The original muscle car era had ended, arguably, around the year 1972, but has lived on through enthusiasts who refuse to give up on our coveted classics from thee time period. Whether it’s through drag racing, road racing, car shows or simple Friday night cruise-ins, passion for the muscle car continues to thrive. One of the more interesting ways to relive the ’60s is through the F.A.S.T. drag series
Essentially a drag racing event for factory appearing stock tire muscle cars, (hence, F.A.S.T.), just about everything from small-block powered Camaros to HEMI-powered Superbirds take to the strip. Now although they can appear factory fresh, many of these vehicles have been known to see some proper and clever tweaking that the casual on-looker would never spot. Ported exhaust manifolds, slightly more aggressive camshafts, advanced ignition timing and so forth are pretty common place.
Covering these events are certainly on our priority lists, but many battles on the dragstrip have been recorded by our colleagues for all of us to enjoy. In this particular case, a shootout between a ’69 GTO Judge and its corporate sister, a ’69 Hurst/Olds. Despite the Olds’ 55-cube advantage over the Poncho, it’s a safe bet that there has been some tinkering under the hood.. as both cars are solidly in the low 13s, despite the 10-mph spread in the trap speeds.
All of this leaves us begging the question, are enthusiasts fed up with concours-restored originals? Would we rather be at the dragstrip and on the road courses, than sitting in a plastic chair staring at our car’s rear bumper? If the F.A.S.T. drags are anything to take into consideration, then we must have to say, “yes.”
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of AutoCentric Media, the parent company to Timeless Muscle Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the magazine’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next round modifications for his own cars.
