When it all Started

What started as wild and crazy activity by some gangsters and hoodlums in hopped-up automobiles became one of the most popular motorsports today. Indeed, drag racing has gone a long way. After the Second World War, dragsters and other muscle car enthusiasts gathered on military runways and speed runs. It all started in sunny Southern California. Yes, SoCal. The responsible racers who created the first hot rods and raced on the dry lake beds prior to W.W.II could no longer direct the young crowds, those who were driving and racing on the streets. At places like Muroc and El Mirage, cars raced one another a dozen at a time. When Muroc became Edwards Air Force base the racers were forced to move. The first "dragsters" were little more than street cars with lightly warmed-over engines and bodies chopped down to reduce weight.

Wally Parks, a military tank test driver for General Motors who served in the military in the South Pacific of World War II, helped organize the Southern California Timing Association in 1947.

Many recognize Goleta Air Base north of Santa Barbara, California as the site of the first organized drag race in 1949. The first drag strips were temporary facilities with no safety barriers or grandstands. It’s all just a mesh of people, fast rides and the pavement of course. The Santa Ana Drags is just one of those early strips and it began operating on a airfield in SoCal in 1950. A great number of spectators turned out to watch these pioneers run 10-second elapsed times on the measured quarter mile – which is around the length of a city block. Open Trailers were the name of the game as most cars were driven into these pavements. At that time, sponsorships and all the other good stuff weren’t even imaginable.

Parks was basically the godfather who started organized drag racing. When he became the editor of Hot Rod magazine, he had the forum and the power to form the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) in 1951 to basically create some order from in the whole thing. Parks instituted safety rules and performance standards that helped legitimize the sport. If it wasn’t for Big Daddy Wally, there wouldn’t be any NHRA and drag racing would still be in its dark ages.

NHRA held its first official race in April 1953, on a slice of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds parking lot in Pomona, Calif. Four decades later, that track has undergone a $6-million expansion and renovation and hosts the NHRA season-opening Winternationals and the season finale, the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals. The aggressive upgrading of facilities to 'stadium' quality, with fan amenities, VIP towers, and tall grandstands, was the passion of NHRA President Dallas Gardner, who took the reins in 1984 when Parks became Board Chairman. In 2000, Tom Compton became just the third president in NHRA history as Gardner ascended to the role of broad chairman and Parks became chairman of the NHRA Motorsports Museum. In 1955, NHRA staged its first national event, called simply "the Nationals" in Great Bend, Kan. Six years later, as the Nationals hop-scotched around the country to showcase the growing sport before settling in Indianapolis in 1961, the Winternationals became NHRA's second event.

Racers then began to beef up bigger and newer engines and dropping them into Model Ts and other older bodied cars. Some were using pre-war V8s in striped down street cars, porting and polishing the manifolds, changing heads, cams and carburetors. Some were using newer cars, stripping off body panels for weight savings right down to the frame rails, giving the word "rail" a new meaning.

Safety and innovation paved the way to rear-engined Top Fuel cars in the early 1970s, and once drag racing legend Don Garlits - himself a victim of the front-engined configuration when his transmission, which was nestled between his feet, exploded in 1970, severing half of his right foot - perfected the design, the sport never looked back. Today's Top Fuel dragsters are computer-designed wonders with sleek profiles and wind-tunnel-tested rear airfoils that exert 5,000 pounds of downforce on the rear tires with minimal aerodynamic drag.

As racers became smarter, the speed barriers fell: 260 mph toppled in 1984; 270 in 1986; 280 in 1987; 290 in 1989: and the magic 300 mph barrier fell before the wheels of former Funny Car champion Kenny Bernstein on March 20, 1992. Just seven years later, Tony Schumacher became the first to top 330 mph in February 1999, in Phoenix, Ariz.

Drag Racing has truly become of the most popular motorsports across the world. It’s so popular that there are even underground drag racing circuits to cater to its horde of enthusiasts. It’s something we will always appreciate for the excitement and the rush it gives.

To Make Noise or Not to Make Noise

To make noise or not to make noise? That is the question. To some people, nothing is more agitating than having a noisy and raucous engine. Realistically though, as an engine begins its combustion process, it will inevitably release sound waves. As the fuel enters the engine, it creates sound that is channeled through the exhaust system. And if you don’t have a muffler to contain those sound waves, then the noise would definitely come out in a clattering fashion.

