Street racers....What's the worse ass whoopin you ever got street racing?

Many years ago I spent all day looking for this one guy just to prove that my car was way faster then his. Everyone knew I was out to prove something. I finally found him at home asleep and talked him into comming out and running me. I saw nothing but tail lights after a few feet from the launch and they grew more distance as we went down the 1/4. It almost felt like being in a VW against a Hemi. I never went looking for anyone again. By the way I was in a 64 GTO and he had a 65 Olds 442.

 

Sorry, no stories like this, generally handed others asses to them. So if anyone here got their tunnel rammed, cheater slicked musclecar dusted by what appeared to be a 13 year old kid in his mom's stock monza , I'm not sorry at all!

Something every car guy needs to do before they die is be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Watching fearsome machinery fade in the mirrors of your lil home built sleeper is a DNA altering experience. You'll never look at cars, or their owners, the same.

 

Yes, those AMG twin spin V12's are very bad ass. Didn't that car run crazy numbers in the 1/4 mile. Don't quote me on this number, but I think it ran low 11's out of the box in stock trim and street tires.

 

a night in jail, 500 hours community service, a midnight call to the old lady for bail and when I got my car back someone had lifted the intake and carb (Team G hi-rise and an 1150 Demon) while she was in the inpound lot.

 

It's true.. my ex-girlfriend got a G60 VW Corrado when they first came out and the "funny little import car" smacked a tubbed El Camino not once, but twice. It wasn't super quick but it would catch a few people slipping.

I was riding in a friends' new-to-him Porsche 944, thinking we were the shit, and we got spanked by a primer gray VW beetle that looked like it had just been drug out of a field. He was pretty pissed...

and when we were kids we put a 327 into a Dodge D50 and then cut the top off, it was quick but way too damn scary to actually race on a serious level... took up both lanes over 90mph...

 

I've never minded the occasional night in jail, the fines, or the trouble I got in at home and work as a result of being dumb... but the community service is what really taught me a lesson not to be so stupid and think before doing something. It just never seemed to end....

 

bright sunny early sunday morning.heading east on Colorado Blvd, downtown Pasadena California, 1959. I had a brand new 650 Triumph Bonneville first year for dual carbs. I was a cocky 17 year old that had not lost a single race. sitting at a stop light next to a black 57 2 door Ford Ranchwagon, stock hight, dog dish caps, very clean, Light turns green and he jumps on it, I almost laugh and nail it quite late and he beats me to the next light. I'm laughing now and am ready at the next light. it turns green and he beats me again, I'm not laughing now and he beats at every light thru town 12 in a row. but I'm looking forward to number 13. Rosemead Blvd is the last light and has a big dip in the road about two blocks down then a sweeping left and right then a 2 mile straight away heading to Santa Anita race track all perfect for my 120+ mph top end. I had it figured out that for that big wagon to jump me like he did had to have 5.13 or steeper ass end and no way could he touch me top end. as planned he pulled me for the first couple blocks and when he backed off for the dip, i didn't and going thru the sweepers I was a good three lengths out and pulling I just layed out and never looked back. turned out that I didn't have to because he came by me like I was tied to a tree. by the time he came to the 90 degree sweeper (we called deadmans curve) he had over 3/8 of mile on me. when I got around the curve he was out of the car with the hood open and a big grin on his face. I'm still impressed with the memory of that latham blown 430 lincoln with 4 sidedrafts staring at me. he said the car had run in the 12's on street tires which he had shown me, and had run over 150 top end seen that too! those numbers might not sound like much with all the bikes now or the turbo rice burners. but on a sunday morning in 1959 it was unbelieveable!! I never saw that wagon again (I'm Glad) and never saw it in any magazines or stories (I'm sorry)

 

It was at the track ( i know, you wanted street, but this is too good not to post).
I went up against a pinto in one of the later model Vette's i had..
The vette actually ran strong in the street class....i didn't give the pinto a second thought..sounded quiet, looked like crap etc....
The tree went down and he kicked my ass from the launch all the way to the finish line...had me by a little over a car when we tripped the light's..
Come to find out he was running a very warmed over 302, stall, gear's etc....
all wrapped up in a shitty little pinto body with quiet mufflers!
I had no shot.
Got my ball's busted pretty good by my buddy's after that..
I look back now and realize how cool that thing was..

Tony

 

WITH the a/c....OUCH!

 

I was cruising the blvd. down in NewportNews in my Hurst/Olds with it's built 455 when a 4 door 63-5 nova with hubcaps gave me the go sign. This thing had car seats in the back and looked rough, I thought some dumb ass with a warmed over sbc for sure.
That thing handed it to me right out of the gate and kept pulling, I seen it again about a month later at the local speed shop. Needless to say I pulled in to get a better look, the guy was running a bbc with some kind of tube frame work up front. He also said he really didn't have any kids, just needed the effect...lol

 

You guys may call bs on this one, but the fellas around here know it to be true.

