Every mechanic loves to see a sports car owner walk in with a couple of modding projects in mind to boost their car's power, since that black hole usually leads to a laundry list of expensive jobs that will line the shop's cash register with pure gold. Just look at Ferrari's 2019 Formula 1 budget, which topped $460 million dollars, for context proving just how much the need for speed can quickly get out of control. But there are smart ways to get into racing without breaking the bank as proven by a recent feature by Hemmings about a man and his 1966 Plymouth Satellite drag car.
A Boy And His Car
The story starts back in the 1960s, when a teenager named Larry McLendon started racing when he was just 16 years old. He told Hemmings, "My first dedicated race car, around 1969, was a four-speed 1964 Plymouth Barracuda. I sold that one and got a 1964 Belvedere with a 426 Max Wedge with a Cross-Ram, which I really enjoyed for a while. I had other race cars for years after that, but I told myself, 'I'd like to find another Mopar.'"
The Story Continues
Of course, the need for speed isn't something that just goes away. By the 1980s, McLendon had decided it was time to take the time to build a car up that would be a budget-friendly racer, so he purchased a purple Plymouth without an engine for $1,000 and planned to build a 12-second car with a budget of only $3,500 total.
The Results Will Amaze
Around 1990, McLendon bought a donor car for $500 that was powered by a 350-horsepower, 440ci V8 equipped with a four-barrel carburetor. It was even mated to a three-speed 727 automatic. After a rebuild, complementary modifications included a mild camshaft, headers, an upgraded fuel pump, and racing slicks, most of which were found at local swap meets in Florida. The build has continued ever since—it's safe to say that $3,500 budget has been eclipsed easily over the ensuing decades—and the car now runs a 10.75-second quarter-mile at 127 miles per hour.
Source: Hemmings