In essence, a muffler is a component where the exhaust gases pass, which eliminates the tremendous amount of noise coming from the engine. It is placed along the exhaust pipe of the engine. Inside a muffler, or what the British call a Silencer, you'll find a simple set of tubes with some holes equipped in them. These tubes and chambers are designed to reflect the sound waves that came from the engine in a way that they practically cancel each other out. As the sound waves from the exhaust gases enter the tubes, they spring back and forth through the wall of the muffler and reflected to another chamber. These chambers are called resonators that basically cancel out the sound frequency.

Recently manufactured mufflers can also reduce backpressure from the engine, allowing an increased engine performance, power output and decreased wear and tear on its components. For those people like you who prefer to have a little growl from their engines, mufflers can also be customized in order to achieve such sounds. Standard mufflers are crafted quality steel and aluminum materials to ensure that it will last for a good period of time.

But since you’re into the whole thing called drag racing, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that you like otherwise. If you really like that loud yet smooth sound from your engine, muffler are also the way to go. If you want to make your exhaust sound deeper and achieve that beast-like roar, you can get a muffler with a large opening or get an intake system so can really get into that street racing sound.

Another thing you can do is get bigger exhaust pipe from the cat to the back and then a bigger diameter tip. You want to start with at least a 2" system. Long, mid and short headers are also useful. Long tubes, also known as LT's, give the most horsepower gains. The smaller you go, the less you gain. Some cars, such as the Pontiac Camaro’s and Firebirds do not gain from shorties. Headers really open up your cars ability to breathe, and greatly affects the sound.

Dragwire Accessory Profile: Spoilers

Simple fact: the sportier your car looks, the better you feel while driving it. It is no secret that most people had dreams of being a race car driver, including you. That is why auto enthusiasts would spend huge bucks to purchase enhancement parts so they can to pimp out their vehicles to achieve the race car look, or at least something like it. After all, there’s nothing wrong with installing add-ons as long as it enhances the performance of your car since that’s what it’s all about. Before you even think about putting that raggedy car of yours in the drag, one particular accessory that would add both style and function in your dull automobile is the spoiler.

A spoiler is basically an aerodynamic wing that is attached in rear end of your vehicle. Its prime function is to improve the car’s stability in high speeds by lowering the drag the causes a shaky handling. It is designed to reduce air resistance by stifling the harsh air movement across the car’s body. Generally, spoilers are most effective in cars that accelerate in elevated velocities at around 120mph. So if you like to step on that pedal and blast your ride in high speeds, this is absolutely a must-have accessory for you.

As expected, even ordinary passenger vehicles have featured this trendy accessory since it definitely adds flare and gives it a much needed facelift. The main function of a spoiler in passenger vehicles is to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency. While many often imitate wings, these serve mostly for decorative purposes. Passenger vehicles can be equipped with front and rear spoilers. Front spoilers, found beneath the bumper, are mainly used to direct air flow away from the tires to the underbody where the drag coefficient is less. Rear spoilers, which modify the transition in shape between the roof and the rear and the trunk and the rear, act to minimize the turbulence at the rear of the vehicle. Some cars are also equipped with a window spoiler, which keeps airborne substances and rain from getting into the car’s interior when the windows are slightly open. There are also numerous designs available according to your own preference. Spoilers are usually made of polyurethane material, which is lightweight and more durable. But most car owners prefer the ones made of lightweight metal or fiber glass, which is likewise sturdy. It’s really up to you on what would best fit your vehicle.


Sports cars commonly have both front and rear spoilers. Even though these beasts typically have a stiffer chassis and its suspensions are relatively more rigid to help in high speed car movement, a spoiler can still be beneficial. At high speeds, air flowing across the roof tumbles over this edge, causing air flow separation. By having a rear spoiler at your disposal, you can delay the flow of separation, and thus minimizing the drag force as your car becomes more fuel efficient, like what I’ve cited earlier. Although in true blue race cars, a spoiler is mostly snubbed in favor of wings. But since you don’t have a race car yet, you should dabble into spoilers first. If you want that added spunk in your automobile, then installing a spoiler should be a no-brainer. After all, you know you want to stand out with that sports car look when you hit the drag.

What's the Real Deal on all the Muscle Madness?

Why on earth would people spend those six figures on a 30-year old automobile? Well, what if those old ones happen to by Plymouths, Pontiac and Chevy’s? Does it all make sense then? Nowadays, just a bolted-together clone of Plymouth can reach a hundred grand. Just picture how much the real thing costs. Classic muscle cars are indeed becoming the hottest trend is the circle of muscle car enthusiast and collectors. “A lot of these cars that we’re talking about are really, really, great cars, but I think there’s a frenzy in the air.” Collector car broker Mark Hyman shared.

