Chatting With an
Automotive Icon P artly inspired by the mechanical ingenuity that helped
CCWCF: Did Did you you build build that car?
Garlits: That car? I just bought that car off of a car lot. It was
a ’40 Ford from World War II. Worn Out. They probably never
changed the oil the whole duration of the war!
CCWCF: Do you think young people now think about cars the
same way you and I did in the 50’s and 60’s?
Garlits: No. There are a few enthusiasts, but I think most people
think of cars as just a means to get from point A to point B.
CCWCF: So, do you think the collecting of cars and racing of
cars is in danger of going away?
Garlits: It’s not going to go away. There are always going to
be people that like cars. There are always going to be people
who want to look at them. We get a lot of young people here
and they love it in the old car museum. The cars had personality
then which they do not have now. Remember the two guys
who made rockets, Goddard and Von Braun? They never saw
each other, and they didn’t know about each other until after
the war. When they got together and they looked at the rockets,
they were exactly the same. Goddard’s was a little smaller and
Von Braun’s was bigger because he (Von Braun) was design-
decide the outcome of the 2nd world war, many young people
who were just getting behind the wheel in the late 1940’s began
to develop a fascination with pushing the limits of automobile
performance. Among this group of visionaries was the man
who would come to be known as the father of drag racing, Don
“Big Daddy” Garlits. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing
the Tampa icon for the inaugural issue of CCWCF…
CCWCF: What is your earliest memory of wanting to build cars
and race?
Garlits:��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
driving it around and this kid pulled up beside me in a brand
new ‘49 Chevrolet. His dad was in construction and had a lot
of money. We didn’t. I saved $350 for my car. It was an old ’40
Ford. Worn out. He (the challenger) said, “Let’s Race!” We
were sitting at the stoplight on Florida Avenue. I said, “race?”
He (the challenger) said, “Yeah. when the light turns green go
as hard as it’ll go!” So when the light turned green we stepped
on it. We only went maybe 50-60 feet, you know? The Chevrolet
just shot right out in front of me, but it was exciting, and I
knew right then I wanted to race.
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