Limited-Edition Print (13"x19") of 650 Signed and number by the Artist
To me, one of the most iconic cars in Drag Racing has to be the 1965 Baney-Garrison-McEwen “Yeakel-Plymouth Special” Top Fuel Dragster. In fact, when I was kid, when I looked up the word "Dragster" in the Encyclopedia, there was a picture of this car.
Arguably, this is Tom (The Mongoose) McEwen's most famous dragster...Probably so, because this was the time when the "Mongoose" and "Snake" rivalry first got it's start, and now this car is a star again in the ‘Snake and Mongoose” movie.
The 152” wheelbase chassis was built by Woody Gilmore’s “Race Car Engineering” shop in1964, The powerplant was a 1958 Chrysler 392, bored out to 465 with the use of a Reath Crank, and Venolia pistons, and a B&M Torkmaster (revolutionary at the time) Clutch unit got the power to the rear wheels. This combination propelled the Purple dragster to typical times of 7.50s at 214.78mph.
While the “Mongoose” boasted a one up lead over the “Snake” in their match races, the car’s biggest win came at the 1966 “Hot Rod Magazine” meet, running low ET of the event at 7.38 seconds, the quickest E.T. ever recorded at that time.
Tom told me he didn’t remember the white covered Carter Drag Chute, but this is the way the car appeared in the March 1966 issue of Drag Racing magazine. I think it adds to the classiness of this rolling Work of Art…
