and special cable-operated throttle linkage and pedal assembly.

The Challenger Drag Race Package Car will be eligible to run in three Eliminator categories—Comp, Super Stock and Stock—and potentially 40 classes.

Depending upon the configuration selected, the U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the Challenger Drag Race Package Car program will range from the low to mid $30s. Each car will carry an identification plate with sequential serial number.

The Challenger Drag Race Package Car will be available for order in late August to early September. A toll-free number will be designated for ordering. Details will be posted on www.mopar.com.

Now in its fifth decade, NHRA is the world's largest motorsports sanctioning body with 80,000 members, 140 member tracks, more than 35,000 licensed competitors and more than 5,000 member-track events. NHRA is second only to NASCAR in terms of fan attendance.

70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.

Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s—the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth "package cars" equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of "Special Parts" for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.

Today, Chrysler LLC's Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components, restoration parts, accessories and performance parts for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.

Unfortunately, it's only a tease. We don't really get to see the car too well, but if its bite is anywhere near as strong as its bark, there are going to be a whole lot of 1/4-mile drivers under the Saturday night lights. According to the script-reading Mopar guy in the video, we'll be getting the full scoop in no time. [Chrysler]

Further measures the NHRA is considering include:
- What might be done to reduce engine failures
- Altering parachute mounting techniques and materials as well as identifying a parachute material that could be more fire resistant
- Exploring whether there is a way to increase brake efficiency when cars lose downforce due to the loss of the body
- Analyzing additional methods that might be developed at the top end of the race track to help arrest runaway vehicles
- Considering whether current speeds should be further limited or reduced to potentially improve safety

So what do you think of this temporary change, and the prospect of future changes? Certainly there's inherent danger that comes with drag racing such beastly machines, so should safety come first or be sacrificed in the quest for all-out speed? [NHRA]

Trouble is, we can't find any for sale at what would be considered an affordable price, what with the fiberglass body kits running about $3000 or complete karts costing at least $9000. For that money we'll go browse the classifieds for an old Suzuki Samurai.

LTDScott caught it first, but now the notice has spread. Even though Chris Ihara, the founder of late model Mustang site Corral.net, was equipped with the seriously high horsepower Shelby GT500KR, we still managed to eek out a win by way of our hind ends. Now the Corral boys want, if not answers, then at least the opportunity to do a little good-natured ribbing of Mr. Ihara. But, for the record, we think they may be confusing our vehicular preferences with those of Top Gear USA co-co-host Eric Strommer. [Corral.net]

For starters — unless you're running evenly-matched top fuel dragsters against each other what you'll do down at your local drag strip isn't actually "drag racing." It's really called "bracket racing" which is a form of drag racing that allows for a handicap between predicted speed of the two cars running side-by-sde. Basically, it means that even if you're running your mom's Honda Odyssey on the strip, you can still win running next to a Ford Mustang GT because of a premium placed on consistency of performance of the driver and car rather than on raw speed. With that said, here's the official "How To"

Step 1: Pay Up

Drag racing ain't free. The first step, once you've arrived at the dragway, is to pay the folks in charge. Different classes carry different charges, so it's a good idea to call ahead and find out how much you'll be paying. Once you've paid for entry and track fees, proceed to the pits

Step 2: Park and Unload

Pit areas vary wildly. You'll find everything from beautifully laid concrete marked with trailer lanes to muddy grass perfect for sinking into. If you've brought your drag toy in a trailer or plan on working on your car there, it makes a lot of sense to show up early and get a prime piece of real estate — it can make the difference between a comfy dry weekend and a messy pain in the ass. if you've just driven in, take all your junk out of the car and give it a once over. Make sure it meets all the safety requirements of the class you're running in and give it a little clean-up.

Step 3: Inspection

Now it's time to take your car over to the inspection booth. These guys are here to make sure the car you brought won't pose a danger to either you or the rest of the race field. They'll go through your ride with a fine-toothed comb and point out things sub-par, or they'll give you the thumbs-up. When your car has passed, you'll get a color-coded inspection sticker proving you're safe to run. Another thing they'll do is have you fill out your race card. The race card is where you declare the class you'll be running in, your personal info, details on the car, and whatever other details you think the commentator in-booth might like to know about when adding "color to the strip."

