Drag racing was about to launch a massive growth period in the early 60s.
The September 1962 edition of ‘Car Craft’ offered a breakdown (complete with examples) of various NHRA classes in the early 1960s.
Times have changed, but competition was competition—then and now.
Jerry Sutherland
The first example is an A/Competition Coupe based on a Model A body.
‘Car Craft’ pointed out how this class had evolved to Austin and Fiat bodies, but this Model A body had been modified for speed to handle the blown Chrysler hemi.
A/Altered was another NHRA class.
This one was based on an Austin coupe—it had a tubular and a massive, supercharged Olds big block jutting up in front of the driver.
The AA/D class was at the high end of the speed classes.
This dragster was also powered by a blown Olds—it was a lot faster than the A/Altered Austin.
The Stock Sports class was much tamer.
It was also unbalanced because this stock Vette ran against Healys, VWs, and MGs. Guess which car dominated Stock Sports?
This Competition Coupe ran a stock frame, but most ran dragster rail frames.
This class had an old-school hot-rodding vibe—an excellent example of a car that almost looked street legal, but was a full track car.
This ’61 Pontiac ran in the Super Stock class.
It was a top-ranked car and ran just over 13 seconds at 107-108 mph. Carol Cox was the driver—an early figure in NHRA female driver history.
This hemi-powered Fiat was in the Competition Coupe class.
It had a dragster chassis, plus the doors welded were up and cut out for rear wheels. This saved weight and the body sat on an altered wheelbase.
This A/Modified Roadster class Glass Tee had a stretched tube chassis and a blown Buick.
That shot this little fireball to 169 mph in the 1/4 mile.
This street-equipped Chevy roadster kept the traditional look of a street rod.
It had a blown Olds, so it was way past street performance and well into Warp Speed performance.
This Altered Coupe Crosley had a long wheelbase for better handling on the track.
It looked weird, but those extra inches meant the difference between a fast ride and a fatal ride.
This Willys ran in the Gas/Coupes class.
The little car was so light it topped out at 133 mph in 10.8 seconds.
This Altered class Henry J was popular for the same reason.
The engine was set back 25%, so the driver sat completely in the back of the car; The geometry was altered…the Henry J fit the class it was in–it stomped all over the competition.
This A/Roadster Gasser hemi was a step toward the Altereds.
It had the same chassis and engine placement as the Altered class and this one was highly competitive in the Gasser world.
VW Beetles were another popular base in the Altered class.
The Beetle body was completely sealed, so the driver entered through the roof of the little unibody rocket. Power came from a blown Chevy and the mags on it were just becoming popular at the track and on the street.
This B/Gasser ’52 Anglia was a good example of high-tech in the early 60s.
It ran a 283 Chevy small block with magnesium disc brakes at the front and mags at the rear. That was new tech 65 years ago.
The final example of NHRA classes from the past is this D/Altered Thames van called Pie Wagon—it ran an old-school flathead Merc engine.
The driver sat in the back, so the portholes were cut into the side panel so the drivers could see…more or less.
This was an era of innovation at the track; it was wild; it was crude; it was fast; it was dangerous–it reflected magnificent times in the car hobby.
What more could you ask for?
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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