Thread: any cars run 13s in the 1950s stock

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I have always wondered this in the late 1950s some cars had almost 400 horses mostly mopar products from what I read
the t bird with 300 horses so did any cars in the 1950s run 13s

Purpose built race cars, yes. Stock OEM cars, no.

Originally posted by Swifster
Purpose built race cars, yes. Stock OEM cars, no.

probably 32 fords with flathead and hemis

The earliest reconds I have only go back to 1964 in the Hot Rod Magazine Yearbook No. 4. It seems Top Fuel has progressed by light years but in the lower classes the times were still pretty good compared to today's times. I am not a detailed fan of Drag Racing records, but I enjoy the races on the sattellite channel and I tried to follow my inspirational leader Joe Gibbs when he was simultaneously running in Funny Car and NASCAR following a successful career with the Washington Redskins. Let's see if he can do it again with the Redskins!?? Anyway here are a few numbers from 1964:

Top Fuel Eliminator: Don Garlits, Dodge, 7.67/198.22

Top Gas Eliminator: Gordon Collet, Chry, 8.47/182.92

Stock Eliminator: Rodger Lindamood, Dodge, 11.31/127.84

Street Eliminator: Joe Lunati, Chevy, 12.00 104.40

S/S Class Winner: Butch Leal, Thunderbolt, 11.76/122.78

A/FX Class Winner: Dave Strickler, '64 Dodge, 11.04

B/FX Class Winner: Fred Cutler, '64 Doge (wagon), 11.81/120.48

A/MP Class Winner: Bill Flynn, '64 Dodge, 11.95/119.36

B/MP Class Winner: Jesse Platt, '60 Corvette, 12.12

B/SP Class Winner: Paul Albert, '62(?) Corvette 13.06/106.33

From there on there a lot of other class winners in cars that are so modified that it would not be reasonable to relate them to any particular model or year due to big engines in '40 Willys bodies and other modifieds. I wish I could find a picture I used to have with the last flathead engine to win in Top Eliminator, was that 1956 (???) and I think that was the only time a flathead made it into the 12s but I don/t recall the exact time and the "body" was a "dragster". I am sure there are other members with better memories about this than myself AND if you go to your local library you may find microfiche copies of HOT ROD back to the early '50s. For the Hudson fans I note that in 1964 the

L/S Class Winner was Chuck Parcell, '54 Hudson, 17.21/78.26.

Maybe someone can look up/find a 1/4 mile time for a '55 Packard, it should be better, but I am disappointed with the '54 Hudson time as I recall them as pretty quick on the street AND there should also be some good times for '53-'55 Oldsmobiles.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Tech, Just curiouse what year,was that. I ran a big block Dodge That would turn mid 12's.But that was in 1980. By 87, I was runnig a 67 mustang that would have smoked the charger by about 2 Seconds. It had a mexican style Boss 302 in it.

~ Vegas ~

1 9 5 9 !! I was still writing my name in the snow......well i still do that, I was a whooping 4 in '59......man- we could cut you in half & count the rings Tech...lol

Here's a few I could find , most are based on old Motor Trend tests:

55 Packard 400 2dr HT 18.6

58 Packard Hawk 17.5

54 Hudson 19.1

58 Bonneville 16.0

57 Olds Super 88 17.3

58 Chevy Bel Air 16.5 (a full second quicker than a 57)

55 Caddy 17.6

56 Buick Century 17.1

57 Mercury Montclair 17.2

58 Ford Fairlane 17.7

56 Thunderbird 17.5

58 Edsel Corsair 16.9

58 Plymouth Fury 16.1

56 Dodge Custom Royal 16.9

57 DeSoto Adventurer 16.7

57 Chrysler 300C 16.6

57 Rambler Rebel 17.9

57 Studebaker 17.3

I took the fastest car listed from the 50's for each manufacturer, it should be noted that some of the cars listed were 4 dr or convertibles, so a 2dr sedan with a similar engine /transmission would likely have been slightly quicker.

Ther quickest I could find was the 57 Corvette 14.4