U.S. 30 Drag Strip

Featured Driver/Car

Ron Pellegrini's "Super Mustang"

"The Funniest Car"
Owned and maintained by
Bob Schramm
Ft. Myers, Florida

Ron Pellegrini, of Cicero IL, owned and raced a number of cars from 1956 thru 1967. The cars included Ron’s own Old’s powered B/GD, TV Tommy Ivo’s twin Buick powered dragster and Buick powered 4 engine 4 wheel drive “Showboat”, as well as a Ford sponsored 1964 Fairlane “Thunderbolt”. While working at Hawkinson Ford, Ron and John Malik put a big block 427 Ford motor into a 1965 Mustang coupe and called it the “Quarter Horse”. That car ran 10.90’s at 130 mph in the new A/FX class established by NHRA.

Understanding the potential of the Chrysler Hemi in competition, Ron tried to convince Ford that the direction they needed to go was to a tubular chassis with a fiberglass body. Unfortunately for Ford, they turned him down.

Ron didn’t stop there though. He, along with Chuck Vessely, started a company called “Fiberglass Ltd” and built a fiberglass body of a 1965 Mustang. Wanting to be race ready at the start of the 1965 season, Ron bought a rolling chassis from the DAK (Dennison, Arlasky & Knox) A/FR team. This A/FR chassis would save Ron a lot of chassis building time. However, it did require some major modifications to the Mustang body. The end result was the “Funniest Car” as it became known as.

Equipped with a 1957 Chrysler Hemi, power was transmitted thru a (high gear only) LaSalle transmission and a 1957 Olds rearend. On its first day out at US30 Drag Strip in May 1965, the “Super Mustang” ran 9.93 at 166 mph. Ford picked up on the success of the “Super Mustang” and in 1966 had Holman & Moody build “Fastback” versions.

The “Super Mustang” didn’t last long as Ron went on to build a fiberglass bodied Buick Grand Sport called the “Super Bird” and then a fiberglass bodied Buick Rivera called “Beware”. An accident at Rockford Dragway convinced Ron to make the switch from drag racer to business man.

I’m not sure what happened to the “Super Mustang” after Ron sold it or how it ended up in a junkyard in Tampa FL but in 1985 Bob Schramm found it. However, the owner wouldn’t sell it. Not until 1987 that is. Bob got a call asking if he was still interested in the car. The car was missing a lot of the parts that were still there in 1985 but Bob bought it anyway. Bob knew that Holman & Moody had built fastback versions in 1966 but no coupes so he knew this had to be a rare find.

It wasn’t until 1991 and a conversation with “Big Daddy” Don Garlits that Bob found out whose car it was. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In 2004, Bob contracted with Bill Holtz and Everett Oliver, of HOLTZ Custom Fabrication in Ft. Myers, Florida, to duplicate from the original, a complete running chassis with motor as it used to be in 1965. The only salvagable pieces from the original car, was the front axle and fiberglass body. Bob's son Scott, brought the body back to life and did the painting.

Bob plans to stay in the Florida area to show the car off this year but may expand further out in the years to come. Having attended 4 shows already, Bob's come away with three 1st Place and one 2nd place trophies. Not bad...

Bob is looking for any old photos, magazines, flyers, programs, etc that contain information and/or photos of the "Super Mustang". This would also include anything on the car AFTER Ron sold it. If you have any documentation or personal knowldge of the "Super Mustang", I'm sure Bob would love to hear from you about it. You can contact Bob Schramm thru their web site at: www.1965SuperMustang.com

BTW, Ron Pellegrini is alive and well living in California.

Body Alterations:

9" removed from wheelbase
16" removed from the passenger compartment
Front wheel well moved forward 12"
Rear wheel well moved forward 7"

Original Engine & Transmission

1957 392 cuin Chrysler Hemi bored .030 over
Hilborn 4 port short stack on a GMC 6-71 blower
1939 LaSalle floor shift transmission (high gear only)
Thru to a shortened 1957 Olds rearend

Current Engine & Transmission

1958 392 cuin Chrysler Hemi bored .030 over
Hilborn 4 port short stack on a GMC 6-71 blower
2 speed powerglide thru a 5,000 rpm stall converter
Thru to a shortened 1957 Olds rearend
Runs on alcohol