Gassers Gather at the Lions Automobilia FoundationMark VaughnIn ancient times, soon after the last triceratops sank into the primordial ooze, but before air bags and satellite radio, gassers ruled the Earth. Fueled by gasoline instead of nitro, they howled their horrible howls, roared their terrible roars, and they lit 'em up on any straight stretch of road they could find. Some of them even drag raced.At least 25 or so of them gathered at the Lions Automobilia Foundation Sunday to reminisce and race on the benches of their glorious pasts. I got there late so I missed most of them, but there were enough left to get a sense of what these powerful beasts are and used to be. Inside the Lions Foundation building there are several perfectly preserved gassers, favorites of museum founder the late Rick Lorenzen, who spent his idle youth just down the street at the original Lions Drag Strip, a venue lovingly recreated inside the Foundation's concrete walls.Journalist, Lions Automobilia docent, and longtime drag racing fan Darr Hawthorne gave a description of the cars. Turns out there are street gassers and race gassers.AdvertisementAdvertisement"The gassers around here, other than the real race cars, are basically street gassers. They've got straight axles, they're traditionally very light, and they usually make around 900 to 1,300 hp. They'll have an automatic transmission or a manual four-speed. Often, it matters what engine and trans combination you;ve got handy in the shop. Many times they'll have fiberglass components like a fiberglass front end, fenders, and a fiberglass trunk lid. Maybe fiberglass doors to try and shave all the weight off of it in order to make it competitive. They were an inexpensive way to go racing."And fun, too, looks like. Here are the last of the gassers from last Sunday, as well as a couple street rods. Pick a favorite and reminisce about yours in the comments section below.1938 StudebakerTony Delemo's been driving this car on the street for eight years, putting in a new blower just recently."These are more like street gassers I would say," Delemo opined, sitting under a shade canopy outside Lions. "It's a re-creation, but I built it."AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's a solid build, too."It's on a C10 Chevy truck frame," he said. "It looks like it's old, which is what you wanna do. Funny thing, that's the original rust, too."Mark Vaughn1957 ChevyWhen Chris Chadwick found this car, it was in pieces in Bakersfield. The car had been raced as a gasser back in its day but had fallen into disrepair. Chadwick has been working on it nonstop since he got it, up to 2 a.m. the morning of the show.It started off as a six-cylinder."I added a 350 Chevy small block in it, a blown small block in it for a while, a 383/Comeaux and then we just recently finished putting a big block in it, a 468 big block and a six speed manual transmission out of an old Dodge Viper so it can handle the torque," he said.AdvertisementAdvertisementHow recently did they finish the big block swap? 2 a.m. the morning of the show."I've slept like two hours," he said, no signs of weariness present."I feel like I've had about two hours of sleep in the last two months of working on the car," he said with a smile.What's it feel like to drive?"The geometry is not, like, crazy, well, it's pretty crazy. It's got a little heavier in the steering since we put the big block in, that's for sure."There's no power steering, just the original Chevy steering box from 1957."It's a lot to handle and a lot to get used to."He's raced it before at the old Irwindale strip, "Before they close it out. It was kind of fun to go out there a few times."AdvertisementAdvertisementHe also has a Chevelle that he can take to the race track when he wants to."It's real fast with a big block and a pro charge on it."But he says the gasser is more for the street."We're keeping them on the street these days so we can have more fun with them rather than go race a few times a year, you know what I mean?"Yes.Mark Vaughn1948 Dodge Club Coupe Y_NOTLarry DeWees' Dodge started with a 440 cubic-inch Wedge, 030 overbored to 446 cubic inches, sporting a 10:1 compression ratio, all good for 518 hp at 5,400 rpm and 550 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 revs. That's mated to an A833 18-spline Hemi four-speed transmission. Those rear tires are M&H Racemaster N50-15 wrinkle wall bias plies, while the fronts are Vredstein Sprint Classic 185/R-15s.