The Mad Butcher

The title is false. Eugene Gahm is not mad and is no longer a butcher. But when he built this roadster in the early-‘60s, the name fit like a chainmail glove. By the age of 26, the Lucasville, Ohio-native had immersed himself in the realms of supermarkets and hot rodding. During the winter months, the self-proclaimed horse trader bought and sold early Fords and tired racecars to bulk up his parts stockpile. In 1963, he decided it was time to build an all out drag machine. 

Starting with a brand new Scotty Fenn chassis, Eugene began constructing the altered in his home garage. “You had to make everything,�? he says about the light blue roadster. Based on a ’23 ‘T’ body, Eugene dropped a blown 392 c.i. Chrysler between the rails. Internals included an experimental Iskenderian cam and M/T pistons. Out back, the altered sported American mags wrapped in M-H piecrusts and a narrowed Olds rear.

When the car was ready for paint, Eugene thought in simplest terms. “I had a regular car that color,�? he says. “Back then everything I had was blue.�?

With show-quality fit and finish, the little roadster held the E.T. record at Dragway 42 with a 9.49 blast. According to the June 1965 issue of Popular Hot Rodding, the car also held NHRA records for the AA/Altered class. “I just loved to race,�? Eugene says. “It was a good car.�?

In 1964, Eugene took the car to Bakersfield for the March Meet and proved the Butcher could hold his own against the competition out West. Soon after his return from California, his store was demolished by a tornado. “I had to break the car down and sell the motor,�? he says. Eugene and a friend eventually teamed up to run a dragster, but the feeling wasn’t the same. Even today he says he always liked the roadster better.

Eugene still lives in Lucasville. He has been running Gahm’s Wrecker & Crane Service since 1969 and oversees more than 100 acres of salvage space. His son, Brian, actively races in the PDRA Extreme Pro Stock ranks.

Whether or not the name still holds, there’s little question that the “Mad Butcher�? was a cut above the rest.

-Joey Ukrop

Photos from Popular Hot Rodding, June 1965