This is the 1981 Plymouth Horizon that started it all out. It was equiped with the Euro-sedan package exterior. (Black grill and bumpers like the GLH) (Distinctive wheels and red pinstripping finished the graphics) (Interior seats were also pinstripped) This car had the 2.2 carb motor and 4 speed manual. It had run in the high 14 second range without alternator and had an electric water pump. This car had been owned by Larry Mckinney after me. He builds rail dragsters and now jr dragsters.
Now you can see the reason that there is no rear end under it...There was a 440 motor back here! The original 4 banger is still up front. The differential was behind the car, kind of looked like the altered cars that used to run in the 50's. The car was built for Larry's daughter, but she decided that she wanted to race a rail instead so he hacked off the rear section and built a rail from there forward.
This is the Matchbox 1984 Plmouth Horizon as it appeared at Indiana- polis Raceway Park during the 1987 NHRA Division 3 ET Finals. It was ordered with the 110hp carb (HO) motor and close ratio 5 speed manual. It launched extremely hard and I have seen a pic of it with the right front tire off of the ground! It ran high 15's at this time. (Dempsey says that only 74 Omni's had the HO Carb motor without a GLH exterior....mine is the only Horizon he knows of!!!!!!)
Here is the result of that 1987 race! I never tow my cars and I was driving this car back and forth to the track each of the 4 days of the event. There were 187 cars entered in my class and the total winnings for this race was $3000. The older lady in front is Mrs. Mary Hulinger. Her son Jay is now the NHRA Division 3 director and her husband and her were owners of Bunker Hill Dragstrip at the time. The remainder of the people around are racers from that track. My average reaction times for all eight rounds of eliminations was only a .512!!!!!!! (.500 is perfect)
This is the last picture of the 1984 Horizon while it still retained the original paint. The lettering had changed several times over the years and now it had gotten to the point that I was running out of room for all of my sponsors and championships to be placed on the car. The car at the time of this photo now has a stock 88 motor and automatic tranny. (These were put in place of the HO motor and 5 speed due to all of the breakage that I was going through. Even the unibody was ripping apart.)
This is a very famous row of bricks that I am running across. Yes, this is my car doing laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! The car is wear- ing its newest and current paint scheme. It looks kind of beautiful to me without all of the sponsors on it......of course the championships ARE on it to help intimidate other racers that don't know me.
Here is Matchbox as it looks now. All of the sponsors and championships are on it now, as is its infamous name. The car weighs only 1900 lbs and still has a nearly stock 2.2 motor from an 88 model. It only runs around 16 flat now but with the automatic tranny and only 104 hp it does not break anything at all!
Both of my cars were on display at the 1994 US Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park. This is a pic of Funny Car Champion John Force in Matchbox as he autographs it.
Here's John after he has signed both. He looked at them and said "Heck, that ain't fair, you've got more championships than I do." I told him, "John, you're just in the wrong class!"
This is a autographed photo of John Force riding the Bud wagon after winning the 1993 Big Bud Shootout at IRP.
This is a great picture of the whole deal......NEAT!
Here's the real animal.....fastest time ever is 11.89 at 118mph! I was then ousted from my first ever even since I did not have a roll bar or fire jacket. This was the first pass after the blown head gasket from the 96 Mopar Nationals was replaced. (This pic is not of that pass, but it was a mid 12 second pass) 175 hp of nitrous put this thing in the high elevens! The car is now legal for eleven second passes since a 8 point roll bar and racing harness has been installed. This car has run 9 eleven second passes, 7 of which were when I raced it in Super Pro class and red lighted on the 5th round. I had dialed 11.99 and everyone thought that I could not make the class break. GRIN
This is the engine bay of the beast. You can see the remote oil filter, NOS lines and stuff, over-the-motor old style Mopar intercooler, ram air tubing going from left of radiator to throttle body, and the original Turbo 1 motor is still here with it's original head. Now it does have J & E forged pistons that came from Forward Motion.
Interior of the Turbo. Note all of my bleed controlls near tach. I use two set ups, one for NOS and one without. Car still has it's radio. Ignore the shift points on the tach, it's automatic tranny is set up to shift only at 5600rpm when flat out. Note the spare NOS bottle (Yes it IS full). Full Autometer guages are also present. (Wiring looks like a mess)
Back view of Turbo with my borrowed slogan on the bottom of the hatch. "With talent on loan from GOD" Also note that the GLHS intercooled decal has the word "Automatic" included on it. Tires are 225x50x15.
Here is my most comfortable vehicle. Ignore the decals, it is only a 1994 Sundance Duster. The wheels are Borbets that are much heavier than the stock rims. This car also uses 225x50x15 tires. Super Trapp muffler with 24 discs is used as is a larger throttle body and undersized pulley system from Forward Motion. Also added are V6 Magnum emblems. (I wish a 3.5 would bolt in)
Another view of the Duster.
Carroll Shelby himself!! This photo was taken of us just a little after he had sat in my Duster and autographed it. He is the taller one dressed all in blue.....he said that this is the first Duster he has ever autographed! Carroll also had me start it up and thought that it sure sounded like a Ferrari!!!!
Here's the 3.0 with a ram air horn from a motorcycle shop. It has a very fine wire mesh in it to keep crap out. (The air filter box no longer is on the car; looks messy in this pic.)
The latest addition to my stable is a 90 Dodge Shadow Es with 88 electronics and a 87 2.2 Shelby motor. This car is all Super 60 equiped with a FM 475 cam, J & E forged pistons, and nitrous of course! This car was on the track for three test and tune events. The first time I actually raced it was at Indianapolis Raceway Park and this photo shows the result. This car has already run 12.35 with only 75 hp of nitrous, elevens will follow after I have a 8 point roll bar and racing harness put it.
Here is the original "Omni from Hell" No NOS on this baby, and it powers through the quater in the 12 second range. It is famous in some of it's runs of the "One Lap of America" events.
