In the 1960s, Ford, GM and Chrysler produced street-legal quarter mile monsters that could have been a inspiration for today’s Demon.
Drag racing was not just a part of American car culture in 1960s America, but it the culture. Automakers responded by offering a wide range of performance options for almost every model that was produced back then. However, there were also some offerings that could be described as unusual. These factory-built cars were street-legal and specifically designed for drag racing. This was more than 50 years before Dodge introduced the Demon. Some of these cars may even be comparable to the Demon’s incredible performance stats. We’ll get to that more later.
Let’s now talk about these cars. Three of these cars were chosen from each manufacturer. They set the standard for factory-stock drag racing in 1960s, and ushered in the muscle car era. Although they weren’t built in the same quantities Dodge will achieve with the Challenger Demon these cars were street legal and designed to be very fast within a quarter mile.
General Motors stopped all involvement in motorsports in 1963. This would later lead to the notorious COPO (Central Office Production Order), cars that were secretly ordered. The 1963 Chevrolet Impala was before that. It was equipped with RPO(Regular Production Option Z11), a modified 427 V8 that was officially rated as 430 horsepower, but it is believed to have produced upwards of 500 ponies.
It also included a four-speed transmission with 4.11 ratios in the rear. Aluminum was used to replace steel in many parts, including the bumpers, fenders, and hood. This effort resulted in the Impala running mid-to-low 11 second quarter mile times.
Ford was even more crazy than GM when it came to weight reduction. They swapped steel for fiberglass for the hood, front fenders and doors. Thin Plexiglas was used to replace the rear and side glass windows. Additionally, “useless” features such as heaters, sunvisors, mirrors and carpeting were removed. Ford even removed the right-side windshield wiper in the Fairlane Thunderbolt’s production. The build was so poor that Ford included a tag in each glove box that stated that the car was a “competitive” car built to meet Ford’s standards for fit, finish, and other features.
It was 3,200 pound and had a 427 cubic inch V8 that was conservatively rated at 425 HP. The car also featured heavy-duty traction bars, leaf springs and leaf springs to increase power. It had a final drive ratio of 4.44 for cars equipped with an automatic transmission or 4.58 for manuals. The Thunderbolt was a lightning fast car, completing 11 seconds straight from the showroom floor.
Everybody who is familiar with vintage drag racing know about Ramchargers, a group of Chrysler engineers that started messing around after work. They made it possible for the manufacturer to offer a variety of performance options in the ’60s. However, just like GM, there were a few purpose-built drag racing machines. Dodge offered the Max Wedge Lightweight with an aluminum front end, similar to the Impala Z11. The options were also removed, the battery was moved to the trunk and the final drive was shorter for better quarter-mile acceleration.
The engine was a 426-cubic-inch V8 but it wasn’t a Hemi. The Max Wedge was a Hemi Forerunner. It could produce either 415 horsepower or 425 horsepower, depending on the compression ratio. It was sufficient to propel the 3,300-pound 330 into an 11-second range on the track.
These quarter-mile times of 11 seconds are still much slower than the Challenger Demon’s 9.65 mark. Although this is true, it is believed that such times were achieved on street tires with skinny bias-ply tread. Many stories have been posted online about these cars making quarter-mile passes in 10-second or 9-second intervals when fitted with modern rubber. Drag racers, however, are masters at disinformation. Even if a simple tire change makes a significant difference, the technology behind tires has advanced so much in 50 years that it would not be an apples-to–apples comparison. Despite this, these stories continue to be told.
Although there are still a few vintage racers, the production numbers for each model are usually less than 100. Most survivors have turned into high-end collectibles. The 1963 Dodge Max Wedge, pictured above and in the gallery below, was sold by Mecum Auctions for $70,000. However it is not unusual to see these cars sell for over $100,000. The Thunderbolt can fetch up to $150,000 and Z11 Impalas are often worth $250,000 or more. The usual rules don’t apply to cars with a prominent racing history. “Old Reliable IV”, featured in this article, was also on auction with Mecum last January and sold for $525,000.
There are many ifs in racing. But one thing is certain. America’s three-way race at the strip is officially re-joined with Ford’s track-only Cobra Jet Mustang, and Chevrolet’s track only COPO Camaro joining Dodge’s street legal (but not track-legal!) Challenger SRT Demon.