Believe it or not, all four wheels were originally attached to either this car or its stablemate in 1964! A Wisconsin buddy of Tom Jones's had purchased the American mags and stored them for 12 years. In 1988, after Jones mentioned acquiring this car,
his buddy surprised him with the original rims — and traced their history all the way back to the Chargers. Current-owner Frank Spittle spent many hours rubbing on magnesium prior to this December 2006 photo session. (Photo courtesy of Frank Spittle)
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Happily, the last two decades have been as kind to this sole survivor as its first quarter-century was cruel. Shortly after word of Tom Jones’s discovery hit the pages of Petersen’s Drag Racing magazine, Nashville collector C.K. Spurlock made Tom an offer that Mrs. Jones could not refuse: enough 1988 dollars to buy a new home in Wisconsin.
 Can you imagine the sport's reaction to an overnight doubling of power? At a time when Super Stockers were boasting about producing one horsepower per cubic inch, engine-builder Jim Nelson followed his old Top Gas Dragster formula for wringing 800-to-900 h.p. out of this stroker (480-c.i.) Wedge in 1964. Note the cut marks on the hood panels and cold-air ducting from the headlight openings to the headers. (Photo by Wayne Thoms) |
For the next nine years, the father of former-Funny-Car-racer K.C. Spurlock pursued a first-class restoration, sparing no expense resurrecting a vehicle that he correctly anticipated would prove to be one of the most-valuable American race cars ever unearthed, in time. Fellow-collector Frank Spittle had been among the first to call with congratulations on Spurlock’s acquisition. Beginning with that conversation and continuing for the next nine years, Spittle periodically asked that he be given the first right of refusal if Spurlock should ever decide to sell. Each time, Spurlock assured Spittle that this was one car that he planned to keep forever.
“Forever” turned out to be until 1998, with his restoration approximately 80-percent complete. Although the would-be buyer lacked a large portion of the undisclosed sale price, the seller agreed to accept a substantial downstroke, plus payments — and allowed Spittle to haul the car home and work on it while he paid him off.