PRESCRIPTION HEMI

PROJECT
"RACE CAR - AFX DRAGSTER “A” SERIES “B” BODY PLYMOUTH”
MARKED CONFIDENTIAL"

Chrysler Corporation's Drag Racing efforts went extreme in 1965 with a handful of purpose-built factory drag machines.
The 1965 Plymouth Factory Altered Wheelbase cars and their Dodge counterparts resulted from a battle
between Ford and Chrysler for victory in the NHRA's Super Stock and A/Factory Experimental (A/FX) classes.

When Chrysler got wind that Ford was planning to equip its smaller Mustang and Comet bodies with the
SOHC 427 (single overhead cam engine) for the 1965 A/FX season, it decided that radical measures were
necessary to keep its midsize Plymouth Belvederes and Dodge Coronets competitive. In late 1964,
Chrysler engineers began constructing 6 Belvederes and 6 Coronets for intense dragstrip duty.
This was laid out in a Confidential Technical Report named
“RACE CAR-AFX DRAGSTER “A” SERIES “B” BODY PLYMOUTH CONFIDENTIAL”

The details were laid out exact in every specification. Each Mopar altered wheelbase car
underwent serious surgery. The wheels were moved forward on the rear axle by 15 inches, the front suspension
was altered by 10 inches, to create a 110-inch wheelbase Drag Car that put 56 percent of the car's weight over
the rear tires. steel body panels were dipped in an acid tank to make them lighter or replaced with fiberglass parts.

 The bizarre appearance of these factory built production cars prompted the name "FUNNY CAR,"
Every modification served an important purpose: Most important the altered wheelbase allowed for superior
weight transfer off the starting line to help the lagging tire technology.

 Chrysler built AWB cars were distributed to the factory backed Dodge and Plymouth drag race teams;
Notable Plymouth Drag Racers as Ronnie Sox, Butch Leal, and Al Eckstrand. When NHRA took
one look at the wildly modified cars, they banned them from A/FX competition.
Quickly these cars and their racers found a new lucrative circuit to complete in that had become
very popular the “Match Race” scene.

All Factory produced Plymouth and Dodge AWB cars started life as a RO & WO A990 mule.
All 12 AWB cars were powered by a K-Head Race Hemi engine. They started the season with dual four
barrel carburetion.  Out of the box from Chrysler, they were capable to run 10.20-second quarter mile
elapsed times at 138 mph. Chrysler authorized a switch to Hilborn fuel injection during the season,
and the ETs improved to the mid nine second range at 140+ mph. Although the Chrysler
AWB cars would be quickly eclipsed by fiberglass bodied, tube chassis funny cars,
they remain as some of the wildest Factory built drag machines ever constructed.

 The axles were moved forward, the rear one by 15 inches, the front by 10 inches to create a 110-inch
wheelbase racer that put about 56 percent of the car's weight over the rear tires.

 
The plan to convert this 1965 Plymouth Belvedere II into the latest rendition of one of Chrysler's
most outrageous Factory Built Race Car is complete. The Altering was done with the use of the Factory Bulletin
and the Help of Steve Magnate's how to build an Altered Wheelbase. Body and Paint was taken care of by Kevin Carroll
and crew at Central Connecticut Automotive. It sports a Ted Thompson Power Hemi Mill,
Randy Juliani Transmission and Final details were completed by Mark Levatano at Mechanix AutoWorx Bethany, CT.

 What is Match Bash? Simply put by Match Basher Steve Magnante, “it is a building style
that seeks to pay tribute to the glory days of the altered-wheelbase door-slammer Funny Car. Match Bashers
are modern enough to be driven on the street but retro enough to conjure the smell of nitro and nights under the
lights at Cecil County Drag-O-Way.”