Drag – All about car

A real crowd pleaser! A firetruck car hauler at the Osoyoos show last weekend.Cam Hutchins This weekend on the B.C. car show calendar is one of my favourites of the year. Friday night it’s back to my old alma mater for the Centennial High School Show Shine, and Saturday it’s out to Mission Raceway Park for the Langley Loafers Old Time Drags. My fellow classmates and I are celebrating our 40th grad anniversary in September, and since lots of us are car nuts we’ll be bringing our cars to the parking lot of Centennial’s new school to help support the future grads. A lot of our teachers from back in the day were also into cars and I remember one memorable teacher, Geoff McElgunn, who taught my brother Jeff, myself and my nephew Andy, mechanics. We had an enormous amount of school shop space back in the day and we worked on all kinds of cars – it was great. Andy went into mechanics as a trade and Geoff retired a few years ago but is still active in the show, has a great old Mopar convertible and was instrumental in getting a Cuda race car for the students to drag race at Mission Raceways. Another alumnus who is a total car nut is Mo Davidson, who was inducted into the Greater Vancouver Pioneers of Motorsport for Drag Boat racing in 2016. Mo brought his boat to the show last year. In 1984 at an official Fraser Valley Drag Boat Association sanctioned event, Mo’s “Red Baron” drag boat covered a quarter mile in 5.7 seconds, setting a record that was still intact in 2016 at his induction. Last weekend I got to see a couple of old classmates from Centennial and Montgomery before that. Thursday evening I went to Stones Speed Shop in Chilliwack to photograph the 1934 Ford “Mindrel Coupe” for a showboard for the Cactus Jalopies Show in Osoyoos. Long-time pal Bernard Cote is working at Stones. And I caught up with another buddy, Ray Brenner, up in Osoyoos with his awesome fenderless 1934 Ford with the massive “boots” at the rear. The cars in Osoyoos were astounding, and I finally got to see JF’s Acadian in person. I also got to see an incredible “tribute” to the classic AFX Funny Car Mustangs of the past. This ’66 fastback Mustang has a 15-inch stretched nose and the rear axle was moved forward 10 inches. Powered by a supercharged 302 it has power windows and doors and was owned by Bob and Lynne Wade. Another wild car was a 1957 Chevy that was found in a wreckers in Washington State 35 years ago. Originally Brian Reinholz only wanted the rare power windows and power seat, but for double that price he got the whole car that was virtually complete. It only recently got finished with a Jimmy 6-71 blower from an actually 6-71 two-stroke diesel he found and stripped apart. The patina is awesome and its registration clearly states…”Go ahead and touch it!!” I look forward to seeing you all tonight and remember, because we grew up in Coquitlam, this is a rain or shine event. Bring a kid along and get a photo of them sitting in my old Chevy truck, as it is also a “hands on” experience. SHOWS JUNE 7 What: Ninth Annual Centennial High School Show Shine Where: Centennial School Student parking lot, 570 Poirier St., Coquitlam When: 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: Starts at 4 p.m. $15 per vehicle Info: Cam at 604-551-3650 or camsfam@shaw.ca JUNE 8 What: Burrard Yacht Club Classic Boat Car Show Where: 10 Gostick Place, North Vancouver When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: Donations to the Disabled Sailing Association Registration: Open to Collector Vehicles Register at burrardyachtclub.com Info: 604-980-0817 or classiccar@burrardyachtclub.com Website: burrardyachtclub.com JUNE 8-9 What: 32nd Annual Cache Creek Graffiti Days Where: Cache Creek Community Park, Cache Creek When: Saturday Poker Run 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday show shine 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday smoke show 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday swap meet from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: Free and open to all vehicles 1972 or older. Info: 250-457-7661 or bcelliott@coppervalley.bc.ca Website: cachecreekvillage.com JUNE 9 What: Pontiac Car Club Show Shine Where: KMS parking lot, 300 – 19600 Langley Bypass When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: 9 a. to noon $20 and open to Pontiacs, GMC trucks, Oldsmobiles and Buicks Info: 604-468-3695 or tbeale58@telus.net Website: pppcc.com What: 29th Annual Sockeye Run Show Shine, Where: Steveston Community Centre, Richmond When: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. $15 and open to all vehicles Info: 604-271-5858 email, coordinator@sockeyerun.com or webmaster@richmondlions.club Website: sockeyerun.com What: Murray GM Corvette Camaro Show Where: Murray GM Abbotsford, 30355 Automall Dr., Abbotsford When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission: By donation to BC SPCA Info: 604-857-5200 or info@murraygmabbotsford.com Website: murraygmabbotsford.com What: Steve Marshall Ford Open Car Show Where: 3851 Shenton Rd., Nanaimo When: Noon to 4 p.m.
Origin: Back to school isn’t always a drag

The 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi Under Glass wheelstanderGoodwood Festival of Speed A brand new Hurst Hemi Under Glass drag racing wheelstander will be built by the drivers of the original car, based on a 2020 Dodge Challenger and powered by a 1,000-horsepower V8. According to Hemmings, the car will be built by Mike Mantel, who currently campaigns a 1968 model year Barracuda Hurst Hemi Under Glass built by Bob Riggle, one of the original drivers of the iconic 1965 Hurst Hemi Under Glass. Riggle had been campaigning the 1968 model since 1991, which makes it the longest-raced car of the series. Powering the wild car will be Dodge’s brand new Hellephant crate engine, which famously makes 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb.-ft. of torque from its 426 cubic inches, aided by a supercharger. The name Hemi Under Glass comes from a 1960s Barracuda wheelstander that had the engine behind the front seat, under the large fastback window. The new car will feature the same configuration, along with the same independent rear brakes for steering while doing wheelies; an undermounted radiator; and a window in the firewall so Mantel can see where he’s going. The idea came to Mantel a few years back, but when he pitched Bob Riggle about the idea, Riggle remarked people were only interested in seeing the vintage car run. Mantel showed a concept drawing to the crowd at the 2019 Spring Festival of LX, and the response was so positive that it reignited his desire to build the car. We’re super excited to see the vehicle as this is probably the first mid-engine conversion done to a Challenger, and the inclusion of the classic Cragar wheels as seen on the concept poster would send it over the top on the
Origin: Drag racer plans mid-engined Hellephant wheelstanding Challenger for 2020