Is the car above familiar? No? There were 6-pages in Popular Hot Rodding (1977) about the car.
Let me tell you the short story about this historical race car, a car with a history worth mentioning.
From the beginning, the car was a T/A. In 1973, the well-known engine builder Dave Koffel bought the car for the very small sum of $350!!! Koffel was only intrested in the engine (for a Nascar-project) and the rest was placed in the corner of a garage, collecting dust.
At that time, Paul Rossi raced a HEMI equipped Cuda -68 in SS/AA. He had begun to search for a new car. He was sponsored by Direct Connection so the car had to be a Dodge. Money was not a problem, thanks to Direct Connection. Dave Koffel let him have the car for free and Rossi immediately sent the car to pro-builder Ron Butler. The body was dipped into acid. Direct Connection had to pay $12.000 for modifications on the chassie only. A lot of money in 1975! The engine was a 440 Wedge with a six-pack intake designed by Paul Rossi toghether with the pro´s at Weiand. Horsepower ratings were a well kept secret but the car was quick!
Two years later, he begun racing the car and had three glory years between 1977-1980 with lot of wins. He dominated the Super stock class and took some world records. In the first year, he drove 10.85 in SS/GA. A fantastic time, back then.
When Rossi decided to switch class to Super gas, the car was sold to England and Sylvia Hauser. Her husband, Geoff modified the car according to Super gas rules. Sylvia won several champinships with the car.
In 1985, the car landed on swedish ground, with a new lacque and a Hemi under the hood.
The current owner, Jocke Mårtensson, bought the car in 1997. After that he had understood what a rare car he had bought, he decided to start to restore it into "1977-1980 Rossi"-condition.
He started with a wedge block from a mobile home (lots of miles-very little stress left in the block). The hardest part was to find the correct intake. A contact between him and the guys at Weiand was established and they made him a new intake (of the old design). Nice with friendly people! (Two weeks later, he got another intake thanks to a friend of him. He bought that too. Now, he had two intakes!!!) The engine is built exactly as it was when Rossi raced with it, with the exception of another camshaft and connecting rods. (Everything is built according to SS/GA-rules)
In the first race with Jocke behind the wheel, the clocks stopped at 10.65! A new swedish record in that class, with one houndred of a second. Now, the car´s best time is 10.48 but Jocke looks forward to the 2003 season with even better times in mind.
The rumours of the new-old car has spread to US, and Jocke has got some requests to take the car back to home country, and to race the car over there. But it is all a matter of money and as long as no sponsor is ready to pay the costs,
it will probably only stay as a dream.
He is intrested to get in touch with Paul Rossi! If anybody can establish a contact, he would be grateful.
Intrested in more photos? Look at:
http://w1.877.telia.com/~u87721532/challenger/ (Source: Bilsport Classic magazine, Nov 2002)