Beware the " Swamp Rat "
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,323 Major grins
This is arguably the most famous drag car ever built. Don Garlits, often referred to as the " father of modern-day drag racing ", built this car in 1956. It was the first one in a series of cars he built....all of which carried the name " Swamp Rat ". Don came out of the South ( Tampa, FL ) and quickly became the scourge of the west-coast drag scene where the sport really began.
In 1958, he set the world record in this car....running the 1/4 mile at 180 mph. He continued to dominate the sport until an accident, in which he was severely burned, caused him to quit driving. He continued to be a leading force behind the sport because of his ingenuity and engineering capabilities.
Don and this car are why the sport is where it's at today. His contributions to drag racing are manifold.....and it really all started with the " Swamp Rat ". Both Don and this car ( along with many, many others ) reside now in Ocala, Fl at the site of his drag racing museum.
It took REAL courage to mount and drive this beast. I want you to notice that, when sitting in this car, Don's family jewels were sitting right on top of the rear-end gear housing. It that housing had decided to disintegrate ( as they were known to do )...well, you get the picture. The dangers of sitting behind the engine if it exploded ( which burned Don ) and sitting over these rear-end housings prompted the move to put the driver ahead of the engine, as is now the practice.
In 1958, he set the world record in this car....running the 1/4 mile at 180 mph. He continued to dominate the sport until an accident, in which he was severely burned, caused him to quit driving. He continued to be a leading force behind the sport because of his ingenuity and engineering capabilities.
Don and this car are why the sport is where it's at today. His contributions to drag racing are manifold.....and it really all started with the " Swamp Rat ". Both Don and this car ( along with many, many others ) reside now in Ocala, Fl at the site of his drag racing museum.
It took REAL courage to mount and drive this beast. I want you to notice that, when sitting in this car, Don's family jewels were sitting right on top of the rear-end gear housing. It that housing had decided to disintegrate ( as they were known to do )...well, you get the picture. The dangers of sitting behind the engine if it exploded ( which burned Don ) and sitting over these rear-end housings prompted the move to put the driver ahead of the engine, as is now the practice.
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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Comments
WOW< What a great set of images, I had the pleasure of seeing him race
Green Valley Raceway back when I was a kid, never forgot it.!!
You really get all the great details and colors out of the Rig, very nicely done.
Craig
Burleson, Texas
Yeah,
Don was a regular at Green Valley Raceway. Saw him run several times. He still has a shop/garage here in Fort Worth.
I used to drive some pretty serious drag cars in the late 60's and early 70's....all of which were named " Black Mamba ". But blasting off the line in a car like this took a higher level of testosterone than I possessed.
Thanks for the nice comment.
Tom
Like with most folks who followed drag racing, Garlits was bigger than life to my crowd. We watched him every chance we could. I'm still amazed at where this sport has gone.....the 1/4 mile times and speeds they're turning. I just got back from the Gatornationals over in Gainesville, FL. Pretty impressive stuff going on.
Take care,
Tom
Thanks for looking in. You've been a little scarce lately.....got any stuff to show us?
Tom
Yeah, you wouldn't catch me behind the wheel of that thing. Thanks for looking in.
Tom
"keep it original" appeal.
Always get an education checking out your car show images. Have heard
his name before but never have really seen one of his works. Nice to see
this one.