I've owned this car since 1978, back when I was in high school. I bought it for $1000 from my first cousin who bought it from the original owner in 1972.

A few years ago, I was contacted by my cousin's high school buddy who told me about some of the crazy racing they did outside of city limits in Reno, Nevada back in the day. The starting line was a cattle grate and many raced the standing 1/2 mile. As you may know, there were no speed limits outside of town back then. There was simply a sign that said, end speed limit. It truely was the domain of the Rapid Transit era cars.

He also told me the original owner was a highway engineer, and used the car to test his theoretical speed limit calculations for the curves of highway 80 from the Donner Pass down into Reno. He asked me if the car still had the inclinometers in it when I got it. It didn't.

I remember riding in the back seat of this car when I was about 10 years old. We got on the freeway towards California to go out to dinner. I remember looking closley at the fabric of the back seat as my body was pinned to it from the acceleration on the freeway, thinking this is the coolest car ever! I've gotta have it someday.

A few years later, I remember sitting in it while my cousin went into a tire shop. The car sat idling with the pistol grip shaking back and forth from the lope of the big cam. I bugged my cousin to sell it to me ever since that first ride, and he eventually did when he was getting married. Later on, he built a clone just like it. He loved this car, but has since passed away.

The original owner's wife still lives in Reno, but doesn't like talking about her husband since he passed away a few years back. I may bring it by to try again once it's finished. I don't know yet.

When I got the car, the shaker bubble and hardware, the sixpack intake and carbs and all the parts related to it were gone. I used to have to put an old oil pan over the carb to keep the rain out of the air filter when it was parked in the rain. I drove it as much as I could afford the gas to drive it. An 850 double pumper with a Tarantula TM7 intake came on the car when I picked it up. It also had those heavy TRW 11.8 to one pop-ups and the stock sixpack camshaft. It gas knocked back then if the factory dualpoint distributer's timing wasn't set just right and if you lugged it, which was hard to do since it had so much power. I had traction problems below 60 mph, but once it hit third gear, it was wicked fast. I'll never forget how the ashtray would fly out of the dash and hit the back seat when I power shifted second gear. Only if I knew then about tuning what i've learned on this site since then....

This "black car" is still the stuff of ledgends to the people in the neighborhood who road in it back in high school. The stories they tell of their experiences in it are highlighted by wide eye'd looks of fear and wonder combined with a sinister little smile as they they recall the memories of the rides I took them on when they asked me for a ride and said, " I want to go fast!" I cured several people of ever saying that again. The other day, I ran into a guy I haven't seen in 30 years and the first thing he brings up is a ride he'll never forget in that black car!

I'll add more to the story and post some pictures as time allows. Thanks for reading.