Nothing but a Houndog B

ritish drag racing pioneer Nobby Hills, who has died of natural causes aged 87, became involved with European drag racing at the very start. Witnessing Sydney Allard and Dante Duce racing in the early ’60s inspired him to build a race car of his very own. The first of the Houndog cars appeared in 1964 and, with Nobby focusing on the engineering side of things, was driven by a number of hired-in drivers.

Nobby built six front-engined dragsters, the first having Jaguar power and the last a Chrysler Hemi. Houndog 6 regularly ran mid 7-second quarters in the early ’70s. Things then turned Funny for Nobby in 1973 when he purchased the ex-Paula Murphy STP sponsored Plymouth Duster flopper. Owen Hayward drove the car, renamed Houndog 7, running a best ET of 6.61 seconds.

Houndog 8, built by Nobby himself, was a rear engined Top Fuel dragster driven by

Online art

MANY OF YOU WILL BE FAMILIAR

WITH TIM ODELL, aka Surf Monkey. You know, the talented guy who can always be found amongst examples of his work in the Raydar magazine gazebo at shows the length and breadth of the country. Well not only does Tim offer his work for sales at shows, he also has an online store. His prints of hot rods and dragsters are A3 size and printed on acid free, 300gsm silk stock. Tim offers flat rate

Tony Nancy that ran a best of 6.30 seconds. Nobby campaigned both it and the Funny Car for a few years until the Duster was written off in 1977. A new Vega-bodied Funny Car was already being built though, appearing in 1978 – by which time Houndog 8 had reached the end of its competitive life and had been retired. Following the Vega, firstly Challenger then Corvette-bodied Funny Cars carried the Houndog name through to the end of the ’80s.

After a lull for a couple of decades, Nobby Hills Racing constructed a nitro-burning Fun- ny Car. Nobby was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2007. In recent years he has continued to support and promote drag racing and regularly appeared at events such as Dragstalgia and the NSRA Fun Run. shipping for UK orders, with worldwide shipping also available on request. www.tim-odell.my-online.store/

A true giant of the sport, Nobby always took the time to speak to people and will be remembered with fondness by many. Not least of all for his Stetson and flip-flops. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

RIP Nobby.

Back to black

TO ENHANCE ITS RANGE OF EFI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, Webcon has added an anodised black finish on a variety of its units. This is available from 2.5 BAR fixed rate up to 4.5 BAR fixed rate and zero to five BAR adjustable, with a choice of single 8mm side feed, twin 8mm side feeds or single -6 AN fitting feed across the range. Prices start at £105.23 including VAT. www.webcon.co.uk

Yorkshire ferrets

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS YEAR WILL SEE THE 7TH STAGING OF FLAT CAPS AND FERRETS. Presented by Huddersfield Hot Rods and Horsepower, the date is Sunday 24 September –although with camping available, you can make a weekend of it. The place to be is Lepton Highlanders Sports and Social Club, Huddersfield HD8 0LX. Facebook: Flat Caps & Ferrets

Chris Adams

Just as this issue was about to go to press, news filtered through of the passing of Chris Adams. A long-term hot rodder, Chris will be remembered by many for his ‘oh so different at the time’ Peugeot 203 lowrider that wowed the scene and graced the pages of the August ’85 issue of Street Machine, almost 40 years ago. Ten or so years later, Chris was back in the media once again, this time with his Best in Britain winning ’40 Ford coupe that was the cover car for the July ’95 issue of CC. Two very different cars and two very different build styles, with both showcasing Chris’ versatility and adaptability. Chris will be greatly missed and remembered with fondness. Our thoughts go out to Alison and Kelly, along with the rest of his family and friends.

RIP Chris.

Back in time

FANCY A TRIP BACK TO THE ‘80S? If so, you’re in luck as that’s exactly what the Blue Ridge Runners are offering later this year. It all takes place on 1-3 September at West Huntspill in Somerset. A cruise, parties, live music and a Sunday show are all in the offing, and if you start now you’ve enough time to grow a mullet. www.blueridgerunners.co.uk

Harbour days

WHEELS ON THE WATERFRONT RETURNS THIS SUMMER TO SOVEREIGN HARBOUR, EASTBOURNE. The morning meetings run from 9am to noon on the first Sunday of the month and all American cars, rods, customs and classics are welcome. The first gathering of 2023 will be on 2 April and the last on 1 October.

Facebook: The Waterfront Eastbourne