First at the track

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A56

A56

MoPar Affliction
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So which car officially was first down the track in a race, cuda or Dart?
 
My guess is the Cuda was first, and here is why…
The Sox and Martin team was probably the first to get one, and Plymouth was very anxious to have the car ready for a Car Show in the Coliseum in New York in the Spring of 1968. The day after the team was supposed to compete with the car.
When The Team picked up the car it didn´t have an engine nor trans in it. Interior was far from complete, and it took most of the Burlington Garage Staff three days to complete the Cuda in time for the trip to New York, for the Show and the race the following day.
It is likely, since Plymouth so badly wanted the car to be ready for the Show and the Race, no other team had gotten a car prior to the one the S&M Team got. The S&M Team was the Flagship of the Chrysler Plymouth Corporation, and it is not likely another team was allowed to steal the show at the Race Track this early spring day.
Now if Dodge had similar plans for their Dart, and since there probably was quite some rivalry between the two Companies I don´t know. Hopefully someone step in and put this story right.

One of the very first pictures of a race ready 1968 SS-Hemi Barracuda.
An absolutely stunning picture... If one was to pic one single picture of a Drag Race Car, this should be it. This is the beginning of a racing era beyond all compare...
Race ready early spring of ´68.jpg
 
SSing said:
My guess is the Cuda was first, and here is why…
The Sox and Martin team was probably the first to get one, and Plymouth was very anxious to have the car ready for a Car Show in the Coliseum in New York in the Spring of 1968. The day after the team was supposed to compete with the car.
When The Team picked up the car it didn´t have an engine nor trans in it. Interior was far from complete, and it took most of the Burlington Garage Staff three days to complete the Cuda in time for the trip to New York, for the Show and the race the following day.
It is likely, since Plymouth so badly wanted the car to be ready for the Show and the Race, no other team had gotten a car prior to the one the S&M Team got. The S&M Team was the Flagship of the Chrysler Plymouth Corporation, and it is not likely another team was allowed to steal the show at the Race Track this early spring day.
Now if Dodge had similar plans for their Dart, and since there probably was quite some rivalry between the two Companies I don´t know. Hopefully someone step in and put this story right.

One of the very first pictures of a race ready 1968 SS-Hemi Barracuda.
An absolutely stunning picture... If one was to pic one single picture of a Drag Race Car, this should be it. This is the beginning of a racing era beyond all
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ compare...
^^^^^^
View attachment 1715117650
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----------AMEN________________but, didn`t mr norm do it first ?
 
doogievlg said:
I thought Norms big claim to fame was a 440 in a Gts which came with a 383. I could very well be wrong though.
Click to expand...

I got him on Facebook. I'll ask him. He'll probably know the answer to both questions. If not Robert Landy may. I have him on Facebook, too. lol
 
Question has been posed. lol
 
Well actually the GSS was born when the 383 was put in a 1967 Dart, but was a big thing with the close to 50 or so Dart´s Mr. Norm build the following year.
 
This the Plymouth mule, which was the first Hemi A-body to be seen by the automotive press, from what I'm told. After a hush-hush test session in Michigan, Plymouth brought it out to sunny CA and ran it at Irwindale, inviting the media (car mag guys) to view it and see it run.

testcuda.jpg
 
According to Geoff Stunkard in his book, (see pic) The Hemi A-Bodies first showed up at the Spring Nationals in Madison Township Raceway Park in Englishtown in mid June.
And again, since I don´t thing any of the independent guys was allowed to steel this big happening, this was it, and one might find the answer in the files of NHRA or possibly Madison Township RP.
This book btw, is a lot of great reading...
20171227_140626 Hemi book.jpg
 
Well I think the question takes a bit more research... so I´m out of here :)
This is a post made by the late Paul Ceasrine, who was very knowledgeable in the subject of these SS-cars to say the least.



Tom Spanbauer of Oshkosh, Wisconsin

'Liberty Bell II'

Tom was already running his SS/B car by mid-April 19
 
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