I was sitting in my 72 Cheyenne pick 'em up at a light next to a 6something import bike. I guess I stayed in 2nd too long cause he jumped on it. We was running. I caught him in third then in 4th I passed him and kept pulling. I had never really throttled this thing before. We crossed the bridge and ahead the light turned. I slammed on the brakes and slid through the intersection. I backed up next to him and he flipped up his face shield, he was in awe. I must have had a funny look too, cause he asked if I was ok. Light turned green and someone honked, dazed I pulled away and went home. I didn't say anything then, but I got rid of the truck the next weekend. Scared the s@#! literally out of me.

What was in the truck?
Just some stuff I through together....

 

We used to go street racing and a friend of mine had a nitrous bottle stuffed inside a doll that we strapped into a car seat. You took off the dolls bonnet to turn the bottle valve.

When he got stopped by the police for being a suspected street racer, he would tell them that he was just driving around with his son and he had just gotten to sleep. The cops would be careful not to shine their flashlight on the doll in case they woke him up, and in the dark, it looked just like a baby in a car seat, quietly sleeping.

I don't know how many times he used that to get away.

I never got destroyed racing, but once saw a pair of corvettes racing, only for both of them to get passed by a 4 dr valiant that had been sitting behind them in traffic. The valiant had a built 340 with a puff of juice.

 

These are the guys that give motorcyclists a bad name. Always see them riding like idiots even on crowded freeways. Never had a Harley pass me at 100M.P.H. (and yes they are capable).

 

Not me getting dusted but one time I was running this really ratty Chevelle who's owner had been hounding me to race him for months (he worked at the same Midas shop I did). Not only did I cream him but my Mother beat him too with her 67 Caddy while following along, with my girlfriend in the passenger seat next to Mom.

She busted the guy's stones and asked to get paid too........

Al in CT

 

They made me turn the A/C off when I did a few passes at a local strip. Said the dripping condensation would wet the track. I guess it's more humid down here; cars leave big puddles under the right fender.

 

I've only lost twice in the 55, once to a low 11 second Mitsubishi Evo and the other to my buddy's bolt on and Vortech blown 03 Mustang GT, probably a mid to high 11 second car.
I pick my races pretty carefully, so I have never really gotten creamed in the 55. I also don't do much in the way of street racing anymore, once I grew up a little and had something to lose, I slowed down. It's pretty much just once in a blue moon anymore and it's got to be on an empty road and no traffic and with no passengers.
Back in my 5.0 Mustang days is a different story. I used to get worn out by stock LS-1 cars in my 95 GT until I did the H/C/I/N2O. Got my ass kicked a lot back then before doing the motor work, that thing was a dog when it was stock. Ended up being an 11.50 car on drag radials and a handling suspension before I crashed it, you guessed it, racing. That is the one moment that really slowed me down and taught me a lesson. I totaled it with my to be wife in the car and we both walked away with out a scratch. Somebody was looking out for us that night and I haven't forgotten about it.

 

ive lost every street race ive been in... a 3 speed with 4:11's and a 235 goes about 50 tops
its just fun to watc hondas get ticket after trying to race a 30 second car

 

Right after high school, actually a few yrs after ( I was around 21) I had a red 66 Mustang. Nice lil 289, or maybe 302, whatever, and a ton of suspension work. Handled really well.

Well, I was working a late nite, got out of work and saw a lil 4.6 Mustang zip past me. I was feeling saucey, I was young it was late and I decided to play a little cat and mouse. I rolled up, hit it into 2nd and blasted past him.

So I thought...

I looked back quickly in my sideview and didn't see anything. I then heard a low flying fucking jet plane (same lil 4.6 Stang) roar past me. WTF. I get closer to the next light where he is stopped and I notice the side window FULLLL of Raceway park champion stickers. Unfreakingreal. All the cars to F with and I chose this one. I also notice his name on the window, as I just read about him in a Hot Rod mag (and the car I raced) as being a daily driven race car that he actually tours/races with. But....before all that...I noted the large "this vehicle endorsed by Paxton Superchargers" sticker on the back window.

He rolls the window down and asked if I was racing him back there, cuz "he didn't even turn the A/C off for that" haha.

Went to a Dunkin Donuts and shot the shit with him for awhile, cool guy, street driven Mustang (I think he was in the low 11s or better). And if you didnt know it was a race car, you wouldnt really know hearing it idle in the parking lot.

But...in a nutshell, that is my luck!

 

"While riding in my Cadillac...


My dad always used to say "...there's always going to be someone with a bigger stick or a faster car..." and boy was he right!

"beep beep"

 

About 1970 in my 69 Dodge Super Bee,nothing special,383 4 speed,4.10 gears.But it was modified a bit ran good for what it was ,never had a problem with run of the mill GTO's,442's and various Mustangs.
A guy wanted to run for 20 bucks,he had a 69 Mustang automatic,351 Windsor engine,it idles smoothly,looked like an easy win.
We lined up,a guy flagged us,the Mustang was gone,I was fucking embarassed.I handed over the 20 bucks.I got friendy with the Mustang guy after that but he never told me what made his car run so well.He had quite a good time cleaning up on cars that shoulda cleaned his clock.

