Quote:
Originally Posted by Nedsel
Agreed, however the above criteria would exclude 2093, probably the winningest "Dragon Snake" of the bunch. What to do?  |
That's easy, Ned, not call CSX2093 a Dragon Snake. On the shelbyford.com website, I categorize "The Fuchsia One" as an Independent drag car. As it happens, I've known Ed Hedrick for more than 40 years, and it was Ed and Jerry Mayo who were responsible for me acquiring CSX2019. Ed even contributed a short history for use on the website:
Ed Hedrick - Ford Drag Racing
Ed had bought the car from Costilow & Larson, and Jerry wrenched it when I got my first look at a drag racing Cobra: CSX2093 in all her metallic purple glory parked in Ed's garage. There was no going back. A few months later, Jerry, who's still a business partner, called me in Florida, telling me had found a drag race Cobra for sale in Indianapolis. A few weeks after that, 2019 was sitting in my driveway. I will always be in their debt for that.
As an aside, I still have two rear wheels, wide Halibrand magnesium pin drive, from CSX2093 that I bought from Ed after he sold "The Fuchsia One." Along with the soft top and heater from that car.
There's no doubt that between Bruce Larson and Ed Hedrick, CSX2093 was driven to more wins in 1/4-mile competition than any other Cobra. But the car left the factory as a street car, was in fact bought off a used car lot by Jim Costilow. And that keeps her from being a Dragon Snake.
I treat competition drag cars the same way SAAC treats competition street cars. Take FIA or USRRC Cobras. On page 368 of the Registry, you make a distinction between "Factory-prepared Comp Cars" and "Independently-prepared Race Cars." On the shelbyford.com website I make the same distinction between "Factory-prepared Dragon Snakes" and "Independently-prepared Drag Race Cars." My only additional test for including Independents is that they've actually seen action on a 1/4-mile strip, something I don't consider a requirement for Dragon Snakes. Once a car left the factory as a Dragon Snake, it had established its credentials.
Here is another way to look at it. Say someone goes out and buys a real but plain vanilla street Cobra, then gets and installs all the pieces that make up an FIA car, including the "FIA Suitcase" trunk lid. That's no longer possible, of course, but say it would be. Could that car then be advertised and sold as a legitimate FIA Cobra? Not without consequences. My feeling is, why should Dragon Snakes be any different?
Dragonsnake - Independent Comp Cars