I remember going to street races on Long Island in about 1970 with a bunch
of buddies and although none of my friend's raced we were there to see bets
placed and challenges made. Serious money was placed and some of the guys
earned their living this way and reinvested it in their cars.
When all was said and done, everyone left to go to this deserted street to
watch a few races take place. In the third race it was a 440 Challenger v a
SS396 Camaro. Neither car was stock in any matter and it was believed that a
427 was in the chevy not a 396. All was going well for both cars until the
Challenger totally lost it jumped the curb and hit the side of a building. I
never saw anything like it as the drivetrain went straight up out of the
car, bounced off the wall and landed about 50 feet behind the car and almost
in the street. I have to say I didn't see the motor come out but passing it
in my friend's 340 Duster we did see the engine almost in the street and the
damage done to the building and a huge mark about 20 feet high.
In this instance the driver did not survive as he went through the
windshield and into the wall although thankfully I didn't see that. It was
reported in the newspaper that the impact was so great that the seatbelt
anchors and the seat tore out of the car. I have no idea how fast these guys
were going but it was close to the finish line so there was some serious
speed involved.
I was lucky as my little 1600 would never attain those speeds and no one
ever challenged me as sports cars didn't do that kind of racing.
Mike
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