Don Hardy spent two summers in Detroit after leaving the military, learning at the feet of famous Michigan builders/racers Jay Howell and Pete Seaton. Hardy went on to become the premier Funny Car builder. This Camaro is one of his creations and is signed by him. Originally built for Dick Harrell, “Mr. Chevrolet,” it was raced with a 427 cubic-inch nitro-methane-fueled engine. This piece of AHRA history is available for bid here on Bring A Trailer. The vehicle is currently in Michigan, and with 6 days left, the current bid is $14,427 as of this writing. It is a bill-of-sale offering. Thanks to Curvette for this great tip!
The current engine is a supercharged 437 cubic-inch V8 installed by the seller and has been campaigned at cackle fests and vintage gatherings for the last 10 years. The engine was built using a Merlin cast-iron block, bored 60 over, with a 3.75″-stroke forged crank. Added to the mix are aluminum connecting rods, JE Pistons, Cloyes Timing Chain, Crower Cam, Merlin cast-iron heads, ISKY roller lifters, Comp Cams pushrods, Crane roller rockers, and Moroso oil pump. The transmission is a TH 400 with a 10” torque converter. At the rear is a Dana 60. A detailed build sheet is included in the sale gallery.
The fiberglass bodywork is painted Candy Apple Red with gold lace patterns. Graphics from the car’s earlier years were recreated, including the Boemler Chevrolet bowties and gold engine-turned backgrounds. The windows are blue-tinted acrylic, and the rear window has a Chevy bowtie-shaped cutout. The paint is damaged, with peeling and crazing in some locations, and these are shown in close-up shots throughout the photo gallery on BAT.
Serious buyers will obviously want to pore over the info on the BAT post. I can be sure that someone will add a comment about what, if any, Nostalgia races this car could compete in or what may need to be done to bring it to a current standing in one of the sanctioning bodies. Having been away from NHRA since the nineties I would not even hazard a guess. 1960s Don Hardy Funny Cars can bring in up to $100,000, so it will be interesting to see the next 6 days of bidding and how high this example will go. No matter what, a piece of history like this is worth checking out while it is available.
Nice find. Motor is worth the price. Pull the drivetrain and sell the body.
This will never make a competition pass at any NHRA track. It’s so outdated it’s not feasible to make it capable of passing a tech inspection.
The nitro funny cars running nostalgia events are modern builds.
Steve R