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Click on any image to get the bigger picture |
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I am not the greatest fan of race cars with doors. If you must have doors then choose a distinctive car, present it superbly well and make sure you drive it with great skill and enthusiasm and in as extrovert a way as possible. Enter Al's Gasser and owner Alan O'Connor for whom the above is second nature. Definitely my favourite doorslammer of all time. |
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Alan O'Connor doing what comes naturally - well to him anyway. |
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Al's Gasser pictured in the pits at Santa Pod. Why do I always finish up with a toilet in the background? |
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Another pit shot but obviously quite a lot of work has been done on the car in the intervening period. Herb Andrews thinks that this shot must be of the second Gasser after the original car was dramatically rolled with Alan O'Connor finishing up in the boot space - nasty! |
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This is one of the reasons why Al's Gasser was such a crowd pleaser. |
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The Sunray Corvette was driven by Carol Froome despite advice to the contrary that Carol's husband Tony was the driver. How can I be so confident? Tony and Carol's daughter Julie told me that's how! |
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Jim Whiting's Silent Knight Austin A40 nicely posed on its trailer behind the smart Thames minibus. I think the venue is Snetterton. |
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A bit light on information for The Dangler as well unfortunately, the (rather wet) venue is Blackbushe Aerodrome. |
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This is Dave Collis' beautiful Frenzy modified Vauxhall Firenza - out with the tired old Vauxhall lump and in with 402 cubic inches of Chevy power. |
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Dave Grady's High Spirits '57 Ford seen in the pits at Santa Pod. |
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The Stones' Tender Trap Chevrolet powered Ford Escort painted in the same colour scheme as their Stardust funny car. This car was variously driven by Dennis Stone, son Dave Stone and by Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis. |
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Alan Newton's The Sting was powered by a 5738cc Chevrolet engine. |
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John Mills' massive Plymouth Roadrunner was equipped with a Chrysler 6350cc engine. |
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No details at all on Trackbuster except that it was Swedish and I like the picture. |
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The delightfully named Toenail Draggin of Trevor Atkinson, it certainly looked the part. |
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Nothing to tell you about Wagenmaster except that the picture was taken on 7 April 1985 at Santa Pod Raceway. |
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Hansen Racing's Volvo 343 Pro Stock was an eight second runner. This picture was taken on 25 September 1983 at the Pod. |
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The Wick Brothers Lil' Bug seen in the pits at Santa Pod on 12 August 1984. That is one modified Fiat 500. |
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It says Bob Cote on the side of Bad Banana but I wonder if that was the original American owner's name. Does anyone have any information on this? The picture was taken on 22 September 1984 at Santa Pod. |
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My thanks to Olle Svensson for identifying SA 579 as belonging to Mats Ericsson who nowadays is best known as both a Pro Mod competitor and a chassis builder of repute. Olle, who was the track announcer at nearly all the races held in Sweden between 1970 and 2000, remembers the car as handling very well but a little under-powered. This picture was also taken on 22 September 1984 at the Pod. |
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Clive Mechaell's Acapulco Gold Corvette seems to have gone black. This shot of the car was snapped on 7 April 1985. |
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This picture of Philip Norris' Mark III Ford Escort Stage Fright was taken on 5 May 1985 at Santa Pod. |
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Sylvia Hauser's shocking pink Ford Sierra sponsored by Independent Express sits in the Santa Pod sunshine on 6 July 1985. |
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The impressive Micky's Mouse Chevrolet Chevelle, this car was previously campaigned as Russo's Rat. John Hennessy, who crewed on the car, tells me that it was owned by Brian Cook and that this picture was taken in 1977. To see a picture of Brian's earlier dragster called Breaker, click here. |
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