England, Australia and New Zealand, Yep, They Got 'Em!

Updated 2/18/03

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JOIN THE 21st CENTURY!

California may have had a lot of fuel altereds, but they didn't have a lock on 'em.
On these pages, they come from everywhere! From Arizona to Australia,
New England to Jolly Old England!

From England, come these shots of what were considered the "Big Four" of English Fuel Altereds.

Barry Weston was kind enough to dig into his photo files and send these along.

Here's how Barry describes these shots...

"Attached are some shots taken on an ancient Kodak Brownie camera, none too sharp I'll admit but for me they bring back the excitement of those events. The photos are from meetings in August 71 and July 72. Shutdown and Sneaky T are much as you've shown them, Tee Rat is in it's earlier unblown guise. "

Tee Rat

Tee Rat, of course.

Sneaky T...

Shutdown

Shutdown...

These following shots are courtesy of Jon Spoard's UK Drag Racing Nostalgia site, a wonder not to be missed!

Aardvark

The Aarvark of Freeman Rogers

Photo © Alan Peck

Tee Rat

Tee-Rat with the Blown motor...

Photo © Darren West

Sneaky T

Phil Elson in the Sneaky T

Photo © Jon Spoard

Shutdown

The Shutdown Bantam of Fred Whittle

Photo © Jon Spoard

Panic

The Page Bros. and their Panic Altered

Photo © Nick J. Worsell

Panic

The Page Bros Altered after they swiped Gary Hazen's paint scheme...

Photo © Nick J. Worsell

And more from my English instigator, Andy Barrack.

Comments are Andy's

Lawce & Gunn

"Well, Lawce and Gunn's altered is no longer in California - just look at those grey skies! Yep, it's England - Silverstone in fact. A damp and disapponting debut for new owner Keith Harvie back in 1974. The scrutineers (tech officials) had banned the wing as they said it would be an obstruction in the event of an accident. Harvie later moved it onto the rollcage.

I remember the buzz that went round the fans when word spread that there was a "fuel altered" in the pits. Whe I finally pushed through the throng to se what this new car was I can remember saying with disdain that "That's no fuel altered, that's a double A altered..."What a precocious brat I must have sounded! But hey, I knew my AA/FA's from my AA/A's and even at 14 years old, knew Lawce & Gunn didn't run nitro. Big headed little kid! Secretly, though, I was thrilled to bits that we'd got an actual California altered in merry ol' England.

Sadly, Keith Harvie hardly ran the car - and never to it's potental - before selling it to Swede Bo Bertilson. Harvie moved to the States and so I read, set up PAW (Perforamce Automotive Warehouse) the big sponsors of Shirley Muldowney's Top Fueler in the 80's. So Harvie did alright for himself. Whether the original Lawce and Gunn is still in Sweden, I don't know. Phew...end of story."

Photo © Andy Barrack

Well Mantal

John Claydon's "Well Mental" AA/FA

Straight Shooter

Bob Turner's "Straight Shooter" AA/FA 1987-88, now owned by Jim Seward and run as "Harry The Spider" AA/FA with extended chassis.

Eliminator III

Gary Wily's Eliminator III AA/FA 1987

"Just some of the fuel Altereds that appeared with the rebirth of AA/FA's in England in 1987. Limiting themselves to 50% nitro and using old engines and chassis, the cars ran in the eights with dips into the sevens. Basically the same cars are around today, albeit with different owners. Still without a class to run in at National events, they tend to limit themselves to Nostalgia and Hot Rod drag meetings."

Photos Roger Gorringe

Demag

Owen Hayward burns out in the mighty Nobby Hill's Fuel Altered

"UK's first 'transformer' did a (pre) "Texas Ranger" and ran in Top Fuel at the 1983 World Finals at Santa Pod Raceway. The Houndog Fuel Altered didn't win, but at least it wasn't boycotted by the Top Fuelers and was allowed by the sanctioning race officials... "

Photo Roger Gorringe

Jim Draper at Santa Pod.

"UK racer Jim Draper spearheaded the return of Fuel Altereds in 1986. Leading a team of fellow enthusiasts, he suggested an 'alternative' to the Funny Cars, Pro Comp and Top Fuel.

Promising a maximum 50% nitro and other economical limitations, all sorts of 'old' funny cars were brought out of mothballls and re-cloaked in T-buckets..."

Photo Roger Gorringe

And last, but cerainly not least are these great shots from Alan Currans, Almost all the comments are Alan's, and you UK residents can explain to the US contingent just where these strangely named tracks are! The cars we can figure out...

"As you can see this is Tee-Rat in the pits at Santa Pod. The car behind is a Mark I Ford Escort which has had its 1.3 litre engine (or similar) replaced with a small block Chevy. This car was often driven by Dennis Stone (Dave's father). It was also driven for a time by a DJ on national radio called Dave Lee Travis (DLT). He later progressed up to a top fuel dragster which was running mid to high sixes which at the time was not far off the pace on this side of the Atlantic. In the background is a beaten up old van with 'Commuter' painted on it - more on this later. This, and the other shots of Tee-Rat in injected form, must have been taken not long before it sprouted a blower."

a Dave Stone type view of the car, probably taken at Santa Pod.

the start of another day at the office for Dave Stone. We will be getting on to supercharged altereds soon honestly.

a blower at last! I cannot swear to it but this is probably the first time out in this form. This was taken on a wet day at Wroughton.

a close up of the business end. This was also taken at Wroughton.

Yes...A rat drinking tea...Tee-Rat, you get it don't ya?

Shutdown queuing up to be scrutineered on a fine day at the Pod.

this is Shutdown turning at the bottom of the strip at Santa Pod.

Sneaky T in the pits at Santa Pod. My notes say that it still had its square section tube chassis but this is not readily apparent from the picture.

Sneaky T taken in the pits at Santa Pod with a wide angle lens.

My only shot of Aardvark in the fire up area at the Pod. From the body language of the crewman it looks as if the engine has been fired and the car is resplendent in its new paint. My notes tell me that it now has the Ford engine from the old Commuter dragster (remember my comment last time about that old red van?).

Dream Machine, the ex-Lawce & Gunn altered newly imported from the States on its maiden outing over here at Silverstone. A beautiful machine - my photography does not do it justice.

Jim Sorenson

global3@mysterion.net

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