Step 4: Wait

After you have your car all approved and registered, return to the pit area and wait. It takes a while for the rest of your competitors to make it through the process you just did. The track crew also has to prepare the surface for maximum stickiness, and, in general, everybody just has to get up and get going. So while you wait, put your number on the car, maybe do a little decorating, take a nap, do a little tuning on your car, check out the competition, have some track food, or just hang out and enjoy the breeze. But keep your ear listening out for your class, because there's nothing worse than hearing an announcement of your license plate and that your car's being towed. That's not the kind of dragging you're here for.

Step 5: Practice.

When the time is right (usually a scheduled time), the track will open for practice. This is an open competition lineup where you pull through the staging lanes and give your rig a try. Drag racing is a lot trickier than you might think. It's easy to mash the gas and go quick on the street, but when the clock is running, it's a lot more technical, so practice makes perfect. In fact, let's go to video:

This was my third run, so I'd gotten the jitters of the first time down the track through and I was starting to learn how to react and launch. As you can see, you get slotted in lanes. Each lane is numbered and corresponds to a staging path. When you enter the staging area, a track official will ask your class and point you into the lane. This track has three staging lanes, and each lane is divided into two sides. There's a lane 1L and 1R, 2L and 2R, etc., for lane one, left side, lane one, right side, and so on. As cars ahead of you move up, you pull forward. When the track official waves you forward along with your running buddy, you have to make a choice: to burnout or not to burnout.

Ahead of the starting line there's a concrete pad called the "water box." Track hands hose it down with water to make burnouts fun and easy. The purpose of the burnout is to clean the crud off your tires and heat 'em up for maximum stickiness. A standing burnout doesn't make much sense if you're running street tires, so either drive around the box to avoid wet tires, or just do a peel out to get the funk off.

Next, you pull up to the line. Make sure your helmet is strapped on tight, traction control is off, and the windows are up. As you advance, there are two sets of staging lights — called by some the "Christmas tree" — your tires need to be between them before the Christmas tree lights will start. Advance the car 'till the first set of lights goes on, then slowly move forward until the second set lights up — then carefully inch forward until the second set turns back off. A this point you've found the front of the lights, and you need to back up just enough to turn that second set on again. Now wait for your opponent to do the same.

When you're both set to go, make sure your car is in the forward gear of your liking. Hold the engine at optimum RPM and pay attention to the Christmas tree. Depending on your class, the tree works differently. For bracket racing, they use a "five hundred tree" or a set of lights that takes half a second to go from yellow to green. For this tree, it's recommended to launch as the final yellow light goes off in order to achieve a decent reaction time. If you jump the gun, you "foul," and your run, no matter how good, doesn't count for squat.

So the lights go and you're off. In a manual tranny car, carefully watch the tachometer and know where your shift points and engine cutoff are at. Shift as quickly and accurately as possible. If you're driving an automatic, just mash the gas and point the car in the right direction.

In this run, I managed a 0.67 s reaction time, which isn't great, but far better than the 1.01 s. the other guy got. And, due to the magical vaugeness of the Hurst short-throw shifter on this car, I managed to hit second gear instead of fourth — not what you want when shifting at almost a hundred miles an hour. Nonetheless, despite my supercharged GT being at a 140 HP disadvantage to the GT500 car and me stinking up the shift, I only lost by 0.8012 seconds with a 14.29 time. This is why it's called practice.

After you've crossed the finish line and are all excited, don't forget to slow down. You've got to make the turn off the track and go to pick up your time slip. This will tell you what just happened so you can critique your performance, think about ways you can improve and have bragging rights back at the pits.

Step 6: Qualifying
Like above — do what you just did in practice, but do it better because this time it counts. In qualifying, your times are used to slot you in your class brackets — when bracket racing, the important part isn't speed, it's consistency. If you can run 13.9 all day every day, you'll do very well in your class. Why? Because bracket racing uses offset timing on the lights to equalize fast cars against slower ones. Speedy cars will be delayed at the line and have to catch up and pass to win.

