Hemmings Daily: Chasing Big Daddy - from New Jersey to Florida over 40-plus years

I'll never forget "Big Daddy" Don Garlits burning up the track in his "Swamp Rat-I" dragster. It was a warm spring night in 1962, as my buddies and I, tired and sweaty, stood for hours at the edge of the Atco (NJ) "Dragway" waiting for our idol, Garlits, to beat his quarter-mile record. It had been a long journey in my 1951 Mercury on two-lane blacktops to reach Atco, a south-Jersey hamlet--the movie Eddie and the Cruiserswas filmed thereon the western edge of the "Pine Barrens." The black Merc, paint [View in Browser | Subscribe]( [Hemmings Daily] Sunday, January 21, 2018 [Chasing Big Daddy - from New Jersey to Florida over 40-plus years]( [Chasing Big Daddy - from New Jersey to Florida over 40-plus years]( Posted by Hemmings contributor - I'll never forget "Big Daddy" Don Garlits burning up the track in his "Swamp Rat-I" dragster. It was a warm spring night in 1962, as my buddies and I, tired and sweaty, stood for hours at the edge of the Atco (NJ) "Dragway" waiting for our idol, Garlits, to beat his quarter-mile record. It had been a long journey in my 1951 Mercury on two-lane blacktops to reach Atco, a south-Jersey hamlet--the movie Eddie and the Cruiserswas filmed thereon the western edge of the "Pine Barrens." The black Merc, paint... [Read More]( [Sponsor]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1974 Jensen Interceptor III]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1974 Jensen Interceptor III]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - From the seller's description: 1974 Jensen Interceptor III Luxury Grand Touring Coupe. Built in Birmingham, England. Very rare automobile; only 6408 built between 1966-1976, with just 1779 being Series III. Only 843 imported to the US and 77 to Canada. This car is copper / brown, only 194 made in this color. A/C, Power Windows, Power Steering, Stereo. Powered by Chrysler 440 ci with 280 Hp. 3 Speed, automatic Torqueflite A727. Wishbone independent front suspension. "Live" rear axle. Four wheel disc brakes. ..[Read More]( [Four-Links - Istanbul Auto Festival, RIP Robert Edwards, round-the-world 2CV, Sab Hori]( [Four-Links - Istanbul Auto Festival, RIP Robert Edwards, round-the-world 2CV, Sab Hori]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - More than a few years ago, we visited with some fine car folks in Istanbul during one of the Hemmings cruises. Now we learn that some of those same folks have organized the first Istanbul international classic automobile festival. Best of luck to you all! * This week we also learned that Robert Edwards, one of the driving forces behind the American Dreaming project we've written about previously, has died. Here's hoping that project will find some way to continue without him. * British couple Chang Luo...[Read More]( [Sponsor]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst/Olds]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst/Olds]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Older restoration 1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst/Olds for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: Restored in 1987, the stock 455 was bored out to 462 cu. in. and was rebuilt with mostly 1970 spec parts, including cam and dual valve springs. Heads and manifolds were match ported, connecting rods were flash ground and shot peened, camshaft was indexed and the engine was balanced. Most major replaceable components were replaced. During reassembly, the distributor was re-curved and the Rochester carburetor...[Read More]( LAST WEEK'S MOST READ [Dan Gurney, 1931 - 2018]( [Dan Gurney, 1931 - 2018]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - Dan Gurney (R) with A.J. Foyt at Le Mans in 1967. Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company. If Dan Gurney wasn't the greatest American racing driver of all time, he was certainly in the running for the honor. With successes in Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, IMSA and Sports Car Club of America competition, he achieved 51 wins and 47 podium finishes over a career that saw him pilot 51 makes and over 100 different models. On Sunday, January 14, Dan Gurney died of complications from pneumonia, age 86. Gurney's Formula On...[Read More]( LAST WEEK'S BEST DISCUSSION [Ford introduces 2019 Bullitt Mustang alongside long-hidden 1968 original]( [Ford introduces 2019 Bullitt Mustang alongside long-hidden 1968 original]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - The Bullitt hero car alongside the 2019 Bullitt Mustang at the 2018 North American International Auto Show. Photos by Ronan Glon, unless otherwise noted. The Highland Green 1968 Mustang GT fastback that starred alongside Steve McQueen in Bullitt is, quite possibly, the most famous Ford Mustang on the planet. To capitalize on this, Ford built Bullitt tribute models during the Mustang's fourth and fifth generations, and, for the 50th anniversary of the film in 2018, introduced a sixth-generation Bullitt Mustang at ...[Read More]( [Sponsor]( [HemmingsPRO]( Seller Listings [1951 Citroen Traction Avant]( [1951 Citroen Traction Avant $28,200]( [1931 Ford Model A]( [1931 Ford Model A $14,900]( [1965 Ford Mustang]( [1965 Ford Mustang $24,500]( [1978 Mercedes-Benz]( [1978 Mercedes-Benz $18,990]( [1948 Chevrolet Master]( [1948 Chevrolet Master $15,750]( [2013 Lexus GX460]( [2013 Lexus GX460 $29,995]( [Learn More]( [This Day in Automotive History] THIS DAY IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY 1/21/1954: 1st gas-turbine vehicle (Turbocruiser Bus) exhibited in NY UPCOMING EVENTS [Diamonds and Donuts]( January 28, 2018 - Boca Raton, FL [Hot Rods and Hatters 7th Annual Car Show Festival]( February 2, 2018 - Lockhart, TX [47th Annual Tri-State Swap Meet]( February 3, 2018 - Denver, CO [The Jersey Show]( February 3, 2018 - Edison, NJ [Auto Swap Meet]( February 3, 2018 - Peconic, LI, NY [18th Annual Groundhog Gala]( February 3, 2018 - Sanford, FL [See All Events]( [Sponsor]( FEATURED CLASSIFIEDS Sponsored By: [Sponsor]( [1978 Jeep Cherokee]( [1978 Jeep Cherokee]( [$32,888]( [1973 AMC Gremlin]( [1973 AMC Gremlin]( [$19,250]( [1977 Toyota Corolla]( [1977 Toyota Corolla]( [$6,888]( [1956 Ford C600]( [1956 Ford C600]( [$85,000]( [1969 Sprint]( [1969 Sprint]( [$28,500]( [1989 Chrysler Maserati TC]( [1989 Chrysler Maserati TC]( [$16,900]( [1953 Studebaker Champion]( [1953 Studebaker Champion]( [$48,000]( [1971 Ford Thunderbird]( [1971 Ford Thunderbird]( [$12,500]( [1941 Buick Roadmaster]( [1941 Buick Roadmaster]( [$81,500]( [2001 Dodge Viper]( [2001 Dodge Viper]( [$52,000]( [1967 Pontiac Beaumont]( [1967 Pontiac Beaumont]( [$67,000]( [1947 Ford Super Deluxe]( [1947 Ford Super Deluxe]( [$29,500]( [1994 Dodge Stealth]( [1994 Dodge Stealth]( [$7,500]( [1967 Prototype Camaro Cross Ram, Air Cleaner, ++]( [1967 Prototype Camaro Cross Ram, Air Cleaner, ++]( [$85,000]( [View All Classifieds]( FEATURED IN THE BLOG [This or That - Season 2: 1970 Shelby G.T.500 or 1971 Plymouth Hemi Road Runner]( [This or That - Season 2: 1970 Shelby G.T.500 or 1971 Plymouth Hemi Road Runner]( [Could Jaguar's E-type Zero be the (distant) future of collector cars?]( [Could Jaguar's E-type Zero be the (distant) future of collector cars?]( [See All Featured Blog Posts]( FOLLOW US: [Get RSS Feeds of Hemmings Blog]( [Follow us on Twitter]( [Join us on Facebook]( [View our Flickr pool]( [View Newsletter Archives]( Hemmings Motor News will not sell or share your e-mail address with other companies. 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