Gone Gassers
Still resonating with hot rod and drag-racing enthusiasts more than 40 years after the category was eliminated from competition, the Gasser classes continue inspiring builders to recreate these pounding strip stormers for evil street duty. This shot at the 1965 NHRA Nationals at Indy is of Big John Mazmanian’s 1941 Willys and the same of Stone, Woods and Cook (SWC), representing the peak of the supercharged A/GS paradigm. This was the first year the 392 Chrysler Hemi became the de facto engine choice, based on Maz’s dominance with this engine the previous year, especially against SWC’s supercharged Olds.
Evil, ugly, loud, and nasty might best describe the high, hard-charging, old coupes laying waste to the quarter-mile. Maz used a succession of veteran Gasser shoes, here with Dick Bourgeous, while the SWC Willys was usually in the capable hands of Doug “Cookie” Cook, but with a couple of different cars touring the country, KS Pitman and others would also drive. Cook continued to drive when the team switched to Funny Cars in 1967. Both teams intensified the spotlight on Gassers through a run of monthly ads by their respective cam sponsors, Engle and Isky. Accusations, putdowns, and wild predictions against each other in the advertising universally aligned or agitated Gasser fans. Match races across the country further stirred the cam-wars pot, with these two teams at the center of the chaos.
1967 saw the inclusion of late-model cars for the first time in the Gasser ranks. SWC had already bailed from the class, with Mazmanian also seeing the writing on the wall. He followed to Funny Cars the next year, and before you could say “6-second quarter-mile,” Gassers were all gone.
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