Step 7: Mark Your Dial-In Time

Dial-in time is that great equalizing figure we just talked about. After you've made a couple runs, you should get an idea of how fast you go. This time gets written on your windows so the tower workers can read them and put them in the timing computer. In this way, the race is offset on the fly. Depending on the class, you may or may not be able to change your number as you go. The important thing about your dial-in time is not to go faster than that time — otherwise you "break out." The break-out exists to prevent guys from saying they're slower than they are and effectively cheating to victory. Now is it becoming clearer why consistency is all-important?

Step 8: Have fun!
Now sit back and relax while listening for the track announcer to call your class. As you're called, proceed to the staging lanes and the track workers will assign you a lane and your opponent will line up next to you. When you're at the line just remember the lessons from earlier in the day and be careful to race against yourself, not the guy in the other lane. That's a great way to lose your concentration and mess up.

Here's a run from the first round of our bracket, where everything clicked and I won against a Shelby GT. The other fellow wrote up a dial-in time substantially lower than mine and couldn't quite make up the ground. A little longer track and he would have had me. But how fast was I? Pretty decent with a 0.31 s reaction time (which doesn't matter in bracket racing — only the time from light-to-light counts) and 13.95 second quarter-mile at 100 MPH. Far from my best run though.

So there you have it folks. How to drag race. We found out although it's still easier than running 'round the windy stuff, it's a lot more difficult than just pointing the car down a track and hitting the gas. We recommend checking out some of the events in your area, if not to race, then at least as a spectator.

Things started off brisk enough with a full field run at 4:30 in the afternoon. All the guys had been warming up in the morning and were eager to put their skills to the test. The field of cars and experience varied widely, starting with a Ford Mustang Bullitt with hot cams and some other goodies and going all the way up to a full-bore Shelby GT500KR. In attendance were:

• 
  
• Christopher Ihara - The Corral - GT500KR
• Jason Reiss - Race Pages - GT500
• Shaun Bailey - Road & Track - Shelby GT
• Don Roy - Mustang Enthusiasts -Mustang GT
• Doug Glad - CarCraft.com - GT500
• Mark Houlahan - Mustangs & Fords - Mustang GT
• Steve Turner - 5.0 Mustangs & Super Fords - Factory Five Coupe
• Sam Abuelsamid - Autoblog.com - GT500
• Evan Smith - Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords - GT500
• Dave Freiburger - carjunkietv.com - Factory Five Roadster

Just goes to show you that in bracket racing, the size of the check isn't as important as the skill in the hand that signs it. Also, that qualifying runs do not make the win. Congrats to Mark for a good show, and thanks go out to Ford for letting us hacks beat on some of their cars for the weekend.

Wait, what's that? How fast did I go? Well, considering my first run of the day was a 14.88 at 100.41 MPH and a 0.49 reaction time, I'm pretty happy to report that, by the end of the day, I managed a 13.54 at 104.87 with a 0.1799 reaction time. Not too shabby for a days work, if I do say so myself.

The winner? That sweet Dodge Coronet.

"I'm just happy to win an event. That was the main thing," Ashley said. "Being a female, that's exciting as far as the records and everything, but my team, we just wanted to get our first win. We went a whole year last year and got close a few times. To finally get it done, we're just so excited."

[AMS Performance via VWvortex]

On a qualifying run Foster collided with Gerry Schwartz, a relatively new Funny Car racer from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The well-liked Schwartz had assembled a Logghe chassis and a nitro burning big-block Chevy and was trying to make the Springnationals his breakthrough event. The car was once the Logghe "house car", mounting a Cougar body and powered by an SOHC Ford. Now with the Chevy it was called the "Ratty Cat". Although not as well known as the team of Foster and Ongais, Schwartz and his car had the ability to make the show and go rounds.

Conflicting stories have since been told, but the two cars collided in a frightful, screeching, grinding crash. Schwartz's Cougar did several violent rollovers atop the Armco guardrail with dust and debris raining across a wide area. I was on the pit side of the track and had walked over to the fence to watch the fuel cars make their runs. In the resulting melee the engine in Schwartz's high-gear only car went sky-high, exploding and tossing its clutch, flywheel, floater discs and other components. Pieces came slashing towards my location and as I tried to run to safety, I suddenly realized that the shrapnel was much faster than my feet. The pieces kissed and landed in the pits, striking several cars but injuring no one in the pit area.

