1970 funny car " circus cuda " ...being restored

jeff morocco · #1 10-22-2009, 05:35 PM

a friend of mine had me come over to his shop to see this 70's funny car. so i took some pics. below is the story on the car and pics.

Bob Larimore was a popular Midwest match racer during the mid-70s. He got his start in doorslammers, then moved up to a '23-T A/Altered. Junior fuel racer Ron Rice put his injected fuel Chevy in the altered. Larimore said the car could beat Top Fuelers at U.S. 30 when the fuelers messed up. Bob then had B&N Fiberglass build him a 66 Chevelle body to fit on an A/FA chassis. The lightweight Matchmaker Chevelle debuted in 66 with tons of press. Uncle Sam postponed Larimore's budding funny car career in 1967. When Bob returned home in 1971, he raced Pro Stock for a time. Bob then built the Pegasus Pinto BB/FC with his brother in 1973. The team ran on the Smoker Smith and Nick Boninfante circuits, and had lots of match races at "down home tracks." Bob also found himself filling in on the Coca-Cola Cavalcade of Stars circuit, booked by Ira Litchey's Gold Agency. The Pinto was destroyed in a top end crash at Spartanburg, SC, in 1975. The team rebuilt the chassis from firewall forward and mounted the ex-Don Schumacher Cuda body. Bob recalls that they only missed three or four weeks.

In 1976, Litchey began to demand that Larimore run nitro to get booked. On pop, the 392 Chrysler went 6.80s at first, and finally mid-sixes with a bigger motor and load. The Cuda was renamed the Circus Wagon and finally the Circus Cuda. It began black (as pictured) but was later painted in the familiar white Wonder Wagon scheme to fit the circus theme. Larimore ran down South a lot, hitting IHRA races and nitro match races. Bob raced the Circus Cuda through 76 and then sold it to Chuck Finders. Larimore debuted a new Pinto in 77 and attempted to get his NHRA license. Bob lost the body on the final pass and didn't get the license. Larimore kept racing in match races, where money and fun were more plentiful. Bob said that he raced on scary tracks and suffered a couple of fires, but he managed to make money and have fun. (Gary Hojacki shot; information from Bob Larimore)

it now has an old Don Schumacher body on it (Don came to the shop to verify..AND make an offer to buy body only ) the one in the 1st pic was launched 100 ft in the air and destroyed. his plan is to return it to its former glory when it was painted like the wonder wagon circus theme colors.
anybody remember this car or have any photo's from back in the day ?

here it is now........

jeff morocco · #2 10-22-2009, 05:43 PM

more...............

check out the wire on the pedal....

this part of the chassis that appears to be sleeved, lines up withe the number one hole would be.....maybe a rod flew out and damaged the frame ?

any info on this car would be greatly appreciated, the new owner has talked to the original owner a few days ago, sent him pics and he verified it as the original chassis.....cool stuff

**Salvatore** · #3 10-22-2009, 05:44 PM

I love it! Old Funnies rule!

**PeteLeathersac** · #4 10-22-2009, 08:32 PM

Old Funny cars are the C

LEST!!!.

If you haven't seen it yet there's this blurb also a pic of it in Chuck Finders livery at the bottom of the below linked Draglist page...

"...Chuck Finders was a well known chassis builder and gasser racer who had moved to Ohio in the late sixties. By the mid-seventies, Chuck had switched over to racing fuel funny cars. Finders is best known for the High Speed Vega and High Speed Monza machines that he campaigned with Ken Thornburg. Finders partnered with Jr Rollins in 1976 to race this Cuda, which they had purchased from Bob Larimore (who had raced it as the Circus Cuda). Finders and Rollins raced the car for one year, and then Finders and Ken Thornburg built a new car for 1977..."

http://www.draglist.com/artman2/publ...Round_52.shtml

~ Pete

**Salvatore** · #5 10-22-2009, 09:08 PM

Chuck Finders was the ultimate Willys man in his day. A/GS at its finest!

**Xplantdad** · #6 10-22-2009, 09:24 PM

As Pete already said...

[ QUOTE ]

Chuck Finders was a well known chassis builder and gasser racer who had moved to Ohio in the late sixties. By the mid-seventies, Chuck had switched over to racing fuel funny cars. Finders is best known for the High Speed Vega and High Speed Monza machines that he campaigned with Ken Thornburg. Finders partnered with Jr Rollins in 1976 to race this Cuda, which they had purchased from Bob Larimore (who had raced it as the Circus Cuda). Finders and Rollins raced the car for one year, and then Finders and Ken Thornburg built a new car for 1977. (Photograph courtesy of James Morgan; information from Draglist files).

[/ QUOTE ]

**Xplantdad** · #7 10-22-2009, 09:28 PM

You might also want to get in touch with Bob McClurg...you never know what he might have!

**Bill Pritchard** · #8 10-23-2009, 07:58 AM

interesting....as it is now, it has a 73 - 74 Challenger grille and 70 Cuda taillights

jeff morocco · #9 10-23-2009, 04:02 PM

[ QUOTE ]
interesting....as it is now, it has a 73 - 74 Challenger grille and 70 Cuda taillights

[/ QUOTE ]

there is a story behind that but i cant remember what it is. im surprised it took this long for someone on this site to notice that !!!

i do know that the previous owner was the brother of the driver that lost his leg in the car after a trans explosion and was into mopars and has quite a few of them. maybe he had the grill painted that way for some reason.
the current owner is going to bob larimore's house in indiana to get some stuff from back in the day !!!

**CC Rider** · #10 10-23-2009, 04:12 PM

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