If we’re going to look into the general definition of what a “classic muscle car” is, it’s a two door All-American car built in the 1960’s with back seats and a huge and stocky engine. The Pontiac LeMans Tempest with the GTO high-performance option package will go down in the annals as the first widely considered real muscle car. But it has a twist though, many muscle car aficionados doesn’t really care much about authenticity. Not to say that they don’t want to know what they’re collecting, but let’s just say that they will be more than satisfied with a clone of the car with some add-ons of course.

For your sake, it is imperative to remember that a car, itself are collections of parts put together on an assembly line. The godfathers of car companies, namely General Motors, Ford and Chrysler use different accessories, including body panels and engine parts in assorted models sold under various brand names. If a certain combination of parts, like a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible body with a Hemi engine wasn’t originally made in sufficient numbers to satisfy all the contemporary collectors, those parts can still be assembled today.



Think about it, cars are created this way and are sold as clones. Of course they are not worth nearly as much as the original ones, but modern collectors would really sweat it. A very-well made clone of the 1971 Hemi Cuda convertible could sell for as much as $180,000. The real and authentic 1971 Hemi Cuda convertibles are today, the most valuable of all muscle cars. Check this, there are only 11 models that were produced, at most. And the ones that survived through the years are worth over $2 million each. Still the skyrocketing values imposed by modern remakes of classic muscle cars are a matter of interest to some collector. A clone is a clone, but enthusiasts would rather settle for that one, people wouldn’t really notice anyway, so they say.

Since so few originals exist, it would be virtually impossible to pass off a cloned '71 Hemi Cuda convertible as real. While prices for clones may seem high to some, at least buyers know exactly what they're getting. With more common muscle cars, clone versions are sometimes sold as authentic. Wait a second, now that didn’t sound right. Counterfeiting? It is a fact that counterfeiting exists, but I don’t think it isn’t so common that it should scare away potential collectors. After all, there are auction companies like Barrett-Jackson that authenticates all their cars that are sold. With these procedures, the fake ones can be caught. Some owners wouldn’t even know that they’ve been fooled until they surrendered the car for auctioning. These companies have several ways to detect fakery. There are also ways to quickly check that a car has already been reliably authenticated by a third party. So in one way or another, you would know if you’re getting the real deal or not. What’s important is that you need to be wise about it and consult the ones who have the know-how. That goes for every purchase that involves a high-amount of money.

Increasingly popular with muscle car collectors are "resto-mods." As the name implies, resto-mods are restored but they are also modified or modernized. From the outside, a good resto-mod looks like a faithfully restored muscle car. Inside, though, it might have better seats, three-point safety belts not available on the original, disc brakes where the original had slower-stopping drum brakes or other modern parts that make the car more enjoyable to drive and safer than it would have been with correct parts. Now that would be the best of both worlds, you still attain the looks of a class muscle car and have it perform better.

In almost all types of collecting, any change from the original diminishes the value and it is that way with many muscle car collectors. "Some guys want matching numbers," Jackson said, referring to identification codes used to track cars and parts, "all the way down to 1970 air in the tires." For some collectors, though, modifications in the interest of comfort, safety or performance can add to a car's value. "There is a greater tolerance for modified muscle cars than there is for, say, modified '50s cars," said Hagerty. That's because many muscle car collectors like to drive what they collect. For example, Jackson even drives his authentic '71 Hemi Cuda convertible, he said. The original engine stays in the garage, though, mounted on a display stand. Well, if you think about it, what Jackson shared was a good application of practicality. Most if not all collectors would want to drive what they collect, then it would be a lot sensible if you place a few replacement parts in order to achieve the performance you want and at the same time, preserve what needs to be. Variation is the key baby.

How much variation is acceptable from the original is a matter of taste and preference. Before making any purchase of a collectible car, it is important that the buyer understand exactly what's being purchased. Wise words coming from the auto experts, take heed collector, you don’t want to be shortchanged. That means asking lots of questions, checking all paperwork carefully and, the entire experts CNN/Money spoke with agree, enlisting the help of a knowledgeable appraiser.

Experts say that while a well-bought classic car is not likely to decline in value, buyers shouldn't look at any classic car as purely an investment. But of course, it’s all about the love for the car; you don’t go into it for the money, sometimes it wouldn’t even matter.