Drag racings first funny car ?

[Gareth]

Any historians out there know any different

http://www.competitionplus.com/12_17_20 ... tyfly.html

[Dave-R]

Sounds right to me.

[Jon Benn]

I thought it was a Mr Norm car that was acid dipped, blown and fell outside the AFX regs, driven by Gary Dyer, Drier or something like that.

[Dave-R]

Altered wheelbase MoPars were the first "Funny" cars.
Just because of their altered wheelbase.

Chrysler tried to sneak very subtle wheelbase changes into their cars to allow more weight transfer. The NHRA officials were just checking the actual wheelbase at the time and although they couldn't put their finger on it they thought the cars looked "funny" in some way.

[Jon Benn]

Dave, have you ever though of putting together a book on the history of MoPar race cars? You always seem to have some interesting answers to this sort of question.

One of my all time faves is Don Garlits Dart II

[Mick]

I thought the first true funny car was chrismans flip top car.

[Dave-R]

You have to distinguish between when the term "funny car" was first used and when they first started using a one piece body which was much later. And I seem to remember it was Ford that had the first tube chassis lift off body type car?

[Ivor]

I knew you would be along soon Pete!

As far as the first of what could be described as the modern funny car set up, I wouldn't mind betting you are right on the money.

However, I think it was the altered wheelbase cars as Dave described that retained a stock steel bodyshell (or most of it) that coined the phrase funny car, purely due to the fact that they looked funny!

Mister Benn's got the history of drag racing books, he's bound to be able to find out...