Across the track the crash was as bad as it looked. Both cars were destroyed, the damage to Schwartz's car obviously the worst. Foster had injuries, but the innovative roll cage design of the new M/T car kept Foster from more serious peril. Schwartz's older car didn't have that advantage. The steel guardrail acted like a vicious buzz saw and Gerry Schwartz perished from massive head injuries sustained in the crash.

Many years later, after I had become friends with Pat, I told him I had been there, and I related my own recollections of that day and its aftermath. Foster's face grew dark. It was obvious that this was a memory maybe best left unvisited. After a few seconds to gather his composure he told me the whole story of that day and the run, and how much he regretted its results.

Pat Foster was like that, always quick to relate a humorous story from the old days or to explain what happened and how he handled another. When the story related to one of the tragedies in his life he never ducked the punch, but stepped up and told it the best way he knew, honestly and factually. It's impossible not to admire someone with that type of personal ethical character.

I'll get to the car: hold your horses. This pertains.

I bought my motorcycle new in 2003: a Honda 919, aka Hornet in other markets. Most of a CBR900RR performance and mechanical foundation, but with EFI and as is common with "naked bikes" a fatter midrange and slightly emasculated top end. 105 hp at the rear wheel, 65-ish ft. lbs of torque.

Within 3 months of purchase I had my most expensive speeding ticket ever ($455) and was leaving every stop light on one wheel. Often riding in jeans, a tank top, and shades. Stupid at any age, stupider at 39. It wasn't my first bike, but it was the most liberating to my inner hooligan of any bikes I've owned.

My dad died that autumn and left me a little inheritance. Although I had never seen photos and he never owned a bike after he "settled down" I just know that he passed on his love of bikes to me. He had owned a 1928 and a 1935 Harley when he was in his twenties. They would have been WELL used ratbikes by the time he got them. I think he paid $5 for the '28.

I decided that I was going to go drag racing, partly in homage to my dad. After all, I could never have afforded to do it properly without his parting gift to me. I first commissioned an extended swingarm: if I'm going drag racing, I'm NOT going to be "the guy who looped the bike off the line that time." Because Honda never sold a large number of 919's in America and the 919 is not a design that lends itself to modifications, increasing the engine output in any significant way is difficult. VERY restrictive porting, very limited availability of big bore kits, high lift cams, NO turbo kits whatsoever on the market...I was running out of options for achieving my goal of a nine second quarter mile on this bike. If I knew I was going racing when I bought a bike, I certainly wouldn't have started with this one. A CBR1000 STARTS with 50 more h.p. , and has many options for pursuing greater performance.
After engineering and installing what I believe is the world's only wet nitrous system in this application, as well as a few other little mods, I was ready to take it to the track and see what The Tinman could do. I'd rarely ever finished off a can of whipped cream, never mind tuned a nitrous system in my life. And after getting caught in the rain and nearly ruining the most expensive suit I'd ever own (Alpinestars) I HAD to come up with an alternative way of getting to the track.

In my driveway sat an unused 1999 Honda Civic HX; the VERY tall-geared, 43 mpg rated, lesser-engined version of their coupe that I had bought new. It had served me well, ferrying me across Alaska for my inspection business to the tune of 147,000 miles in the first two years of ownership. I got mine back from the insurance company virtually for free after totaling it in 2002, and band-aided it back together with a plywood front bumper and some judicious tugs on the "frame" from a come-along anchored to a concrete parking garage support. I drove it for a few years before I found a clean old BMW 320i and parked the Civic. Because it had 210,000 miles nobody would be too interested in salvage parts, and because it had been totaled and was still not titled, it was unsellable as a car.

I began thinking of cutting the car up and making it into a trailer before I got the brilliant (ahem) idea of making it into a self-propelled trailer, or "truck" as they are sometimes called. I took a few measurements, checked my stock of Sawzall blades (if only I'd had my air compressor and die grinder/cutter then!), bopped down to the liquor store for a rack of Alaskan Amber, and got to drinking...I mean, re-manufacturing.

