1:18 1966 Plymouth Barracuda – Hurst Hemi * GL-HWY18034

In 1964, Hurst was searching for a car for the 1965 Drag Racing Season. One that  would serve as a test bed and promote the Hurst brand that include his aftermarket shifters and wheels.  The Hot Rod Magazine tech Editor suggested putting a Hemi in the back of a Barracuda to give it excellent weight transfer and be very quick off the Line.

At firs, the 1965 Plymouth Barracuda Hurst Hemi Under Glass was not what Hurst wanted.  On every hard launce, the Hemi’s mid-chassis location and vast power reserves instantly forced the nose skyward in a startling fashion.  What looked like a major issue, turned out to be a successful crowd pleaser, and so was born the most popular series of wheelstanders in drag racing history.

The original ’65 Hurst Hemi under glass set the pattern for a succession of cars campaigned by Hurst from 1965 through 1968 across North America.  The ’65 car was re-bodied in 1966 and packed a mid-mounted Hilborn Injected 426 Hemi engine coupled with a Hurst-shifted automatic transmission.  Cragar SS wheels turn massive Goodyear slicks at the rear and narrow profile front drag tires.  It was later parted out to make way for the newer generation of Plymouth Barracudas.  The brad lives on today in the hands of driver Mike Mantel who continues the dangerous and daring task of full quarter mile 8′ high wheelies at over 100mph in the ’68 supercharged version of the Hemi Under Glass.

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