| Body and chassis | |
|---|---|
| Class | Top Fuel |
| Body style | Front-engined streamliner dragster |
| Related | None |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | None |
The Setzer streamliner dragster is an unusual streamliner dragster built in 1972. [1]
A dragster is a specialized competition automobile used in drag racing.
Built at John Buttera's shop, and conceived by Buttera and body man Louie Teckenoff, the car was an unusual magnesium monocoque (rather than the more commonplace tube chassis). The body panels were 0.050 in (1.3 mm)-thick sheet, fastened with adhesives and over 5,000 rivets; the inner and outer skins were separated by high-density foam. [1] It had full-enclosed front wheels, cockpit, and engine, with a winglet ahead of the front axle and a low wing, just above the rollbar, in back. [2] (The wings were designed and positioned by Nye Frank. [1] )
Magnesium is a chemical element with symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray solid which bears a close physical resemblance to the other five elements in the second column of the periodic table: all group 2 elements have the same electron configuration in the outer electron shell and a similar crystal structure.
Monocoque, also structural skin, is a structural system where loads are supported through an object's external skin, similar to an egg shell. The word monocoque is a French term for "single shell" or "single hull". First used in boats, a true monocoque carries both tensile and compressive forces within the skin and can be recognised by the absence of a load-carrying internal frame.
A chassis is the framework of an artificial object, which supports the object in its construction and use. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart of a motor vehicle, on which the body is mounted; if the running gear such as wheels and transmission, and sometimes even the driver's seat, are included, then the assembly is described as a rolling chassis.
The car took six months to build. [1] It was sold to Barry Setzer for US$15,000 in 1972. [1]
In test runs at OCIR, driver Pat Foster experienced a sudden, unexpected wheelstand. Buttera tried to solve the problem, some reporting the engine was moved, and other changes made; nevertheless, the car still had a tendency to what would now be called "blowover". [1]
Orange County International Raceway was a combined 1⁄4-mile US dragstrip and 2-mile road course located in Irvine, California adjacent to the Interstate 5 (I-5) Santa Ana Freeway. Under a lease agreement with the Irvine Company, OCIR – as it was known in racing circles – was in operation from August 5, 1967 until its closure on October 30, 1983. The track was so named because its founders envisioned hosting sports car, motorcycle, midget, and stock car races in addition to National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) sanctioned drag racing events.
The car is now on display at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida. [1]
Donald Glenn "Don" Garlits is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. He is considered the father of drag racing. He is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. Always a pioneer in the field of drag racing, he perfected the rear-engine Top Fuel dragster, an innovation motivated by the loss of part of his foot in a dragster accident. This design was notably safer since it put most of the fuel processing and rotating parts of the dragster behind the driver. The driver was placed in front of nearly all the mechanical components, thus protecting the driver and allowing him to activate a variety of safety equipment in the event of catastrophic mechanical failure or a fire. Garlits was an early promoter of the full-body, fire-resistant Nomex driving suit, complete with socks, gloves, and balaclava.
The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing is located at 13700 SW 16th Ave, Ocala, Florida, just off Interstate 75. Opened in 1984, it chronicles the history of the sport of drag racing. Some 90 racing cars can be seen in the Drag Race building, while a further 50 vehicles are in the Antique Car building. Many of the Garlits "Swamp Rat" cars are here, but he also turns out to be a pack rat with an accumulation of cars and memorabilia from other top names in the sport. The iconic cars of Dean Moon, the Mooneyes gas dragster and the Moonbeam sports car are on display.
The museum is home to the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Inductees include Art Arfons, Sydney Allard, Zora Arkus-Duntov, Ray Godman, Raymond Beadle, Shirley Muldowney, Kenny Bernstein, and Don Schumacher, Connie Glen Swingle.
Ocala is a city located in Marion County, Florida, which is part of the northern region of the state. As of the 2013 census, its population, estimated by the United States Census Bureau, was 57,468, making it the 45th most populated city in Florida.
