Thanks for the reply, Joe. Your story about picking up the Colt in CA intertwines with a story from Bruce Meihls from the Rod Shop. Here is the gist of the story as Bruce related it to me one day.
As a new employee at the Rod Shop, Bruce Meihls was excited by the prospect of working for a very successful racing team. He was a “roadie”, one of the crew whose responsibilities included driving the transporter, washing the race car, getting water to cool the car down, pushing the car through the staging lanes, and every other conceivable job to make this team a success. The Rod Shop's first Colt, the “B/Gas" car for Jim Thompson, was delivered semi-finished in Spring of 1973. Due to the commitments of the racing schedule, the time just wasn’t available for the team to finish it. It was decided to send the car to Butler Racing in CA, and have Ron Butler work his magic. Butch Leal had debuted a Butler-built Duster in 1973, and it was very good. So good, in fact, that the Rod Shop had ordered a Dart for Bob Riffle. Thus, the Colt was destined for a trip to California.
Bruce volunteered to deliver the car to Butler Racing, and at the same time fit in a family vacation, fo off to California with the Colt on a trailer behind the station wagon. Bruce was scheduled to deliver the car on Monday, but actually arrived in Ca on Friday night. Not wanting to drag it around on vacation, Bruce decided to go to Butlers on Saturday morning and see if he could drop it off. Upon arriving at Butler Racing, Bruce went around to the back of the building, and one of the overhead doors was open. There were five men standing around looking at a new race car. A Dodge Colt. There was some magic marker on the scoop and door. The hood said 366 Hemi. The door said Mini Missile! Bruce looked around, and finally someone asked if they could help him. Bruce mentioned that he was from the Rod Shop, and wanted to drop off a car. Imagine his surprise as they gruffly asked him to leave, and bring the car back on Monday! Bruce did return the car on Monday (of course the Mini Missile was gone), and called Jim Thompson (one of the Rod Shop founders) to report that it was there. He also mentioned the curious incident about the “Mini Missile”, and Jim Thompson became rather curious. A call to Dick Maxwell at Chrysler didn’t net any real answers.
It turns out the “Mopar Missile” team had their Colt before the first Rod Shop car was even delivered! In later years, Bruce would become very familiar with the five men at Butler Racing that day. Tom Hoover, Don Carlton, Ted Spehar, Clyde Hodges, and Ron Butler!
