WTF?!?

Yeah, I know what your thinking - great title for this week's blog. I could say it was an acronym for either Water The Flowers or maybe Went To Florida, (which isn't a bad idea right about now considering it's mid-October here in Maine and the temperature is a not-so-balmy 55 degrees), but those who know me, know where I'm coming from on this. For the first time in weeks, today's blog did not come from some article I read. The whole snowball started rolling when I received an email from a friend of mine from California - "... check out these pics. Remember when we used to play with our Hot Wheels and mentioned how cool it would be if we had life-size cars like these in the driveway?"

I'm sure this isn't the first time someone has gone & built something like this as several of the first Hot Wheels toy cars were modeled after popular concept cars from the late 60's, but this is the first time I've seen a life-size rendition that's driven regularly. Whomever owns and/or built this version of the model Splittin' Image not only nailed it (despite the love it / hate it paint and wheels) but also gets bonus points for making the exhaust system work without it melting anything especially since it's routed between the canopies. Regardless of how you feel about the rig as a whole, you can't argue it has serious WTF attitude - because if you saw it drive by in the opposite lane, that's exactly what would emanate from your mouth... or close to it.

It got me to thinking - as way too many things often do - what were some other WTF moments in your life, automotive wise? Not necessarily the whack-job who was doing 120mph down I-95 in shitloads of traffic, but maybe it was it the very rare muscle car you saw, the likes of which you'll probably never see again. Or the totally off-the-hook street rod that left you speechless. Or was it some out of control drag racing or NASCAR action you witnessed and people still talk about today?

I can remember the first time I drove a Dodge or Plymouth Hemi anything - in this case it was a 1967 Plymouth GTX. At the time, it had modern BF Goodrich radial tires, a front disc brake swap had been done, the engine ran a slightly more aggressive camshaft, and the heads had been freshened up to run on unleaded fuel. But for all relative purposes, it was still pretty stock with an automatic and 3.54 gears in the Dana 60 rear end. When I drove it, I let the Torqueflite transmission shift for itself, but the owner (and good friend) told me to "...let it all hang out." I nailed the gas and was instantly pinned to my seat. First gear was almost all tire spin - the tires barely hooked and when they finally did, second gear came up real quick with a solid bang. I was once again pinned back into the vinyl seat and there was more tire spin, but the T/A radials took less time to hook. Third gear came up fairly quickly, again with another solid bang. There was hardly any tire spin in 3rd, (just a long loud chirp), as all eight barrels of the Carter carburetors were swallowing air like mad and the Hemi engine literally roared. I finally lost my nerve at around 135mph as the front end started to lift because the GTX was as aerodynamic as a cow barn. The tach was north of 5,000rpm, but the Hemi still had more power to give. As I slowed to a normal speed, circled around, and drove back to where we started, I was grinning ear to ear as my friend say, "Ain't nothing else like a fucking Hemi... nothing!" He was right. Then I thought to myself - how on Earth could Chrysler sell such a beast to the general public? This engine was brutal - even in stock form, never mind if an owner modified it. Plus many of these vehicles had 4-wheel manual drum brakes as well as those crappy narrow bias-ply tires they had back then. A definite WTF concept.

Most of you know I'm a massive nostalgia drag racing fan. One of my favorite classes are the Gasser models, and while I like the traditional and popular Willy's and tri-five Chevy models, I have a soft spot for the unusual. When I attended this indoor car show, you could label me impressed with a new degree of unusual. For some - a WTF moment without a doubt. When was the last time you saw a 50's Rambler wagon ready to rock n roll as a Gasser? It had it all - the solid lifted front axle, fuel tank up front, no hood, patina on the fenders, period tires and wheels, the works. I don't know how many people probably walked away with visions of building one just like it.

I've been pouring through a number of late 50's and early 60's NASCAR photos lately. I came across this classic of Fred Lorenzen. Why does this shot qualify for a WTF award? Study the picture and pick up the clues. Then compare it to today's cars and drivers. Think about it - NASCAR racing with an open face helmet, a factory operating door with working glass, no window net (they usually drove with the windows down due to the heat), a simple roll bar, and the driver was wearing a short-sleeve white dress shirt. Those were the days...


Speaking of those were the days, here's a great reactionary shot that screams  WTF - just look at the young guys face glaring at what is taking place and you tell me. This was taken around circa 1965-66 out in California. The engine in question was the then-new Ford 427 SOHC (or "Cammer") engine. It belonged to one of the most successful drag racers of all time, be it top fuel dragsters or funny cars - Don "The Snake" Prudhome. Back then, there were no fancy accommodations, or racing team car carriers, or semi-tractor trailers that doubled as rolling garages. You did what you had to do, regardless of where you were. I have seen countless photos and heard numerous stories of racers as well as hot rodders getting tossed out of hotels and motels for rebuilding engines, transmissions, and read ends in parking lots and/or motel rooms!

I'll leave you with this last tidbit - actually it's a double WTF whammy. First off, it's not often you'll see classic VW bugs here in the realms of Maximum Performance. However, I do like them and I do photograph them from time to time. But when was the last time you saw interior panels on any vehicle that consisted of old Mad Magazine and Hot Rod magazine covers as well as pictorial features, advertisements, and who-knows what else from said magazines? Never mind the Dead Head thing hanging from the rear view. I was passing by this rig and guess what I said? Yup... then promptly snapped a picture.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave