Mickey Thompson – Pulpaddict

HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY

Some of the most significant competition cars have been carefully preserved and are on display in the HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY in Ames, OK.

HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY

When I was writing FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE in 2015 for Motorbooks, I had the pleasure of communicating with consummate carguy, Brent Hajek. There were several drag racing cars, as well as at least one land speed record Bonneville Mustang, that I was featuring, and needed some background and timeline information. These were cars that had ended up in Hajek’s private collection. I hadn’t realized at the time that he owned around 100 competition cars.

According to John Gilbert, who visited the collection and covered it for Hemmings, “The population of Ames, Oklahoma, hovers around two hundred people, so it’s kind of funny when one realizes that there are more racecars in Ames than there are passenger cars.”

The 2020 census recorded just 193 people, which translates into Brent Hajek owning more cars than are registered to Ames’ total population!

The HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY occupies an old schoolhouse that had closed years ago. Many of the cars on display were purchased before people started realizing the history, heritage, and value of old racecars that had at one time set records and been showcased in enthusiast magazines. Many had been record holders, driven by high-profile drivers and campaigned with factory support.

“At any given time, the HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY has around 80 cars on hand and another 20 cars spread out on loan at locations like the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA, and the NASCAR Hall Of Fame in Charlotte, NC,” reported Gilbert.

Some of the racecars I showcased in FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE and are in Brent Hajek’s collection include Al Joniec’s ‘68 Cobra Jet Mustang, winner of Super/Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Winternationals, Connie Kalitta’s blown Boss 429 Bounty Hunter Mustang Funny Car, and Bob Tasca’s Boss Mustang powered by a 494-inch, Boss 429 motor built to Can-Am racecar specs.

Since I had been with Mickey Thompson and Danny Ongais when they were contesting land speed records at Bonneville with three half-chassis Holman & Moody ’68 Mustangs with 1969 sheet metal and small & big-block engines, the blue big-block Bonneville car, top photo, in Hajek’s collection was of particular interest. During two trips to Bonneville. Thompson & Ongais set 295 land speed records!

HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY Al Joniec puts the hurt on Dave Wren in his Plymouth to win the final round of Super/Stock Eliminations at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals. One of the first 50 Cobra Jets built for drag racing, Joniec ran 120.6 mph in 11.49 seconds and won SS/E and Super/Stock Eliminator gold.

In 2008, Hajek campaigned a modern Mustang Cobra Jet, painted to match Joniec’s original Winternationals-winning ’68 CJ Mustang. Both cars are on display in his museum.

Connie Kalitta was an early adopter of the Boss 429 engine for blown fuel racing. In 1969, he campaigned both his Bounty Hunter fuel dragster and Mustang Funny Car. Brent Hajek owns the Mustang.

Under the hood of legendary Ford dealer Bob Tasca’s one-off Boss Mustang is one of Holman & Moody’s 494-inch, dual-Holley Can-Am Motors. The engine was built using an aluminum block, 4.52-inch pistons, and a 3.85-inch stroke steel crank and lightweight Boss 429 heads. It ran 11.0s at 136 mph on street tires!

Read John Gilbert’s Hajek Museum coverage @ https://www.hemmings.com/stories/nascar-and-drag-racing-history-enshrined-at-the-hajek-motorsports-museum/?uemlid=e323c71347790f699ba35a9dc01d49ac3f938885a7df6321087c8c9b4c0dd333

The HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY is open by appointment only, https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.3285

CHEVY 427 MARK II MYSTERY MOTOR

Unlike the Z11, the CHEVY 427 MARK II MYSTERY MOTOR was not available in a car, or to the public. You had to have serious NASCAR cred to get one of the 20 built.

In the 1960s, Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen always seemed to be one step ahead of GM Chairman Fred Donner’s anti-racing missives. While running Pontiac, he had supported the Super-Duty Group that later, after he left, managed to get 421 Catalina Lightweights to drag racers before the axe fell. Then he moved on to Chevrolet in 1961 and supported the RPO Z11 drag racing and clandestine NASCAR 427 Mystery Motor projects. Both pure racing programs survived even though GM was officially out of racing. In the case of the Mystery Motor, everything was conducted through Chevrolet’s backdoor.

Except for cooperating with Ray Brock for a story in the May 1963 HOT ROD, Chevrolet PR did not issue any photos, information nor discuss the Mark II 427 with media. As far as Chevrolet was concerned, the engine did not exist. The Mystery Motor rattled the troops at Daytona, generated reams of misinformation and became a cult engine. Its real function was that of a “bridge” between the old school W-Series 348-409 and the next-gen 1965 Mark IV big-block.The CHEVY 427 MARK II MYSTERY MOTOR makes use of the same bore/stroke block – 4.31-inch bore and 3.65-inch stroke – as the Z11 engine. But that’s where the similarity ends. Unlike W-Series engines with combustion chambers in the cylinders, the Mark II NASCAR engine utilizes canted and staggered-valve (Porcupine) heads with conventional chambers. This style head debuted in production 396-427 Mark IV big-block engines, affectionately dubbed “Rat Motors” by enthusiasts!

Although developed primarily as a NASCAR race engine, Chevrolet did produce a singular variant for street applications. Most likely the Mark II in street trim, displayed for many years at GM’s Tonawanda, NY engine plant, left, with GM engineer, Ken Kayser, was built to justify the expenses of building a racing-only engine. It is possible that at some point the project was referenced internally as RPO Code Z33. That would have been done only to disguise the 427 as an optional production engine so as not to attract unwanted attention. Interestingly, the Mark II engine was not produced at Tonawanda, the facility best known for Mark IV 396-427-454 engines.

Richard “Dick” Keinath, one of the industry’s top engine engineers, had the lead role in designing and developing the Mark II engine. The program started in 1960, before Bunkie Knudsen arrived and wrapped up in November 1962. To keep it off the radar, Mark II development, and testing by pro drivers in NASCAR racecars, was conducted at GM’s Winter Proving Ground in Mesa, AZ rather than in Milford, MI.

Part of the mystery surrounding the Mark II engine can be attributed to its planned public debut on February 24, 1963 at the Daytona 500. The first couple of engines were shipped to Smokey Yunick for use in Chevys being prepared for the 500. Junior Johnson and Johnny Rutherford were two high-profile racers originally slated to run this engine.However, Mark II 427s were in two Z06 Corvettes competing in the 250-mile American Challenge Cup, at Daytona on February 16! This was a race for sports cars and one-offs, not NASCAR stockers. Few people at the time realized that two of the split-window Sting Rays in the Challenge Cup had Mark IIs under their hoods. They were actually the first big-block Corvettes.

For the complete story on the CHEVY 427 MARK II MYSTERY MOTOR, check out DAY ONE, https://www.amazon.com/Day-One-Automotive-Journalists-Muscle-Car/dp/0760352364/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493561421&sr=1-1&keywords=Day One by Martyn L. Schorr

The CHEVY 427 MARK II MYSTERY MOTOR is exposed in OVER-DRIVE magazine @ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2022/08/19/1963-chevrolet-mystery-motor/

PONTIAC TEMPEST MONTE CARLO

Built on a shortened prototype ’62 Pontiac Tempest convertible, the PONTIAC TEMPEST MONTE CARLO was a hit at auto shows and major road racing events. It shared the spotlight with GM design chief, William Mitchell’s Corvair Sebring Spyder.

One thing was a given at GM in the 1960s. Chevy’s Corvette was a sacred cow and no other division could bring a two-seat sports car to market. The only way Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile or Cadillac could reveal branded two-seat, high-performance sporty vehicles was to have Mitchell’s GM Design create Concepts that became part of GM’s traveling auto show displays. The PONTIAC TEMPEST MONTE CARLO

two-seater, powered by a supercharged 195 cubic-inch Four rated at 250-300 horsepower, featured 15-inch- shortened unibody architecture with four-wheel independent suspension. With a wheelbase of 97 inches and overall length of 175 inches, it had a five-inch- shorter wheelbase and was almost two inches shorter overall than a ’62 Corvette!

Pontiac already had a relationship with Mickey Thompson, having supplied him with four- and eight-cylinder engines for some of his high profile, multiple-engine Bonneville and drag racing cars. Thompson came up with a supercharger package for the Tempest Four, incorporating a modified GMC 3-71 Roots-type blower driven by a two-inch-wide ribbed Gilmer belt and a manifold with a huge built-in pop-off valve. An offset adapter allowed for installing a Carter four-barrel. As with most GM showcars, the PONTIAC TEMPEST MONTE CARLO engine received abundant chrome and polished aluminum accessories.

A 15-inch section was removed from the four-passenger Tempest, converting it into a sporty two-seater. The Tempest’s four-wheel-independent suspension was retained, though the controversial flexy shaft between the engine and the rear-mounted, Corvair-based four-speed was shortened considerably, making the drivetrain more efficient.

Since Pontiac’s plan included showing the Monte Carlo at major sports car races, it was treated to a full complement of gauges, racing mirrors, dual thin blue racing stripes, tri-spoke steering wheel, hood louvers and Firestone Super Sport tires mounted on polished Halibrand knock-offs.

Wholly impractical but responsible for drawing a crowd wherever the Monte Carlo was displayed, the severely chopped wraparound plexiglass windscreen looked as though it had come off a full-tilt racecar. It offered absolutely no protection, but tied in nicely with the slick fiberglass tonneau cover with headrest fairings.

Finished in White Pearl, the Monte Carlo was also shown in 1962. The only change was knock-off wire wheels with Goodyear Blue Streak tires in place of the Halibrand-Firestone combo. Unlike most Concept/Show cars, the Monte Carlo was not crushed after it was retired. It was gifted to Ed Cole, Vice-President and head of GM’s Car & Truck Group. Before taking delivery, he had the Monte Carlo re-powered with a stock 215-inch aluminum V8. The windscreen was replaced with a production Tempest windshield; they also added a small ragtop.

The net result was a somewhat awkward looking, short-wheelbase Tempest with an oversize top. The Tempest survived and is currently in a private collection. But Mitchell’s original PONTIAC TEMPEST MONTE CARLO styling did not!