Roothawg
07-21-2004, 04:21 PM
Due to some of the recent confusion about what car falls into which class, I am providing some information that I found in a NHRA “National Championship Drags” program from 1957.
I have not changed the grammar or the text in any fashion.
Hope this helps.
What is a Hot Rod?
ALTERED COUPES AND SEDANS are the happy medium class. They are in between the GAS C/S and COMPETITION C/S in the amount of leeway allowed for experimentation. Because they furnish a lot of room for practical ingenuity at budget cost, ALTEREDS are always popular, making up one of the largest turnouts at any meet. Stock coupe or sedan bodies must be used as the basis of construction for any one of the three engine size to car weight ratio divisions included in this class – “A/A”, “B/A”, or “C/A.”
MODIFIED ROADSTERS are another interesting class, offering a tremendous display of the car builders’ ingenuity. Like the Competition Coupes, they’re limited to the use of a production car body as the basis of construction. In this case, of course, it’s a roadster rather than a coupe. Two divisions, determined by the ratio of car weight in pounds to the engine size in cubic inches, are provided – “A/M” and “B/M.”
FOUR-BARRELS are a page out of hot rodding’s past that seems destined to forever be part of the sport’s future. A slang term describing a four cylinder powered entry, “Four-Barrel” usually denotes a car equipped with an ancient Ford or Chevrolet engine souped up to at least three times its original output. Most often seen in Dragster chassis configuration, the Four barrels are designated by an “X.”
SPORTS CARS of late have been competing for many rodders’ attention as a sort of new-type street roadster. Interest in these cars seems divided between those who wish to modify the product, and those who prefer to see what the top level of performance that may be tuned out of the stock item will be. Thus, four classes are found within this division; “A” for stock sports cars of under 1500 cc engine size; “B” for modified 1500 cc class cars; “C” open to stock sports cars of over 1500 cc displacement; and, “D” for the over 1500 cc modified jobs. Regardless of class within this division, all “sports cars” must comply with no only the letter, but the spirit of that term. Designations are: “A/Sp”, “B/Sp”, “C/Sp”, or “D/Sp.”
DRAGSTERS are all-out acceleration machines so complicated and expensive that they are frequently jointly owned by a group of enthusiasts. They have none of the impedimentia of your passenger car – you now, those unnecessary things like a radiator, reverse gear, starter, horn – well, you know. But they have some thing no other type car has – the ability to go from one end of the drag strip to the other in less time than you or I could walk across it – just watch and see. Dragsters run in three classes according to engine size in relation to car weight, designated by the identification letters – “A/D”, “B/D”, or “C/D.”
ROADSTERS look a lot like the Modified Roadsters with the exception that unlimited streamlining and shifting around of the engine for better traction, trademarks of the Modifieds, are more restricted in this class. Once again a stock production roadster body is required as the basis of car construction. Two engine size to car weight ratio divisions segregate this class – “A/R” and “B/R.”
COMPETITION COUPES AND SEDANS could be described not only simply, but accurately as “dragsters with a roof.” Actually, some of the most interesting cars ever built run in this class, as the division’s competitors are limited to using some type of passenger car coupe or sedan body as the basis of construction. Otherwise, they are brothers under the skin to the dragsters, sometimes even to the point of beating out their supposedly faster kinfolk. Two sub-divisions are made on the basis of engine size to car weight – “A/C” and “B/C.”
GAS COUPES AND SEDANS are members of a class named when fuels other than gasoline were used in National competition. Today, with all classes using ordinary pump gas, this title differentiates the stock cars that have hopped-up engines from those that have not. Cars in this division’s four engine-size-to-car-weight classes must have full road equipment, so the major alterations are confined to the engine, which is frequently a make different from the original. Classes are “A/G”, “B/G”, “C/G” and “D/G.”
STREET ROADSTERS must carry all the legal niceties such as headlights, taillights, fenders, etc. Windshields may be removed for competition, along with exhaust cutouts, but otherwise you will see these cars running down the drag strip in pretty much the same trim as when they are used on the street. This class gives an excellent indication of the “America’s Backyard Sports Car” aspect of rodding. All cars in this division’s two classes of engine-size-to-car-weight must use a stock roadster body as the basis for their construction. Divisions are “A/SR” and “B/SR.”
