In 1967, numerous drag racing lovers had been surprised to find out that the crew of Stone, Woods and Cook were swapping their preferred AA/Gasoline Willys coupe for a Mustang funny auto. The group dominated the A/GS ranks with the Swindler A Willys, and a lot of folks envisioned them to continue competing in the gasser ranks.
Amusing car or truck match racing was the place all the funds was, nevertheless, and the “Pebble, Pulp and Chef” gang was completely ready for a new challenge. So they established apart the Willys in favor of a blown Mustang they christened Dim Horse 2.
While the fiberglass flip-prime design humorous cars and trucks were being starting off to come into their individual, the SWC Mustang was not a flopper. As an alternative the team mounted a metal Mustang overall body shell on a light bodyweight tubular chassis, with a extensive fiberglass front clip. Driver Doug Cook entered the motor vehicle by means of opening doorways, although the clip could be taken off to function on the motor.
Adhering to the identical pattern as their famous gassers, the SWC crew chosen a blown early Chrysler hemi for energy. Since Stone, Woods and Cook dinner have been so effective in the gas classes, some people today mistakenly refer to the Mustang as a gasser. At initial the vehicle ran alcohol, with a splash of nitro. As time wore on, the workforce tipped-the-can and applied an ever greater percentages of nitromethane.
The Mustang amusing car instantly followed in the footsteps of the Willys gassers, successful the 2400 pound course at the famed Bakersfield March fulfill two times in a row. From there, the workforce set off on a blistering barnstorming tour that has seldom been equaled.
It appeared that every single drag racing enthusiast preferred to see the Stone, Woods and Cook dinner Mustang in motion, and each track proprietor desired to fill the stands by reserving the match racer. Select up any copy of Drag News from 1967, and you will very likely discover a lot of tales recounting the exploits Stone, Woods and Cook at various tracks.
In addition to racing at most of the five-star tracks, Darkish Horse 2 also confirmed up at modest gap-in-the-wall venues dragstrips with ragged asphalt, dim night time-lights and inadequate shut down areas. The supporters wished to see Doug Cook in action, and the team was extra than prepared to grant their wish.
Racing numerous situations a week, SWC ran from most of the famous funny vehicles of the era, getting on the lighter body weight, injected flip-major vehicles as properly as other steel-bodied blown entries. Prepare dinner was not always victorious, but he racked up an impressive get/decline tally.
Just when the Stone, Woods and Prepare dinner staff appeared to be on top of their activity, tragedy intervened. A crash destroyed Darkish Horse 2 at Alton, Illinois. Doug Cook dinner, 1 of the most well-known and respected drag racers of all time, sustained back again accidents that ended his racing vocation.
Stone, Woods and Cook have been not completed, on the other hand. They developed a new Mustang that was a in the vicinity of duplicate of the authentic. The Ghost of Dim Horse 2 continued the torrid match-race speed, with a selection of employed motorists replacing Cook behind the wheel.
By 1969, even the SWC group could not continue being competitive with a steel bodied auto, and they designed a Mustang flopper, assigning the driving chores to Dee Keaton. In the early ’70s, Tim Woods created the initially Pinto amusing car or truck and ran it less than the Stone, Woods and Cook dinner banner with Mike VanSant as the pilot. Even now later a Chrysler run Corvette gasser toured less than the Stone, Woods and Cooke banner. That is not a typo on the ‘Vette the title Prepare dinner was spelled with an e on the end. Reportedly, none of the authentic trio was actively included with the Corvette.
Ultimately, all three users of the colorful crew retired from racing. Doug Prepare dinner handed away in 1999.
The Dark Horse 2 legacy proceeds, however. Mike Cook dinner, son of the well-known driver, is reconstructing Darkish Horse 2. Photos of the car’s development can be seen on Cook’s web site, as very well as pics of the absolutely restored Swindler A and Swindler B Willys coupes.
4 many years have passed due to the fact the Darkish Horse 2 Mustang barnstormed its way into drag racing heritage. It is pleasant to know that Mike Cook dinner won’t intend to enable the famed funny motor vehicle be overlooked.