Snake vs Mongoose.... Who was your fave?

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Back in the 60's and 70's when I was a young lad, my brother and I got this Hot wheel toy for Christmas. We used it a lot I think my Mom finally sold it at a garage sale back in late 80's. Wish we would have kept it, they go for about $300 on EBay now.https://www.ebay.com/i/200370609695?chn=ps We had maybe a dozen hot wheel cars as well, later my brother got a few Johhny lightning cars and we used to race them all the time.. even got in a few fist fights over which was better, Hot Wheel or Johhny lightning cars. LOL!! That post makes me want to bid on some vintage 60's Hot wheel cars on E bay.
 
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-snake-mongoo-e-jesse-williams/26473765?ean=0013132618524&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Catch-All,+Low_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP79700&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwKvTBRC2ARIsAL0Dgk1ty8ilI3dV2P3yjh9n4yUt4-TZq0-YjvESkCMoAzwq1tRvWWZK3ZkaAvSREALw_wcB

They made a low budget movie about both of them. It actually was pretty good. Both Prudhomme and McEwen had cameos in the movie. It told the whole story of how they came together as a "team". Instead of just weekend match racers. McEwen was the better businessman in the beginning, having been the one who secured the now famous "Hot Wheels" sponsorship, which made them household names. And then later after they split up, Prudhomme became quite the businessman himself. Instead of just a car painter and body man who liked to race.

It also showed what happened with McEwen's son, and the events surrounding his death. And his divorce from his wife who wasn't into racing like he was. If you haven't seen it, by all means do so. You'll like it. The actors who played them I thought did a really good job. I was always a Prudhomme fan as well. He brought a lot to the sport. And he helped bring in the big money sponsorships like U.S. Smokeless and Revell models, it took to keep the sport, and the NHRA alive at the national level. Without guys like him, the sport never would have evolved into what it's become today. (Sorry about the long link).
 
I love the "original story".

Ford had their very successful Cobra. Chevy needed to compete and set out to build a car. Chevy's research people discovered that in nature the mongoose beats the Cobra, so they suggested the name.

Chevy brass said, "We ARE NOT naming a car 'Mongoose'".
 
Originally Posted By: billt460


They made a low budget movie about both of them. It actually was pretty good. Both Prudhomme and McEwen had cameos in the movie. It told the whole story of how they came together as a "team". Instead of just weekend match racers. McEwen was the better businessman in the beginning, having been the one who secured the now famous "Hot Wheels" sponsorship, which made them household names. And then later after they split up, Prudhomme became quite the businessman himself. Instead of just a car painter and body man who liked to race.

It also showed what happened with McEwen's son, and the events surrounding his death. And his divorce from his wife who wasn't into racing like he was. If you haven't seen it, by all means do so. You'll like it. The actors who played them I thought did a really good job. I was always a Prudhomme fan as well. He brought a lot to the sport. And he helped bring in the big money sponsorships like U.S. Smokeless and Revell models, it took to keep the sport, and the NHRA alive at the national level. Without guys like him, the sport never would have evolved into what it's become today. (Sorry about the long link).


I have owned the movie since the day it came out and I'm pretty sure it still has the plastic on it. Just haven't gotten around to watching it. I need to convince my wife to give it a try.
 
Jungle Jim and Jungle Pam
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a year or so ago HOT ROD mag did a story on Snake Don and he went into detail on the hotwheels deal.
i've met him and shook his hand, very class act guy.
actually i like talking to them all in the pits...of course my fave is JF. love watching him run his
mouth almost as fast as he can drive! lol

i had 1 of the flopper hotwheels cars, no idea which one it was. i had lots of them.
mom once used a piece of the orange track to paddle my brother...OHHH that was not good for him
 
I was a Don Prudhomme fan before the Snake vs. Mongoose stuff started.
I remember watching this with my dad, when I was 9 years old. I was crushed, when Don said he quit.
I think Don thought Jim Nicholl was dead.
 
Originally Posted By: JetStar
I was a Don Prudhomme fan before the Snake vs. Mongoose stuff started.
I remember watching this with my dad, when I was 9 years old. I was crushed, when Don said he quit.
I think Don thought Jim Nicholl was dead.


Wow, that is an intense video.
I was into drag racing as a fan for a while when I was a kid and never liked Prudhomme...thought that I read a story about him punching Garlits after a race, but I can't find any evidence of that online.

Definitely have a more sympathetic view of him after watching that video, Don clearly was very concerned about the well-being of his competitor to the point of being distraught.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-snake-mongoo-e-jesse-williams/26473765?ean=0013132618524&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Catch-All,+Low_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP79700&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwKvTBRC2ARIsAL0Dgk1ty8ilI3dV2P3yjh9n4yUt4-TZq0-YjvESkCMoAzwq1tRvWWZK3ZkaAvSREALw_wcB

They made a low budget movie about both of them. It actually was pretty good. Both Prudhomme and McEwen had cameos in the movie. It told the whole story of how they came together as a "team". Instead of just weekend match racers. McEwen was the better businessman in the beginning, having been the one who secured the now famous "Hot Wheels" sponsorship, which made them household names. And then later after they split up, Prudhomme became quite the businessman himself. Instead of just a car painter and body man who liked to race.

It also showed what happened with McEwen's son, and the events surrounding his death. And his divorce from his wife who wasn't into racing like he was. If you haven't seen it, by all means do so. You'll like it. The actors who played them I thought did a really good job. I was always a Prudhomme fan as well. He brought a lot to the sport. And he helped bring in the big money sponsorships like U.S. Smokeless and Revell models, it took to keep the sport, and the NHRA alive at the national level. Without guys like him, the sport never would have evolved into what it's become today. (Sorry about the long link).


I have the Mongoose and Snake movie on DVD, and love every second of it. No matter that it's low budget, it is a great story that has relevance to many kids who grew up in the '70's. My older brother and I collected Hot Wheels from the time we were 6 or 7, and when the Mongoose VS Snake set came out in the early 70's, our parents got it for us for Christmas. My brother got Prudhomme's car, and I got McEwen's. So that pretty much set who we rooted for.
 
Back in the day when we had Irwindale Raceway, Lions, Orange County International, Pomona Winter Nationals, Ontario Super Nationals...Even the Smokers event in Bakersfield and Carlsbad back in the day PLUS San Fernando Drag strip. Those were the days. I would see these guys every weekend when they were racing in So Cal over the winter months. The Snake lived just a few miles from my middle school..and he drove a Ford powered Top Fuel car for awhile...So I will vote for him.

I was at Pomona when Sneaky Pete Robinson with his famed gear drive "Cammer" Top Fuel Ford with the air diffuser crashed and was killed.

Pete-Robinson--C-Small.jpg
 
Not a lot of attention was paid to the front tires in those days. If I recalled and just read ..as the chassis flexed it put more pressure than the tires were capable of handling. When the tires came apart pieces hit his air diffuser which caused more problems. He was just getting the gear drives working on the Ford Cammer which used looooonnnnggg chains.. He was startting to run/outrun the Chrysler hemis (you can tell I am a FOMOCO fan)..The run he was killed on was low ET for that day at the time. . Big time innovator. Below find a bit of his history.

Pete Robinson

427 Gear Drive
 
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