Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
NHRA Eliminators, 1964 Winternationals, SuperStock, Gas Rhonda, 1964 Thunderbolt @ 12.05 ET. 1964 Nationals, Indy, SuperStock, Butch Leal, 1964 Thunderbolt @ 11.76.
First Thunderbolts were built by Don Snyder and was driven by Dick Brannan and Phil Bonner "Daddy Warbucks." Both of the first original Thunderbolts were on display in 2004 at the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Reunion in Henderson. Dick Brannan had a CD that show the building of the car on the "third Floor" of the building at Ford Motor Company. Only people working on the project were allowed on that floor. The car on display only had an "Autolite Spark Plugs" decal on the lower part of the fender near the door. Brannan explained that when the car first came out they had put decals on it like all of the other cars. Ford Motor Company Representatives advised them to remove all the decals except the spark plug decal because they were made by Ford Motor Company.
Don Snyder was inducted into the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame in 2004 and passed away just a few months after the event. Dick Brannan is no longer doing these types of events. Phil Bonner is in poor health and is actually almost blind.
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