The magnificent "Driverless T"

Kinja'd!!! "Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
04/14/2020 at 16:49 • Filed to: None

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The now-defunct Modified Roadster and Competition Coupe classes of drag racing had very few rules. Basically, if yo ur car had a stock body on your frame of choice, you were good to go. This led to some people getting pretty creative with their cars, and the “Driverless T” from 1958, built by Don Mitchel and Jack Karg,  was one of the crazier ones. Basically, the driver swapped places with the engine. A belly pan was welded underneath, allowing the driver to sit super low in what was originally the engine compartment, while a blown Chrysler Hemi v8 sat in the middle of the car, where the seats used to be. A clear plastic insert was put in the ‘32 Ford grille shell to give the driver something to see out of, and there were a couple little windows cut in the sides as well. Obviously, this combination would not be very good on the street, but it didn’t need to be. This was purely a drag car, and a very entertaining one at that. Sadly, though, no one knows what happened to this creative hot rod.


DISCUSSION (5)


Kinja'd!!! Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller
04/14/2020 at 17:02

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Sounds absolutely pants wettingly terrifying.


Kinja'd!!! Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller
04/14/2020 at 17:02

Kinja'd!!!2

Sounds absolutely pants wettingly terrifying.


Kinja'd!!! Jim Spanfeller > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/14/2020 at 17:09

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You mean thrilling  ;) Other than the sensation of speed, though, I don’t think it would be too bad. As long as you don’t go spinning off the drag strip, there’s not much you could possibly run into.


Kinja'd!!! RPM esq. > Jim Spanfeller
04/14/2020 at 18:50

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“As long as” and “not much” are  doing some really heavy lifting here...


Kinja'd!!! Jim Spanfeller > RPM esq.
04/14/2020 at 19:31

Kinja'd!!!1

Welcome to 1950s safety tech. “Be careful” is basically all the safety you get.