Even now there’s a clone Built….. BUT the REAL Original car has been in the posession of Bob Petrucelli for FORTY YEARS !.Thats right !…Just talked to him on the phone. He had it at a Conn. Dragway Reunion. Doesn’t take it out much …but it’s the REAL McCOY. Bob’s an architect and now lives in Cold Spring ,N.Y. He doesn’t have a computer ,but is sending me photos. We both are interested in finding photos of the car running at Dover..It did, he’s seen video of it at the Ct. dragway Reunion running at Dover ! I’m in the process of tracking that down. He bought it from the original owners , has the original open trailer and updated it 3 times at great expence.It was built in ’62 with a bantam body that ,being solid mounted ,just broke apart. Then the familiar T-bucket body was installed better in ’63. If you can find a Jan. 2008 copy of Drag Racer magazine , you’ll see it, at the story on the Conn. dragway reunion. Quite a car ….ran 8:81 with 7 inch slicks on Fuel in 1965 ! Ran numerous classes until “Fuel Altereds” were banned in 1975. He ran a few exibition runs with it and took it to some shows .It’s been sitting quietly in his garage for all this time since he bought it in the fall of 1967. AND THATS THE REAL STORY! More when he sends things to me.
Dino I have spoke to Bob on several occasions the latest being the Mills Mansion show in October he had the car there. Unfortunately it is a push start car so he doesn’t take it off the trailer and its too hard for him to get it back on the trailer. When I was a kid in the early 60’s and going with the MG to Westhampton I use to see the Pacers Devil and when it made a pass I would be standing at the starting line, the would start that baby up, stage and when the smoke cleared you would see two VERY BLACK lines going down track from start to finish. I’ve seen Garlits run the first official 200 at Island and I think that the Pacers car was far more impressive. I have been collecting stuff on the Tazmanian Devil for awhile now.
Pat
cullyflower.
dino