I have not changed the grammar or the text in any fashion.
Hope this helps.
What is a Hot Rod?
ALTERED COUPES AND SEDANS are the happy medium class. They are in between the GAS C/S and COMPETITION C/S in the amount of leeway allowed for experimentation. Because they furnish a lot of room for practical ingenuity at budget cost, ALTEREDS are always popular, making up one of the largest turnouts at any meet. Stock coupe or sedan bodies must be used as the basis of construction for any one of the three engine size to car weight ratio divisions included in this class – “A/A”, “B/A”, or “C/A.”
MODIFIED ROADSTERS are another interesting class, offering a tremendous display of the car builders’ ingenuity. Like the Competition Coupes, they’re limited to the use of a production car body as the basis of construction. In this case, of course, it’s a roadster rather than a coupe. Two divisions, determined by the ratio of car weight in pounds to the engine size in cubic inches, are provided – “A/M” and “B/M.”
FOUR-BARRELS are a page out of hot rodding’s past that seems destined to forever be part of the sport’s future. A slang term describing a four cylinder powered entry, “Four-Barrel” usually denotes a car equipped with an ancient Ford or Chevrolet engine souped up to at least three times its original output. Most often seen in Dragster chassis configuration, the Four barrels are designated by an “X.”
SPORTS CARS of late have been competing for many rodders’ attention as a sort of new-type street roadster. Interest in these cars seems divided between those who wish to modify the product, and those who prefer to see what the top level of performance that may be tuned out of the stock item will be. Thus, four classes are found within this division; “A” for stock sports cars of under 1500 cc engine size; “B” for modified 1500 cc class cars; “C” open to stock sports cars of over 1500 cc displacement; and, “D” for the over 1500 cc modified jobs. Regardless of class within this division, all “sports cars” must comply with no only the letter, but the spirit of that term. Designations are: “A/Sp”, “B/Sp”, “C/Sp”, or “D/Sp.”
DRAGSTERS are all-out acceleration machines so complicated and expensive that they are frequently jointly owned by a group of enthusiasts. They have none of the impedimentia of your passenger car – you now, those unnecessary things like a radiator, reverse gear, starter, horn – well, you know. But they have some thing no other type car has – the ability to go from one end of the drag strip to the other in less time than you or I could walk across it – just watch and see. Dragsters run in three classes according to engine size in relation to car weight, designated by the identification letters – “A/D”, “B/D”, or “C/D.”
ROADSTERS look a lot like the Modified Roadsters with the exception that unlimited streamlining and shifting around of the engine for better traction, trademarks of the Modifieds, are more restricted in this class. Once again a stock production roadster body is required as the basis of car construction. Two engine size to car weight ratio divisions segregate this class – “A/R” and “B/R.”
COMPETITION COUPES AND SEDANS could be described not only simply, but accurately as “dragsters with a roof.” Actually, some of the most interesting cars ever built run in this class, as the division’s competitors are limited to using some type of passenger car coupe or sedan body as the basis of construction. Otherwise, they are brothers under the skin to the dragsters, sometimes even to the point of beating out their supposedly faster kinfolk. Two sub-divisions are made on the basis of engine size to car weight – “A/C” and “B/C.”
GAS COUPES AND SEDANS are members of a class named when fuels other than gasoline were used in National competition. Today, with all classes using ordinary pump gas, this title differentiates the stock cars that have hopped-up engines from those that have not. Cars in this division’s four engine-size-to-car-weight classes must have full road equipment, so the major alterations are confined to the engine, which is frequently a make different from the original. Classes are “A/G”, “B/G”, “C/G” and “D/G.”
STREET ROADSTERS must carry all the legal niceties such as headlights, taillights, fenders, etc. Windshields may be removed for competition, along with exhaust cutouts, but otherwise you will see these cars running down the drag strip in pretty much the same trim as when they are used on the street. This class gives an excellent indication of the “America’s Backyard Sports Car” aspect of rodding. All cars in this division’s two classes of engine-size-to-car-weight must use a stock roadster body as the basis for their construction. Divisions are “A/SR” and “B/SR.”