The celebration of all that is awesome in drag racing known as the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion is a wrap. Extracting maximum performance and entertainment from alternative fuels was nothing new to these guys even back when flat out timed runs across SoCal dry lake beds gave way to the quarter mile contest we know today as drag racing. Early troublemakers and speed merchants bolted up roots-superchargers salvaged from old GMC trucks to the engines in their gow jobs and jalopies then poured all manner of liquids besides gasoline into the tank for quicker and faster runs. Some fuels were more successful than others. Today only a few of the fastest cars out on the drag strip are running gasoline at all. Most are propelled by alcohol, or the highest order of exotic fuels – nitromethane. Top fuel. While it may be tough to look at modern drag racing and visualize the field packed with garage-built jalopies and professionally constructed kontraptions alike, the annual NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion is an entertaining reminder that these pioneers of the sport were, and still are, American genius.
The trike is super BA, sir. I know it’s not the first thing one should notice about it, but I’m admiring the thought that went into the rear fenders. They don’t look factory original, but they do look rather OEM. There’s something about custom *plastic* that stands out to me. Metal can be beaten into shape, but plastic? Man. That takes some patience.
Also, can you tell me what purpose, if any, the mace sticking out of the Ford 5-Window serves? I’m thinking custom hitch cover, but I know that can’t be right. Soccer moms might drive their V8-powered SUVs like they were race cars, but I suspect it’s fairly rare to find a custom rod like that dragging jetskis to the lake on Saturday morning.