I started by removing the trunk lid and gutting the interior of carpeting and basically everything but the driver's seat. I removed the back glass, cut out the package shelf, and sawed out the center of the rear bumper and everything between the taillights. The floor was poorly shaped for truck duty, and a hump for the fuel tank was going to cause my bike "deck" to sit much higher than I wanted. I hacked out the floor above the center of the gas tank, and quite proudly only sawed through one vapor return hose/valve assembly in the process! I got skills! Somehow, the fuel tank still held fuel and I was still not engulfed in flames at this point. But I was pretty s-faced now, so really, I was amazed that I hadn't wound up in the E.R. yet nor spilled any...okay, MUCH blood. There is a high-strength steel crossmember in the area under the former back seat, so this served as the main anchor of the ramp/deck for the bike and provides a surprising amount (ANY is surprising, right?) of structural integrity.

Because The Tinman is stretched and slammed he cannot negotiate much of a ramp without high-centering, so the deck is mounted nose-high and El Civico is MUCH more accommodating than would be a pickup truck or trailer. This car, albeit somewhat odd, is the best way I could hope to transport the bike without spending an arm and a leg. Or really, more than $50, as is the case.

As you can imagine I get some looks on the highway on the way to the track. I'm simply amazed that with the dozens of cameras that I've seen hanging out of passenger windows, I've never come across a picture of my rig on the internet.

After a passing rain shower last year, track management allowed spectators to take their cars down the track to assist drying. Slapped on my helmet, fired up El Civico (sans Tinman in back) and high-tailed it to the staging lanes. With 216,000 miles on the original clutch (and everything else but the front brakes and timing belt) I bounced it off the rev limiter in the burnout box for 15 seconds, released the ebrake, and sidled up to the tree. My reaction time wasn't great; this WAS the first time I'd ever drag raced a car, but I left the line around 6,000 rpms with a taste of equal parts clutch slip and tire spin: exactly what this tall-geared car wanted. Second gear is good for 72 mph, a quick slam into 3rd and we crossed the finish line with a 16.84: one hundredth quicker than I'd just seen for a new Mini !

El Civico has no problem keeping up with highway traffic, or any other kind really. I had it up to 95 on the Old Glenn Highway, a lovely meandering old two-lane, following a WRX on the way home from the track and all hopped up on adrenaline and Diet Rockstar. Thankfully the peace officers up here don't seem too concerned about the car and technically, they don't need to be. It has all its safety equipment besides a license plate light, but thanks to the late sunsets of summer here that's not really an issue.

Okay, so El Civico ain't too fond of washboard bumps: the torsional rigidity obviously does leave something to be desired. But I seriously doubt it's less safe than just riding the motorcycle. Granted, once I get into an accident in this car I'll be in for a world of hurt. Do I have any other mods planned? Probably an ejection seat for just such an occasion. I'll want to get some distance between me and the bike should the 's' hit the fan.

But until the doors stop working due to body flex, or the front half says 'Adios' to the back half, El Civico will remain the workhorse that keeps me in the racing game. In fact, working as a team last year, The Tinman, El Civico, and I took home the top trophy of Alaska drag bike racing.

My apologies to DeWalt, but their heavy duty reciprocating saw turned out to be less heavy duty than a drunk with an old Civic. May it rest in peace.

We're sitting here looking at the pictures of the axial flow supercharger, the four side draft carbs, Torque Thrust D's, MT slicks and that Thermoline guzzling Rocket Axle, and words fail us. This car is like a testosterone drenched call to arms, it's practically begging to frighten old ladies and make young children cry. It might be the most bad ass car ever built. We want it, we want it bad. If there was enough cash in blogging we could have it too, because it's set to go on the auction block this upcoming May 17th in Indianapolis. We're like idiots here trying to do this thing justice but our minds have been melted like so many slicks at the drag strip. [Mecum Auctions via HooptyRides]

The AP is now reporting Critchley is being indicted on six counts of vehicular homicide due to recklessness, as well as 22 counts of reckless aggravated assault. The case is expected to go to trial in November. [AP via Edmunds Inside Line]

