Early funny cars were evil tempered, ill-handling deathtraps that were as likely to blow up as make it down the 1/4 mile. The above vid is AHRA drag racing history at its finest: Danny Ongais, best known for his exploits behind the wheel of an Indy car, pilots a 1,500 horsepower Mustang funny car as it hops and bounces down the track at Bristol. I love the sound of the single cam 427 as it tries to idle, running on pure nitromethane.

Bous points if you can tell me Ongais’ nickname without having to Google it.

Enjoy the vid, courtesy of BangShift