PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
But
by far the most affordable way to have an entertaining
driving experience—and express your individuality
in the process—was to buy an inexpensive, second
hand American car and modify it yourself to suit your
taste and needs.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
Since
it was not necessary to place a priority on handling
and maneuverability, American hot rodders came to prefer
the light and powerful 1932 Ford V-8 and an entire industry
was built around improving their straight-line performance
and the performance of other vehicles with equal potential.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
The
Winternationals, NHRA's second event, was first held
in 1960. By then Detroit had taken notice of the growing
interest in quarter-mile times and was building brand
new cars with ever more powerful engines to capture
a portion of the market.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
The
1971 Dodge Challenger "Motown Missile" was
one of the first race cars to have an on-board computer
system to capture data for Chrysler engineering.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
The
earliest automobiles built specifically to drag race
were constructed primarily by backyard mechanics in
their garages and could best be described as street
cars with hopped up engines and bodies that had been
cut down to reduce weight.
