Pictures: Terry McGean and Mike Bumbeck

In the 1960s drag racing was suddenly skyrocketing in popularity. This led to an influx of money, talent, and ideas on how to make productions cars go even faster. Thus came the rise of the Funny Car, a vehicle that may look awkward but was faster and more powerful than the stock factory rides that were competing in many events. Funny cars rose in prominence, and today many car collectors dream of owning an original funny car.

Over at Hemmings Auto Blog is a brief piece on Steve Magnante, a commentator for SPEED TV for events like the Barrett-Jackson Auction. Magnante set out to build a real live funny car based on the 1960s A/FX class of experimental racers.

But Magnante wanted to go even further, specifically, onto the streets with his funny car creations. With their altered wheelbase and fiberglass bodies, funny cars really had no place on the street. That didn’t stop Magnante, who set out to build a big-block powered Chevy II with fuel stack injection, a straight front axle, and a rear axle moved forward quite far.

That wasn’t the only altered-wheelbase vehicle Magnante wanted built though. He also set out to create a similarly-modified Dodge Dart before digging deep into his bag of tricks and pulling out a Ford Fairmont “What If?” funny car tribute. These cars are all reportedly street legal, with working headlights and tail lamps as well as other features needed to legally drive on Massachusetts streets.

It’d be quite the odd sight to see one of these drag racers pull up at a stoplight next to us…but that wouldn’t hold us back from revving the engine and trying to draw these funny cars into a little light-to-light racing action.