History Bites

[BlueDjinn]

On page 67 of this forum from the thread that brought me here; 426 hemi vs 454, the statement..."the Cammer was the first
motor to top 200 mph in the quarter not the Hemi". And from page 55 of this forum from a follow-up thread; Ford 427 SOHC VS
the 426 Hemi, this statement from the same individual; "The SOHC Ford was also the first engine to break the 200 mph barrier
through the 1/4 in a rail". Both of these statements are slightly reworded ways of saying the same thing.
You know, if that was to come out of somebody's cheek at the dinner table that's one thing but to see it as global viewing
on the internet presented as fact is something else entirely, considering the thread on page 67 has had 1320 viewings and
the thread on page 55 has had 4718 viewings.
Nothing against the SOHC motor but let's have history itself give credit where credit is due.
First of all the Ford 427 SOHC did not exist until 1964. It is quite all right to say that Connie Kalitta drove the first "Ford Powered" car to hit 200 mph in an NHRA sanctioned event. He did this in 1964 at the US Nationals. However, a "Ford Powered" car IS NOT the first to see or break 200 mph at the drags.
Kent Chatagnier from Beaumont Texas drove the "Kent's Speed Shop" single engine fuel dragster for four runs between 197.36
and 201.78 for the first "officially backed" 1320 AA/FD speed record. He did this burning nitro in a supercharged (blown)
PONTIAC V8 in 1960.
On April 4, 1960 Chris Karamesines went 204.54 @ 8.82 at Alten Dragway, Illinois. He did this in the "Chizler" Top Fuel
dragster running 90% nitro through a 392 Chrysler Hemi.
Two years after that and still two years before Ford's SOHC motor saw 200 mph, Eddie Hill ran 202.74 on May 6, 1962 in
Hobbs, New Mexico. His dragster was powered by two PONTIAC engines burning gasoline.
The reason Don Garlits became the next to record an "official" 200 mph pass in August 1964 is because he backed it up with
another pass within one per cent in front of NHRA clocks at Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey. Garlits went 201.34
@7.78 running nitro through a 392 Chrysler Hemi.
So you see, the first motor over 200 miles per hour in the quarter mile was not a Ford of any description including the
427 SOHC.