The long distance award for the
entire event wen to the "Scorcher" AA/FD belonging
to Dennis Young and George Bukureshliev from Sydney, Australia.
The car has been restored over the last year and was shipped
in January, via container, to the Port of Los Angeles. There
it was picked up and the engine was installed. All this just
so they could be part of the 50th March Meet.
We'll let George tell you about
the car's history in Australia...
The car was originally Leland
Kolbs C&C Auto Parts dragster circa 1966. In 1968 Australian
car dealer and drag racer Ash Marshall purchased it and shipped
it to Australia. The car was known as Scorcher.
Unfortunately in December 1968
Ash crashed Scorcher into the braking area fence badly damaging
the front end, chassis and beautiful bodywork. The chassis was
promptly rebuilt and the wheelbase extended. The car ran for
about a year with no front body panels. In 1969 Scorcher made
history by becoming the first Australian car to run 200mph. In
1970 the front panels were made and the car changed appearance
with electric blue paint.
Scorcher was sold in late 1970
and continued to change hands and race all over the East coast
of Australia on both nitro and methanol. In 1978 the car was
retired to become a display car in the club room of a Brisbane
drag racing club. There it sat dormant for 10-years.
In 1988 a man called Dennis Young
heard of a dragster for sale and borrowed the money to buy it
not knowing the cars history. It was soon apparent what an important
car he had acquired. The car was neither suitable or safe for
racing at that time so the car was rebuilt to current chassis
specs. The front chassis, axle, wheels, steering and body panels
were re-used. The rest of the car was brand new. The car was
raced in Competition Eliminator with an injected alky small block
chevy until May 2000. I began racing with Dennis in 1995 and
drove the car on and off from then on.
The car lay dormant again due
to several factors including the owner and team principal Dennis
moving to California to start a new business. Late last year
the opportunity arose to re-assemble the original chassis sections
and panels and restore Scorcher to its original form. A
plan was formed to rebuild the car and ship it to the USA where
Dennis could have it painted to its electric blue livery.
Scorcher to be displayed at the 2008 March Meet with a non-running
hemi engine. All going well the car will return from Austraila
for the 2008 Hotrod Reunion, this time with a fire breathing
hemi engine to participate in Cacklefest with none other than
Ash Marshall at the butterfly again.