As luck would have it, I was looking at some pics from Cuba tonight. I was watching this video, when all of a sudden I spotted this pic - look at the tailfin!
Here’s a couple more tidbits about that article, and I hope I don’t stray too far from identifying the part’s application on a 1960 Plymouth, but the drag racing aspect hooked me in pretty bad. I have seen that same emblem stacked three-high on other 1960 Plymouths but didn’t verify if that was an original design or owner added.
Back to these photos, which I recall first seeing back in 1962 when I got into buying lots of car magazines and fostering the appreciation of MoPars as my father had bought a new 1962 Dart that summer (Slant six, standard, bare bones but the body was showing up in the magazines and I was hooked.)
Any finned Plymouth caught my attention back then so this white '60 stood out for several reasons, Our much more recent dual quad discussions poured fuel on the fire so I thought it was worth mentioning again in this instance.
The degree to which Carol Cox’s Pontiac outran that white 1960 Plymouth had always been attention getting - and a chance finding of another article since I sent you the first comments brings me back today. Yes, the Cox family were long time Pontiac racers, and that car was well set-up, not a daily driver as some would suggest. Coming from California they towed it East along with some other cars for Mickey Thompson, that year per a recent article. Her husband Lloyd Cox worked for MT at that time, and obviously knew his stuff. The news here is that in 1961 NHRA awarded that year’s Stock Eliminator champion, Bruce Morgan of California, a complete new 1968 Pontiac with that same 368 hp Super Duty engine! Heck of a prize! And the article goes on to show Bruce Morgan racing said new Pontiac and turning elapsed times of about 14 seconds even, at about 104 mph, slower at both ends of the track than the Cox cars, showing again how well set up and quick they were, and how easily it seemed to embarrass the Plymouth. I’ve not been able to find what times that Plymouth or any other similar cars were capable of running back then but that one Pontiac was exceptional to say the least.
So from a small part ID’ing mission to one more trip down reminisce dragway, I thank you for the opportunity to remember and make a slight tie-in to our '59’s. And to defend Plymouth’s honor any way we can - of any year or engine!
