Imagine it’s around 1971. It’s late Spring with Summer just around the corner. The weather is getting warmer, the sun’s out and you hop into your car heading home from school and this blasts out of your AM radio…. Racing! Racing! Racing! Racing That’s right! It’s drag racing at the local strip this weekend! Come out and see the horsepower ripping the asphalt and the sounds of rubber screaming as these machines go for the win! Match racing this weekend! Come see the Legends of the Quarter Mile! Dandy Dick Landy and his Dodge Challenger, Wally Booth and the Rat Pack Camaro and the California Flash, Butch Leal! Catch the action as these Pro Stock monsters make history! Racing! Racing! Racing! Drag Racing! Get your tickets now before they are gone faster than these rockets of the drag strip! We can’t go see these Legends live at the drag strip today, but we can get them to make an appearance on our HO scale drag ways. Auto World’s latest Legends of the Quarter Mile release brings some great historic racers of the day. Let’s head down to the burn-out box and see these Legends up close.
SC 361 #1 1971 Dodge Challenger Pro Stock – “Dandy” Dick Landy
One of the most recognized drag racers of the era, Dandy Dick Landy started his drag racing career in the AFX and Super stock classes of the early 60’s and moved to the Pro Stock class as it developed in the 70’s. A spokesman for Dodge performance, Landy was a major asset for Dodge, holding performance clinics at local dealerships before heading to the local drag strip. His 1971 Dodge Challenger was groundbreaking, using a 426 Hemi with modified heads allowing for two spark plugs per cylinder, making Dandy Dick a serious contender at any track.
SC 361 #2 1969 Chevy Camaro Pro Stock – Wally Booth – Rat Pack
In 1963, Wally Booth, out of Detroit Michigan, was an insurance salesman and pioneering drag racer. Wally approached racing from the idea that knowledge would gain him speed. Studying automotive manuals and magazines, he began to formulate ideas to get an edge by building a better racer. Driving various Chevys from 1965 through 1968, he struggled in the Super Stock classes against the CobraJets and Hemis of the day. In 1969 he started out in a Mopar, but six months later shifted back to a Chevy Camaro and started match racing in Pro Stock. Booth’s unorthodox approach to building a better racer, brought us the unique 1969 Camaro with a 427 Chevy Rat motor with Chrysler drive train components. Not exactly an “All Chevy” Camaro, but the combination worked and started Wally on his way to being a competitive match racer. No more insurance sales for Mr. Booth. He was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in March of 2013, highlighted by his efforts competing with the AMC Gremlins and Hornets.
SC 361 #3 1970 Chevy Camaro Pro Stock – Butch Leal – The California Flash
Butch Leal had been drag racing since 1960. Convinced drag racing was his career path, he left his parents California farm and hit the track. Driving everything from Chevys to Fords (even a Thunderbolt in ‘64) to Mopars, Leal disappeared from racing after the1967 season. He really didn’t disappear, he was trying out the pro golf tour for a change of pace. After a period of almost three years, the call of the drag strip brought the California Flash back to the staging lights. Starting out with Mickey Thompson’s Mustang, Leal vacated the non-competitive ‘Stang and debuted a 1970 Camaro Pro Stock. Leal had success with the Camaro, but continuous break downs had sidelined him at several events throughout the 1970 season. How did Leal get the name “t=The California Flash”? While at a race in 1964, race promoter Ben Christ told Leal he needed a nickname that reflected his driving style. He suggested “The California Flash”. Leal adopted the name and went on to make racing history. Butch Leal was voted “Driver of the Year” in 1972 and 1973 with his record breaking performances and victories throughout those two seasons.
Packaging for the Legends of the Quarter Mile X-Traction Release 32 (SC361)
Auto World has carved out a reputation for offering some of the best drag racing HO scale slot cars for our collections. In this release, the selection includes some of the more unique liveries and storied characters that makes the Legends series one of the best for collectors and hobbyists alike.