These days, you can take your 3rd-gen Camaro or Fox Mustang and build a credible 9-second drag car without too much trouble and only a few wheelbarrows full of Benjamins. Sure, you'll be quick, but there's bound to be some old guy at the track who remembers blasting down Lions Drag Strip in a barely controllable 392 Hemi-powered Anglia or Topolino with a cigar clenched in his teeth and a couple of empty Schlitz cans rolling around by the pedals. He'll look you in the eye as you climb out of your safe-n-sane beast and you'll know what he's thinking. And you'll feel shame. But it doesn't have to be that way! Just call up the seller of this Hemi-powered 1932 Austin Bantam, which the seller "was told" ran 9.20 at 160 MPH back in the hazily-specified day and start talking money. I say "seller" instead of "owner" in this case, because it appears that this guy has a line on the car and hopes to turn it around for a quick buck: "i plan on buying this car and selling it for a profit it's not cheap." So there you have it- no price, seller may not own the car- what could go wrong? We don't know when it was built or raced, but the wishful-thinking rollbar seems to indicate late 1950s through late 1960s. Hmmm... wonder how hard it would be to make this thing nominally street legal? Imagine using this Austin as a daily driver!

It's hard to argue with the sheer awesomosity of that Bantam, of course, but what if your preferred flavor of racing involves turns as well as Schlitz cans? In that case your particular level of Hell has a parking area reserved for low-production orphan road-race cars, such as, say, this 1957 Devin with aluminum Rover Buick V8. This appears to be a Devin SS, but we can't say for sure; the seller doesn't feel like tapping the keyboard any longer than absolutely necessary, so there's not much in the way of description here. In fact, all we get is "(LOOKS LIKE A FERRARI!) NOT CHEEP but is valuable!" But really, what else do you need? The "NOT CHEEP" part is especially informative, and it augurs one of those lengthy Middle East peace agreement-style bargaining sessions that starts out with a $1,500,000 asking price countered by a $500 counteroffer and goes downhill from there. But just picture yourself behind the wheel of this fine fiberglass machine in a money-is-no-object vintage race, leaving all the dime-a-dozen Ferraris and Jaguars behind like so many Nash Metropolitans!

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The problem with an El Camino as a Project Car Hell entrant is that it's just too easy. Even the most decrepit example shares most of its components with made-by-the-millions cars that benefit from a vast reproduction parts industry and pool of junkyard parts, making the parts-obtainment process nowhere near hellish enough. But when you get into an El Camino that's been converted into a drag race car in someone's back yard... well, now we're talking! See, what you really want to take to the dragstrip is a vehicle with apocalyptic amounts of power combined with zero weight over the drive wheels, preferably with drum brakes on at least two wheels. Watch the video below and tell us you don't envy the El Camino drag racer!



The Camino above probably cost quite a bit to build, but you say you want to run 10s on a shoestring budget? Picking up this '73 El Camino (go here if the ad disappears) for $4,000 (or less) would start you well on your way to the dream of getting all sideways out of the lights and munching the guardrail at high speed! This one has a small-block with tunnel ram and dual 4-barrel carbs... but the seller neglected to specify much else about the engine, including its displacement. Is there a dead-stock '73 350 (as the "numbers-matching" part seems to indicate) beneath that intake? What about the rear end- does it have a 2.73 one-legger 10-bolt to go with those ladder bars? We can't say!

Where's the fun in a cartruck just like countless others, you ask? Right! You're not like the others, are you? That's why your cartruck needs to be a luxury model that no automaker would have Caminoized in their wildest DMT-inspired hallucinations... say, something like this 1990 Lincoln Mark VIIchero (go here if the ad disappears). The seller says it was "done pretty nice," and we'd agree; it appears to have a functioning tailgate, and that's what sets the hurried backyard hack jobs apart from the patient backyard hack jobs! Watch out, though, because this machine needs TLC... and you know what that means in a Craigslist ad. Anyone who knows these Lincolns is going to groan a bit when they read "air suspension fills and raises car alittle," but all the hours de-sagifying the suspension will be worth it when you start heaving sacks of cement into your Mark VIIchero, not even deigning to glance at those lowly proles loading up their boring old F-150s. Overall, this thing seems fairly solid, needing only a supercharger on the 5.0 and perhaps a more distinguished paint color to cover any conceivable cartruck need.

