''Pawnbroker'' is a pioneering rear-engined dragster built in 1969.

History

In 1969, prodded to action by the death of John Mulligan earlier in the year,

Woody Gilmore Woody Gilmore is a Dragster (car), dragster and funny car chassis builder in the 1960s and 1970s. Gilmore built the chassis for the top fuel Streamliner#Automobiles, streamliner ''Hustler VI'' in 1965. In 1968, Doug Thorley bought a rear-engined ...

(following the mid-engined

Funny Car Funny Car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a custom-fabricated chassis, giving them an appe ...

he built for

Doug Thorley Doug Thorley was an American Funny Car drag racer, hot rodder and businessman. In 1967, he won the NHRA Nationals' first Funny Car Eliminator title, and was given ''Car Craft''s All-Star Drag Racing Team Funny Car Driver of the Year Award in 1968. ...

) and

Pat Foster Pat Foster (born June 22, 1939) is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Lamar University (1980–1986), University of Houston (1986–1993), and the University of Nevada, Reno (1993–199 ...

developed a rear-engined fuel dragster, which was unveiled in December. Gilmore and Foster built a similar car for

Dwane Ong Dwane is a given name and an alternative spelling of Duane, Dwayne, Dewayne, Dwain, Dwaine and similar. Notable people by that name include: * Dwane Casey * Dwane Husbands * Dwane Lee * Dwane Morrison * Dwane Wallace Dwane Leon Wallace (October ...

, incorporating the lessons of the previous car; vertical struts, with no wing (yet), prevented side-to-side motion. Powered by a Ramchargers-built engine, ''Pawnbroker'' ran -wide M&H slicks on -wide rims, rather than the usual and widths. Sponsored by

Hastings Manufacturing Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west at ...

's oil additive, Torque, it debuted in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, in 1970, and wore

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

of white overall with red and blue longitudinal stripes along the si. In August, Ong won the

1970 AHRA Nationals Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe cond ...

in the car. ''Pawnbroker'' won the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA)

Summernats Summernats (a portmanteau of "Summer" and "National"), is an annual car festival held in Canberra, Australia since 1987, except 2021. Summernats, which is usually held at the start of the year, is the best known specialist car enthusi ...

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

, the first national event win for a rear-engined car, with a pass of 6.83 at . Ong ran the car mostly at AHRA events before switching back to Funny Car.Burgess, Phil, ''National Dragster'' editor. "Front to back: The rear-engine transition", written 20 February 2015, a
NHRA.com
(retrieved 1 November 2018)

Notes

1970s cars Drag racing cars Rear-wheel-drive vehicles {{automobile-stub