In last months edition of Mike Kelly's Cruise News, thanks to Steve Reyes, we showed you some great photos of the early "outlaw" style "Funny Cars" and A/FX cars of the mid 1960's. Those cars were basically highly modified Super Stocks that still had steel bodies and sometimes wildly altered wheelbases.

By the late 1960's "Funny Cars" were still considered the "outlaws" of the drag racing scene, however, their popularity was soaring with drag racing fans around the country. These "outlaws" had moved far beyond being just highly modified Super Stocks, as light weight tube frames, flip top fiberglass bodies, and big nitro burning, supercharged engines became the norm. Performances increased dramatically over the early "Funny Cars", with 200 mile per hour plus runs becoming common. Near the end of the 1960's AHRA added a Funny Car Eliminator class to their events and NHRA soon followed suit, adding Funny Car Eliminator to their rule book in 1970.

You will notice that the "Funny Cars" became more professional looking and more aerodynamic as time went by. Now, lets take a look at "Why Do They Call Them Funny Cars" Part 2.........CN

Looking for a classic drag racing photo of your favorite car or star? Chances are Steve Reyes has it. Or if you would like a professional photo shoot with your car, you can contact Steve Reyes via e-mail at sb.reyes@cox.net