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The Ten Commandments of A.N.U.S.
1. Thou shalt only race from a standing stop to the end of a 100-foot strip, which is constructed of an unpaved surface. Winner having the fastest time.
2. Thou shalt only use one wheel.
3. Thou shalt only use a power plant that is over five-years-old.
4. Thou shalt only use a power plant that is stock for whatever its intended use was.
5. Thou shalt not exceed the size limit of four feet in width, or eight feet in length.
6. Thou shalt compete in any of these classes:
A-Class: 750cc to unlimited
B-Class: 400cc to 749cc
C-Class: 200cc to 399cc
D-Class: Occ to 199cc
E-Class: Electric
F-Class: Rocket Class (strictly exhibition)
7. Thou shalt employ a "Deadman's Switch," which will render the beast inoperable in the event that the pilot is launched.
8. Thou shalt consider steering and brakes optional.
9. Thou shalt not touch the ground forward of the axle during any run.
10. Thou shalt touch the ground only rear of the axle during any run, but may not exceed size limitations

Feel free to visit their website (beware the ad heavy service provider) HERE where you can take a look at the historical records. time slips, pictures. Heck you can even buy and A.N.U.S. t-shirt. Imagine the looks you get with that one the next time you visit the local drag strip.

The straight-line special sheds weight by using components such as a composite hood and a lightweight front brake assembly. Basic amenities, including windshield wipers, power windows, sound deadening and rear seats, are also deleted in a quest for lightness. Altogether, the hardcore Challenger has lost about 800 lbs.—and its street legality. So c'mon GM, bring us a stripped-down Camaro with the ZR1's LS9 and really heat up the Muscle Car Wars. [via Allpar]

First, let's watch some gassers in action, so we can get an idea what the goal is here. Yes, such a wonderful car could be yours... if you but drag one of the following two machines through the Lake of Fire. With your teeth.

Lots of Ford Anglias got stuffed with big engines and drag raced back in the day, so it makes perfect sense to apply the same treatment to one of GM's European creations. Say, this '59 Opel (go here if the ad disappears), which could be yours for just $3,500. It appears to be a Rekord, and the seller claims it's an actual early-60s gasser. Back then, it had a 392 Hemi... but today there is just a yawning nothingness where engine and transmission once lived. That's good news, really, because then you'll be free to break free from the shackles of tradition and put something different under the hood. How about a Mercedes 6.9, to keep the car all German? Or maybe stick with the General and put a GNX-style Buick V6 in there? The car comes with unspecified "extra parts," and we're guessing that a windshield isn't one of them. Better brush up on your German skills, because the nearest '59 Rekord windshield is likely in Deutschland.

You say you want a car with some authentic racing history, but an Opel is just too, uh, mainstream for your taste? We hear you, you rebellious freethinkers, which is why we're going with this 1968 Alfa Romeo GTV 105 gasser for our second choice. We don't know how much the seller wants for this car, because the auction's reserve wasn't met, but he or she is probably ready to listen to reason now (provided the rustle of a stack of Benjamins is audible). The ad describes some painfully cool Italian V8 engines that once lived in this car... but you don't get those engines as part of the deal. Well, you can buy the Alfa Tipo 33 2.5 liter V8 from the car's early drag race career, but the seller adds the ominous- if honest- note: "But believe me, that motor won't be cheap, even if the car goes for a song." So we figure you'd be better off tracking down a Maserati Quattroporte V8, getting an adapter plate made to bolt it to a Powerglde, and then spending a few years trying to get that setup working properly. But if you did, imagine the glory! Thanks (and a Project Car Hell Tipster T-shirt) to TK, who gets his shirt the hard way by sending in two separate tips for two different PCHs; you may recall TK as the reader who tipped me of about the Aston Martin Lagonda a couple months back.

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This is the same engine that will be launched with the Lincoln MKS and should be good for 340 horsepower and 340 lb. ft of torque. If you don't want to sit through the lecture about EcoBoost fast forward to about 6:40 into the video.[YouTube via AutoBlog]

What's surprising to us, other than people think they can steal clearly marked trailers and drag race cars and somehow get away with it, is that as of now they have gotten away with it! If you're in the Brisbane area and see a trailer, or anything really, with "Guthrie Racing" on it just call the police. [The Age]