I first heard of the A/FX cars inaugural outing at AHRA Winter Nationals at the Bee Line Dragway, where they overwhelmed everyone with their awesome look and “Funny” stance. I saw AWB (altered wheelbase) cars at Connecticut Dragway in '65; First Bill Flynn’s Yankee Peddler, then cars like Melrose Missile, Color Me Gone, California Flash, Dave Strickler and Dick Landy to name a few.
They were ungainly as they waddled up to the starting line on early wrinkle wall slicks and burned through the rosin several times before their runs. It was magic! I never forgot it and thought I might get a 65 Plymouth someday and recreate an A990 car. So, I stashed away that dream for about 35 years and then started talking about it to my friends. Then …..
Paul Hotkowski , who campaigned a Pro-Stock Duster in the early 70’s called me one day in 2004 and had found a drag car for sale in Kansas that would be a perfect candidate for 10/15 surgery. I kicked the AWB idea around with friend Bill Atwood who owns Auto Service of Old Saybrook and specializes in building performance cars, complete restorations, and hot rods. Bill has 30 years plus experience in building and tuning performance cars and he specializes in MOPAR's. He built his award winning ’69 Plymouth 4-speed Hemi GTX that is his daily driver and weekend racer. Bill makes dreams come true and the rest is history (after only 500 hours, a few dollars, and a few scrapes here and there).
Conclusion: This project is not for the faint of heart. This was a commitment that I underestimated at the onset, but was all worth it. For the critics that thought Bill and I were crazy - you were right!
And to all the friends that stopped by during the process to lend support in one way or another. Thanks!
--Gary Gerard
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