Every so often I will go through my stack of Mopar Action mags. This morning I happened to be reading the August 1995 issue, which had a great article about Don Carlton's "wire car." Mentioned in the article was a yellow Duster which was used as a test bed but was never put into competition. What came out of that effort was the wire car.
What immediately came to mind was the "Silver Bullet II" Duster that had belonged to Jimmy Addison. I next pulled out the October 2012 issue, featuring that car. The current owner had traced the car back to Jimmy but its creation was still a mystery - he had spoken with some of the guys from the Missile program, none of whom remembered the Duster or how it came to be. Could it be that Jimmy's car was the Don Carlton test mule?
We all forget things as we get older, and I don't think it would be impossible for guys to not remember a test mule that was never even campaigned. It could just be that they did remember the Duster but couldn't say what ultimately happened to it, and couldn't confirm that it ever made it into Jimmy's hands. How many factory experimental Dusters were ever out there?
The Addison car is a never-titled 72. Jimmy sold the original Bullet in 1973 or 1974, and the Silver Bullet II Duster was for sale by 1976. Someone who knows more about the wire car program could probably shed a little more light on if that timeline works or not. (And yes, before anyone mentions it, I know the fact that the test bed Duster was yellow, and that the Addison Duster was later pained yellow, has no bearing on anything.)
Last edited by Montclaire; 04/11/21 10:44 AM.
