Logghe Stamping Company

The Logghe Stamping Company (commonly known as Logghe Brothers) is a dragster and funny car fabricator based in Detroit, Michigan.[1]

Logghe Brothers, operated by brothers Ron and Gene,[2] was the first company to produce funny car chassis in series, beginning in 1966, when they built Don Nicholson's Eliminator I, with a reproduction Mercury Comet body provided by Fiberglass Trends.[3] Similar cars were sold to Jack Chrisman, "Fast Eddie" Schartman, and Kenz and Leslie.[4] These cars had the first coilover suspension in funny car.[5]

In 1967, Logghe would provide the chassis for Ford's Super Mustang slingshot dragster project.[6]

Butch Leal would body one of Logghe's first customer chassis with a fiberglass reproduction Plymouth Barracuda;[7] this car's best pass would be a 7.82 at 182.16 mph (293.16 km/h),[8] with a career win ratio of ninety percent.[9]

Ron Ellis, running a gasser with supercharged Chrysler in a Logghe chassis, fitted a T-bucket, which he later exchanged for an AMX.[10]

Gas Ronda used a Logghe chassis under his Mustang Mach 1 funny car;[11] Ronda won the Orange County International Raceway Manufacturers Championship in 1969 in it.[12]

Nicholson would fit a Pete Robinson-built Top Fuel SOHC 427.[13] in his Logghe-built Comet early in the 1967 season and turn 7.90s at around 180 mph (290 km/h), earning an eighty-six percent winning record.[14]

Texan Ken Hare had a Logghe-built 427 Chevy-powered AMC Javelin dubbed Ramblin' Rose .[15]

In 1970, Logghe also built a 100 in (2,540 mm)-wheelbase AA/FA, Winged Express II, for "Wild Willie" Borsch.[16]

Logghe ultimately proved unable to keep up with demand for chassis, leading to the creation of a funny car chassis-building industry, which was soon joined by Dick Fletcher, Don Hardy, Ronnie Scrima, and a number of others.[17]

Late in 1969, Pat Foster and John Buttera would devise a Top Fuel dragster-style chassis to replace the "dune buggy" design common in Funny Car at the time. Similar chassis would be built by Logghe and Ronnie Scrima, among others; this design remains the standard in TF/FC.[18]

Gene Snow would record the first official 200 mph (320 km/h) pass in the Logghe-chassised 1969 Dodge Charger, Rambunctious.[19]

In 1973, Connie Kalitta ran a Logghe-chassised Ford Mustang as the Bounty Hunter, teamed with Shirley Muldowney (in the Buttera-chassied Bounty Huntress).[20]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Taylor, Thom. "Al Bergler's More Aggravation III", in "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone", p.32.
  2. ^ Burgess, Phil, National Dragster editor. "The Super Mustang", written 27 April 2018, at NHRA.com (retrieved 16 September 2018)
  3. ^ McClurg, pp.36 caption, 38, and 40.
  4. ^ McClurg, p.38.
  5. ^ McClurg, p.38.
  6. ^ Taylor, Thom. "Super Mustang", in "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone", p.36.
  7. ^ McClurg, p.38 caption.
  8. ^ McClurg, p.38 caption.
  9. ^ McClurg, p.40.
  10. ^ "More Killers from Kenosha", written 23 May 2014 by Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor NHRA.com (retrieved 24 May 2017)
  11. ^ Drag Racing Scene (retrieved 29 May 2017)
  12. ^ "Gas Ronda", written 18 February 2016 by Alex Waldron, National Dragster Associate Editor NHRA.com (retrieved 24 May 2017)
  13. ^ Wallace, p.32 caption.
  14. ^ McClurg, p.39 caption and p.40.
  15. ^ Burgess, Phil, NHRA National Dragster Editor. "A history of AMC Funny Cars" written 16 May 2014. NHRA.com (retrieved 23 May 2017)
  16. ^ Motorsport.com (retrieved 14 September 2019)
  17. ^ McClurg, p.42.
  18. ^ McClurg, p.42.
  19. ^ McClurg, p.42 caption.
  20. ^ McClurg, p.46 caption.

Sources

[edit]
  • McClurg, Bob. "50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 2" in Drag Racer, November 2016, pp. 35–50.
  • Taylor, Thom. "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone" in Hot Rod, April 2017, pp. 30–43.
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