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat's according to the very complete info flyer on the windshield.Mark Vaughn1964 Chevrolet Nova GasserThe stock 1964 Chevrolet Nova was the second year of the first-generation Chevy II, transitioning from a purely budget-friendly compact into a performance-oriented classic. Available in sedans, wagons, and the sought-after Sport Coupe, it offered a popular 283-cubic inch V8 engine.This one, obvs, isn't stock, but made up in full gasser trim. No specs were available on it and I couldn't find the owner, but it looks cool.Today, the 1964 Nova is highly prized by hot rodders and classic car enthusiasts for its lightweight build and simple, rear-wheel-drive platform. Depending on the condition, originality, and modifications (like modern restomods), 1964 Novas generally sell between $15,000 and $55,000-plus.Mark Vaughn1942 Willys Candy Apple GasserThis gasser was built by the Lions Automobilia Team. Powered by a 1,200-hp Mike Kuhl 392 Chrysler Hemi with an SW T 400 manual and a Currie nine-inch rear, this setup would have been a powerful contender back in the day.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe original steel body was reconstructed in-house along with the boxed frame rails and cross members. It has ASB custom brakes, leaf spring suspension and Mooneye's gauges. The interior was customized by Maurico Aguilar, with fiberglass bucket seats by Kristi Customs. The lettering was hand-painted DR Designs.Mark Vaughn1942 Willys Americar CoupeThis one is part of the permanent collection at Lions Automobilia Foundation. It's called the "Single Barrel Jack Street Gasser," according to the plaque in front of it. It was found stored in Tustin, California. It had been built by Cambra Speed Shop in Orange, Calif. It premiered at the 2014 SEMA show in the PPG Paints booth. The paint color is called PPG Candy Root Beer Metallic.Sporting a boxed Willys frame and straight axle, it's powered by a 392-CID Chrysler Hemi with Hilborn injection atop a Hampton supercharger making 850 hp, mated to a GM Turbo 400 transmission. It uses a '57 Oldsmobile rear end equipped with Posi-traction, 4.11 gears, and chrome ladder bars.Inside, the brown leather interior covers '67 Dodge A-100 bucket seats. Makes you want a root beer float.Mark Vaughn1941 Willys CoupeThis isn't a gasser but it looks cool so let's have a look. It's powered by a "punched over" big block Chevy V8 measuring 468 cubic inches fed by Edelbrock 600 carbs. The blower is 10 percent under-driven to make it streetable, and it's all mated to a Mike's Turbo 400 transmission. It all rides on a Clayton chassis.AdvertisementAdvertisement"That chassis,' said owner Jim Losquadro. "You could go Funny Car racing with that chassis," though it's mostly for the street, he adds."The reason why I haven't been able to get it to a track is because a lot of the tracks do the NHRA tech and there's no roll cage in there. It's just a lap belt and they usually just laugh at me."It would do well, he's sure."I'm guessing, by seat of the pants, it should be a 10.9 or 10.8 car (in the quarter mile), you gotta remember it's only 600 horses and 600 foot pounds of torque."Mark Vaughn1951 Ford AngliaThis is not technically a gasser, either, but it looks wild. Apart from an Anglia being in that Harry Potter movie (the Flying Ford Anglia in the movie is a later model turquoise-blue 1962 model 105E), the stock, base 1951 Anglia is a lightweight, two-door British family car. It featured a double-lobed split vertical grille not unlike certain BMWs, with rounded fenders, and a split cowl-hinged hood. With its stout steel chassis, that vintage of Anglia has become a highly popular base for hot rods and drag racing gassers.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis one is powered by a 481 V8 with two big carburetors on top. Owner Kelly Bolling, who was kind enough to tell me a little about it, says he drives it on the street. Looks like it would be a lot of fun behind the wheel. Thanks for showing it!Mark Vaughn1941 WillysThis looks like it's set up more as a street rod, and a nice one, at that. Look at those flames, and that screaming yellow paint job. I was lucky enough to hear it drive away, heading east on Del Amo toward the 710, and it sounded like a pure symphony of cylinders.Mark Vaughn