Spring is here and that means the weather is getting warmer and the drag strip is getting hot! And look to Auto World for some historic wheel burning action in the latest 4 Gear release in the Legends of the Quarter Mile Series. This latest batch (Release 1 SC376) includes some of the later versions of The Snake and Mongoose funny cars. Let’s get a closer look at these floppers as they head toward the burn out box.
1973 Plymouth Cuda Funny Car – Don “The Snake” Prudhomme – The Snake III
Don Prudhomme debuted “The Snake III” in 1972 at the NHRA Supernationals and finished second to Tom McEwen. The primered black Cuda would eventually get painted yellow for the Care-Free Gum sponsorship and after the unsatisfactory performance of the “lay-down” Vega, would be resurrected as the US Army Cuda in 1974.
1972 Plymouth Duster Funny Car – Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen – The Mongoose II
The second generation of the The Mongoose funny car, the Mongoose II, continued on the with Plymouth Duster and a new flashier paint scheme highlighting flames and the Mattel Hot Wheels sponsorship. Changing from red to blue was another major shift in the livery in 1972. Tom McEwen was such a dominant force in Funny cars that year, he won the AHRA Spring Nationals, the inaugural PRA National Challenge and the “Last Drag Race at Lions beating out the Snake in the final. The Mongoose was named 1972 Drag News Driver of the Year.
1972 Plymouth Cuda Funny Car – Don “The Snake” Prudhomme – The Snake II
Don Prudhomme’s weapon of choice for the 1972 season was still the Plymouth Barracuda. His Buttera chassised, 426 Hemi powered funny car set records all through 1972 and carried on into 1973. The Alpine White and red flamed livery was easy to spot, replacing 1971’s yellow version. This version of the car even appeared in the 2013 feature film “Snake & Mongoose”. It recently came up for auction in 2017, fully restored to all it’s performance glory.
Here is the packaging for the Auto World 4Gear Release 1 SC376 Legends of the Quarter Mile Funny Cars.
There have been previous releases of these particular liveries, however, there are some additional details that have been added to this release to make then unique. We’ll take a close look at these in the pictures below.
The “Snake III” was originally released in the Auto World 4 Gear Release 20. The difference in this new release includes sharper, crisper details in the side panel graphics and the addition of the “Hot Wheels” logo just behind the front wheel well.
As always, Auto World has given us a set of great historic funny cars. If you missed the original releases, like to collect the variations or just dig the drag racing scene, this is the release for you. These should arriving at your favorite hobby shop or web store in late May early June of 2022.