It’s been said if you lived through the 1970s, you probably won’t remember it. It was a wild time of hard partying, disco, crazy street machines, and innovative drag racing. One race car that is hard to forget if you were following quarter-mile activities back then, however, is the 1973 Rod Shop/Nationwise Dodge Dart driven by Bob Riffle.
The Rod Shop/Nationwise Dodge Dart, with its colorful paint scheme, was initially commissioned by Gil Kirk, who had a good relationship with Chrysler.
Ray Noltemeyer and Bob Riffle went to the Detroit Chrysler Plant and picked up a white car with no engine or interior, and a dual-plug D-5 Hemi race engine. They took the car to Ron Butler’s shop in California.
Ron Butler welded up a full tubular frame from mild chrome-moly steel. The engine was mounted about an inch to the right of its factory position to compensate for the imbalance caused by the driver’s weight. The body underwent acid dipping, with the front narrowed by an inch. The removal of drip rails and the addition of E-body door handles gave the car a sleek and seamless appearance.
Powering The Dart
The D5 Hemi engine produced over 600 hp with all 16 plugs firing, and the Lenco transmission efficiently transferred power to a Dana 60 rear axle with a Henry magnesium housing and 4.88 Dana gears. The car’s 8.50-second, 160-mph quarter-mile performance was impressive for its era.
The car was picked up from Ron’s shop in early 1974 by Carl Buck. For the 1975 season, the car received a fresh coat of paint with red fading into the yellow border. A ’75 Dart Sport grille was added. Riffle had success in 1975, winning the SPORTSnationals Modified championship.
Riffle was a distinguished drag racer who excelled both behind the wheel and under the hood as an engine builder. He was a two-time U.S. Nationals champion and gained recognition for building Pro Stock engines. Bob held the position of Head Engine Builder at Petty Enterprises, contributing to the success of drivers such as Mark Martin and Ted Musgrave at Roush Racing. He also played a role in building engines at Pro Motor, including the Brickyard 400 engine for Ricky Rudd. Bob Riffle Sr., 81, passed away at his Mooresville residence on Sunday, May 9, 2021.
Gil Kirk sold the car in 1976 to Red Sullivan of Portage, Indiana, who raced it in United Drag Racers Association events in the Midwest with his driver and partner, Joe Gouger Sr., winning two UDRA Pro Stock titles. The car was partially restored to its 1974 condition and raced in nostalgia events by Gouger’s son, Joe Jr. In 2024, McGraph Keen of Detroit Garage purchased it from Steve Atwell, Sr. In early 2025, McGraph Keen delivered the car to Faulk’s Classic Car Repair for a complete off-chassis restoration.
Restoration & Unveiling
Buddy Faulk of Faulk’s Classic Car Repair and Jason Floyd of The Speed Shop objective was to restore the car to its 1975 incarnation. The vehicle underwent a detailed restoration, starting with documenting the stripping and decals. It was then fully disassembled, with each part carefully tagged and bagged.
The chassis was media blasted and received minor repairs before being coated with a 2K Street Rod Black finish. The body was stripped down to bare metal, treated with epoxy primer, underwent body work, blocking, primer, and more blocking before being coated with Deltron basecoats and nine coats of Ditzler clear, followed by a final cut and buff.
Original mechanical parts, such as the Hurst/Airheart disc brakes and rotors, were refinished and overhauled. The original Henry magnesium rearend was refinished, along with adjustable Koni coilover shocks and Ford Pinto-style rack-and-pinion steering. The steering wheel, dash, and glass are all original, too.
The D5 Hemi and Lenco transmission underwent refinishing. New Vintage Hawk gauges were installed, with a used vintage Hawk tachometer. A new fuel tank, pumps, lines, and fittings with both carburetors being overhauled. New stainless steel brake lines and AN fittings, electrical wiring, and sheet metal were used in the restoration project. The car remains 85 percent original.
Detroit Garage, The Speed Shop, and Faulk’s Classic Car Repair unveiled the car to Lucy Riffle (Bob’s wife) and her family at the fifth annual Henry Dana Memorial Car Show at Mooresville, North Carolina, on October 25, 2025. Lucy and her family were presented with the original trunk lid from Bob’s car and allowed all family members to sign the restored Rod Shop Dodge Dart Sport.
