Another funnycar now resides in Alton, MO, one with a very interesting history. Known then as “A Novel Nova” or “Instant Funny Car”, the car was built in the shop of Bill Thomas in late 1965. The car was featured in both Hot Rod magazine and Popular Hot Rodding in March of 1966.
According to BT, this car was a sister car to the “Bad Bascom” Nova, which later became “Retribution II” once Dick Harrell acquired it. After totaling RT II, Dick campaigned the well known Nickey sponsored Red 1966 Nova, which was being built in the BT shop at the same time as “A Novel Nova”. Because they were being built literally side by side, for the same purpose, serious drag racing, the cars are very similar. Of course the most unique aspect of the two cars, which this one is considered the prototype, was the bolt on tube front subframe, making it an “Instant funny car”. This car also has several other BT features, such as a hand crafted dash because the engine is “set back” several inches, Cheetah seats, fiberglass one piece tilt nose, doors and trunk lid.
Besides all of the neat history associated with the car, what really is neat, except for paint, the car is basically unchanged from the way it left the BT shop.
The car left CA sometime between 1966 and 1968, where it was raced in the Rockford, IL area. Appears to have had two paint schemes, the R/W/B one which is on it now and under that, Hugger Orange, possibly with stripes on the sides and/or top. If any one has information and/or pictures of this car, please contact me.
Hot Rod magazine, March, 1966.
As it sits today.