 

I heard this story second hand from the guy who experienced it first hand. He had a real hot 68 charger back in the early 70's. The car was a well known car, he said it had a Hemi + 4 gear. I never saw it, but anyway. As the story goes he was cruisin around down town Boise when a guy pulled up in one of them Willy's pickups. Challenged him to a drag out on one of the back roads. My friend agreed to meet them, but first wanted to get a buddy to go along just incase. Seems the two fellas in the unknown Willy's were strange looking, made him feel a little uneasy. Fast forward to the "comming over the hill" part. As they came over the knoll there the Willy's was sitting along the side of the road. One of the fellas crawled out from under the truck and fired it off as they pulled up. A whine was heard and the thing sounded like a prostocker. They lined up, my friends buddy got out and flagged them off. Story goes something like, the front wheels were up in every gear on the truck and the Hemi charger didn't have a chance. On the return back to the starting line the fellas in the truck were laughin and pointin. When they stopped back at the line, my friend pulled out the agreed upon amount if he lost, they wouldn't take it. Instead they opened the hood and low and behold sat a blown bbc. Seems the two built it them selves in a barn on their farm. They were bored and decided to go F with them city boys. Did they ever.......they had the belt off the blower and the exhaust runnin through buss mufflers with dump outs.


Like was said before, don't judge a book by it's cover.

I asked what happend to both cars. The Hemi was sold to pay for a kid and the truck was never seen again....

 

'bright sunny early sunday morning.heading east on Colorado Blvd, downtown Pasadena California'...

Also, if you are in this area, look out for a little old lady in a shiny red Super Stock Dodge. She keeps it parked in her rickety old garage.

 

The most embarassing time I was beat street racing was when I was back in 1980 in my 70 chevelle, Car had a built 350 and stall converter and 3.73 gears. When we were out racing one night this old guy(at the time) showed up in a 76ish toyota celica and raced me in my chevelle. I got him out of the hole but he took off like my car was going in reverse. Come to find out he was a machinist and had put a couple small turbochargers on his car. Guy was way ahead of his time. The worst tickets I got was my first day of my senior year of high school. I was followed into the parking lot with 2 cop cars behind me. Seems with my car jacked up, stereo cranked, and no rear window defrost i didnt see the cop behind me. They got me for speeding, wreckless driving and attempting to elude an officer. The one good thing about it tho is when I went to court the judge read my tickets and after I told him the story he kind of chuckled and felt sorry for me and dropped everything but the speeding.

 

Any way you cut it, street racing is uncool and ILLEGAL. Any argument to the contrary exhibits ignorance and intellectual immaturity. I applaud the handful of guys who have spoken up and indicated their disfavor with the irresponsible and cavalier attitude of this thread. Street racing is bullshit. Go to the drag strip and be responsible instead of glorifying the act of breaking the law. Lighten up? I don't think so... My response to your suggestion is my request you grow up.

 

One night, Bottle Bob raced a kid that had a '69 Chevelle with a 396. Beat him by a car length. The next weekend, raced the same kid and gave him 4 car lengths and beat him. The following weekend, he gave the same kid 8 car lengths and beat him. Suddenly, word flashed through the crowd that LAPD was on the way. The kid with the Chevelle took off. Bob walked over to his Vette and pulled into the street. By this time, the Chevelle was half a block away. Bob nailed the Vette and flew by the kid. At the next spot, the kid walks up to Bob and saids, "You coulda given me half the quarter mile and still beat me!". Bob smiles and saids' "I know".

 

"We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses."

I find it humorous that you quote the Blues Brothers in your sig after that rant. What a fucking joke. Have you watched the movie? Do you condone it? It sure as hell romanticizes it. Maybe if your panties weren't all in a wad. And don't watch American Graffiti. It shows ILLEGAL activity. Like street racing and cruising. Oh my what will we do.....

Some of you guys need to lighten the fuck up, no one is saying go out and street race, and most of the stories are from days gone by. Different times.

 

The cars arent HAMB friendly, but an ass whoopin still.While in Germany, me and a buddy were heading to Frankfurt in his new 5 series BMW. An older Opel Kadett station wagon (looked like a Vega wagon) flashes its lights at us to get out of the way, he's gonna pass. My buddy is having none of that and stands on it. We were at 135mph on his speedo and the Opel creeps up on us and gets along side, the 4 guys in it smile and wave and that car left us like we were standing still.

 

I have shown some up and also been shown up in my time just like others.

I wanted to comment on that Mercedes. I got a chance to do an aligment on one of those AMG S55's that was a V-12 but not turbocharged and I will tell you that it was a beast. From memory the turboed or supercharged cant remember are like 185K cars and Im sure the S55 na one wasnt too much cheaper......was proud to get to work on and test drive that car.......it was a 58 yr old womans ride.