Ken Thorson was bit by the Mopar bug early in life. The Park Ridge, New Jersey resident remembers being blown away by the Chrysler muscle car stylings that filled the hot rod dreams of his youth.
By the time he was sixteen, the young gun was already in the Mopar market, purchasing a ’70 383-cu.in. Road Runner, built with an Air Grabber hood and a four-speed between the buckets.
But that was only the start for this crafty young collector, as he’s gone on to own a copious amount of top-flight Dodge and Plymouth cars from the late ’60s and early 70s, many of which are still in his possession.
However recently, it was another piece of Chrysler history that grabbed his eyes and wouldn’t let him look away. “A friend of mine forwarded a listing on a ‘71 Charger 3/8ths scale wind tunnel model car.
It had one picture and very little info on the car, but I was intrigued to say the least,” Ken told us.
So, Ken gave the seller a call and waited for a response. It took three weeks, but the owner, Phil, finally gave him a ring back.
“In a nutshell he told me he has been in possession of the 3/8th scale car for thirty years. His wife worked at the University of Michigan back then, and one day they were cleaning up and getting rid of things.
They found the ’71 Charger test car sitting in storage, and they were going to toss it in the dumpster. Phil’s wife intervened and asked if she could have it for her husband, who was heavily involved in the vintage car hobby.
They agreed and so Phil went and picked it up at the University and then put it in his barn. It stayed there untouched for the next three decades,” continues Ken.
Without hesitation, Ken then made an offer for the rare piece of Mopar history. “We quickly made a deal on the car, though it was still 600 miles from me.
Luckily, Phil’s son lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is less than two hours from me, so I met him out there and picked it up.
Saved me a bunch of hours driving to Michigan. When I got there, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was amazing, especially the craftsmanship and the overall condition of the car.”
What Ken bought is interesting to say the least. “After some research I found out that this fiberglass ’71 Charger was one of three models built for the G-series NASCAR tests, the other two being a ’69 Daytona, which resides in a collection in California, and a ’71 Road Runner, owned by Petty Enterprises in the Carolinas.”
Besides the quicky respray, it is in incredibly original condition, right down to the identification tags on all the tubes, which mark hollow orifices used to measure air pressure changes at specific locations on the Charger.
The car has a removable window which would show changes in aerodynamics when the driver window was down.
Other interesting features include a mock-up K-member underneath as well as a rear pumpkin, transmission cooler, exhaust, gas tank, and a recreation of typical wheels and tires used on the track.
There are adjustments for ride height to simulate suspension modifications which are key on the different racetracks that NASCAR would visit each season.
These original tests were conducted by Chrysler’s Research Office in January 1970 at a facility built specifically for 3/8th scale models.
The tests were continued a few months later in March. Sadly, these tests were never put to proper use due to the new NASCAR rules that were levied by Bill France in the summer of ’70 which undermined the factory racing teams efforts at Ford and Chrysler.
These rules would affect the upcoming ’71 racing season. As a result, the “aero wars” that Ford and Chrysler had been battling over the past few seasons would fizzle out as the new rules took effect.
So now Ken is thrilled to have such a major piece of Chrysler NASCAR history in his possession. “M
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it exactly, but I’m happy that its existence has come to light. It might be best suited for a museum or public collection where people can get a good look at it in person, so that might be a possibility down the road.
Right now, I’m just enjoying it. It’s just amazing the craftsmanship and of course the history behind it.”
The test car’s designers simplified the front grille and rear taillight section of the car. Add-ons were designed to see how subtle changes changed air flow and turbulence.
![Ferrari 296 GTS [6000x4000]](https://www.evshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/u5l9en5kcgyc1-770x515.jpeg "Ferrari 296 GTS [6000×4000]")
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Ken Thorson was bit by the Mopar bug early in life. The Park Ridge, New Jersey resident remembers being blown away by the Chrysler muscle car stylings that filled the hot rod dreams of his youth.
By the time he was sixteen, the young gun was already in the Mopar market, purchasing a ’70 383-cu.in. Road Runner, built with an Air Grabber hood and a four-speed between the buckets.
But that was only the start for this crafty young collector, as he’s gone on to own a copious amount of top-flight Dodge and Plymouth cars from the late ’60s and early 70s, many of which are still in his possession.
However recently, it was another piece of Chrysler history that grabbed his eyes and wouldn’t let him look away. “A friend of mine forwarded a listing on a ‘71 Charger 3/8ths scale wind tunnel model car.
It had one picture and very little info on the car, but I was intrigued to say the least,” Ken told us.
So, Ken gave the seller a call and waited for a response. It took three weeks, but the owner, Phil, finally gave him a ring back.
“In a nutshell he told me he has been in possession of the 3/8th scale car for thirty years. His wife worked at the University of Michigan back then, and one day they were cleaning up and getting rid of things.
They found the ’71 Charger test car sitting in storage, and they were going to toss it in the dumpster. Phil’s wife intervened and asked if she could have it for her husband, who was heavily involved in the vintage car hobby.
They agreed and so Phil went and picked it up at the University and then put it in his barn. It stayed there untouched for the next three decades,” continues Ken.
Without hesitation, Ken then made an offer for the rare piece of Mopar history. “We quickly made a deal on the car, though it was still 600 miles from me.
Luckily, Phil’s son lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is less than two hours from me, so I met him out there and picked it up.
Saved me a bunch of hours driving to Michigan. When I got there, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was amazing, especially the craftsmanship and the overall condition of the car.”
What Ken bought is interesting to say the least. “After some research I found out that this fiberglass ’71 Charger was one of three models built for the G-series NASCAR tests, the other two being a ’69 Daytona, which resides in a collection in California, and a ’71 Road Runner, owned by Petty Enterprises in the Carolinas.”
Besides the quicky respray, it is in incredibly original condition, right down to the identification tags on all the tubes, which mark hollow orifices used to measure air pressure changes at specific locations on the Charger.
The car has a removable window which would show changes in aerodynamics when the driver window was down.
Other interesting features include a mock-up K-member underneath as well as a rear pumpkin, transmission cooler, exhaust, gas tank, and a recreation of typical wheels and tires used on the track.
There are adjustments for ride height to simulate suspension modifications which are key on the different racetracks that NASCAR would visit each season.
These original tests were conducted by Chrysler’s Research Office in January 1970 at a facility built specifically for 3/8th scale models.
The tests were continued a few months later in March. Sadly, these tests were never put to proper use due to the new NASCAR rules that were levied by Bill France in the summer of ’70 which undermined the factory racing teams efforts at Ford and Chrysler.
These rules would affect the upcoming ’71 racing season. As a result, the “aero wars” that Ford and Chrysler had been battling over the past few seasons would fizzle out as the new rules took effect.
So now Ken is thrilled to have such a major piece of Chrysler NASCAR history in his possession. “M
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it exactly, but I’m happy that its existence has come to light. It might be best suited for a museum or public collection where people can get a good look at it in person, so that might be a possibility down the road.
Right now, I’m just enjoying it. It’s just amazing the craftsmanship and of course the history behind it.”
The test car’s designers simplified the front grille and rear taillight section of the car. Add-ons were designed to see how subtle changes changed air flow and turbulence.
Source: (With more pictures)
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/71-charger-wind-tunnel-test-car/