History NHRA Model "B" Motor Record Holder Dragster

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Saw this on the auction site and thought it was pretty interesting. Had a Model "B" motor with a OHV Fargo head and ran a 136 MPH in the 1/4 mile in 1961. Made more than 50 passes @ over 133MPH with the engine.





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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]You are bidding on an Original late 1950s Dragster with very extensive History.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This race car was and still is a current NHRA record holding Champion.[/FONT]
No other dragster powered by a 1932 Ford Model B engine has ever gone faster.
At the San Gabriel Drag strip in Southern California on October 29th 1961 this
car broke all existing records by runing a 136 MPH in the Quarter Mile.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]During a 3 year period of the early 1960s this dragster run more than 50 passes[/FONT]
at over 133 MPH.
The History of this car has been documented with a 200 page binder of photos and
NHRA 1320 certificates.
The cylinder head on this car is One of only 3 Known to Exist . It is a Famous
4 PORT FARGO OHV Conversion, produced in the late 1930s.

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Would love to see that make a pass.

 

I think that this is the Smaldino and Yates dragster...someone else might want to check me...if so, it was built by Vic Smaldino and driven by Don Yates, who later drove top fuel dragsters for Dick Goss and Garren & Madden, among others. Yates always loved the bangers. The 136 at San Gabriel was pretty stout, because in '61 I think it was still gas-only...

 

Yes, its the Smaldino & Yates dragster. In 1960 it ran on 100% nitro methane. Somebody in Whittier, Ca. is selling it. A lot more info is in the ad and the item number is 150397060357. I'm not associated with the sell in any way. Just thought it's a really interesting piece of history that is being sold.

 

That's pickin em up and puttin em down for a model B folks. If I was rich, I'd own that rascal.

 

Very cool but all his pics in the Ebay ad are 40 years old and it says it could be made to run for an extra fee.. You would think it might help to sell it if the guy had a couple pics of what it looks like today. My 57 Bel Air project car looked pretty damn nice in 58. Today not so much.... That being said I would love to own it. I wonder what the actual condition of it is now.

 

This has been for sale for some time now. It was restored by Jay Steel and the Taylor Engine shop. Last I heard they wanted $30,000 for it. It is a beautiful rail.
Wish I could afford it !!!!

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You are right, they should have posted current pictures. It was torn down and completely restored a few years back. It is totally beautiful now.

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Here are some pictures that Bad Bob posted of it from the Antique Nats this year:

 

Too bad you can't upload those pics onto the auction site for the seller.

Thats an example on how NOT to sell a car!!!

 

Awsome.

 

You know, the history alone should sell this car. But seeing it in person makes my pants wrinkle free

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The thought of such a sight .......

 

Wow, that is very cool! 136 mph in the 1/4 with a 'B' motor?? Hauling ass!!

Thanks for posting this...




Malcolm

 

I'd love to hear that bad boy screamin through the traps on the big end!!!

 

Is this Wes Cooper's old car? If so it may be the same engine that was in his '27 T Roadster Dry Lakes car. That car was on the cover of Hot Rod September 1949, and there is a Rex Burnett cutaway drawing of it.

 

Well, maybe the FARGO was once in the Cooper Roadster. Wes had a CRAGER powered rail that turned 166.35 at El Marage and turned 132 on gas in the quarter, this info is on page 309 of The MILLER Dynasty.

 

Is that motor a "runner"? I heard that the head is badly damaged from to much nitro and to many 136mph runs.

 

That is probably the reason the "Could be made drivable for an extra cost" statment was added to the description.

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No doubt its an old sanitary looking digger but $30,000 is a little steep. The acutal history and a description of the motor condition would help. If the motor is scattered ot inoperatable I cant see any one paying that much for it. Its is great looking eye candy though.

 

Anyone else see some great ideas on that trailer. That would be a trailer for some of the HAMB dragsters

 

Spent the afternoon Dec 16th with Vic Smaldino and spoke for 4 hours about his car and the engine he built. Vic was still very sharp and had quite a memory. Gave me a great talk on how he ran nitro through two stromberg 48s, he was quite the engineer in these things. The engine that is in the dragster pictured is not Vic's original built B banger but a replica built most likely by Jay Steel for display. Last Vic knew the car was on display in a museum. The car looks very good still. The Fargo head that Vic ran was number two out of was it four or five built. The first two were unique in that the valve cover was narrower than the last built heads. They had some valve rocker clearance problems in 1 and 2 and Vic had to rework the head valve cover because of that. So the last 2 or 3 had the wider valve cover. https://www.museumofamericanspeed.com/fargodragster.html

 

Vic ran 100% nitro

 

Fastest yes- Quickest no! Bob Ambrose went quicker- In-Liner record holder!