Dude, your content is always top notch. I thought i knew all there was too know about the Piranha. Boy was I wrong. I was one of the roughly million 12 year olds that had this model displayed over my bed.
I don’t either. Hopefully the recent announcement and those hosts moving to UA-cam will help this channel. DF is gaining subscribers decently so maybe a few collaboration projects will help.
I saw the Piranha run at Englishtown in 67. He match raced against Don Gay's blown 67 GTO. The first run Gay got out first,but by 200' the Piranha blew by. The next run Gay had to run his spare trans because it blew at the finish line. Same results, trans too. He sent his crew to the local Pontiac dealer to pull a stock trans out of a new car. Came back, installed it, had the Yankee Peddler do the burnout for him in his lane knowing it probably wouldn't last for a full run without the burnout. Same result,trans and all,except that as he blew by Walt stuck his arm up and waved bye bye! Two great showmen, Great show!
I believe i saw this run at Irwindale. I only lived about 4 miles from the track and spent a lot of Saturdays and sundays at the track. And later raced there in my black 64 cyclone.thanks again for the complete story.
I built the 1/25th scale AMT model kit circa 1968. The kit had a clear plastic body to show off the early Hemi and the tube frame. "AMT presents Excitement in a box! Piranha" proclaimed the packaging. Minor detail: The street version was driven by Stefanie Powers in "The Girl from U.N.C.L E," a spinoff of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
I constantly leave these videos thinking how have i never heard of this. I don't sub to a lot of channels, less than 10 at the moment, but this one was a no brainer.
OMG What great story after literally watching the story of Allis Charmers tractors today. I grew up 15 minutes from the AC plant in WestAllis Wisconsin and both of my Grandfathers worked for them. Gosh who knew that the story went into tractor racing. Thanks so much Brian for telling that story if it has an engine and makes load noises I love it. And I’m not alone
Brian, you absolutely have to do a video on the late great Max Bulchowski and his legendary road racing car Old Yeller II, the home built car Max and his wife Ina built from scratch in their shop Hollywood Motors that sent every Ferrari, Alfa Ramero, Jaguar, and even the Maserati Birdcage, what was supposed to be the most advanced race car in the world at that time, packing back across the Atlantic to Europe with their tales between their legs, he beat them ALL. And the list of famous race car drivers that Max allowed to run it on weekends when they didn't have a ride is a who's who list of America's greatest drivers of the 60's, none other than Caroll Shelby, Phil Hill and other big names in 60's drove it with Hill once telling someone years later that it was probably the finest race car he ever drove. Max was also Hollywood's go to guy for modifying cars for movies including Herbie The Love Bug and the Mustang's and Charger's used in Bullitt along with many others, he also did some of the driving in Bullitt. Max and Ina's story is truly inspirational and one that makes everyone who hears it proud to be an American.
Amazing I'm also very sorry motortrend had to disband the knowledge brain. But I'm really glad you all came here. Brian we need some merch from you to help you out. Classic inspired drag shirts maybe. A very nice mug. Just know america will miss the decade and half of turning on DSC and hearing your sound on the tube with racing. Please keep going. Your an Icon.
I remember the Pirahna well. I was a model building fiend as a kid, had my own wrecking yard in a box from 1 of those 1/12 scale models, a T-Bucket I believe. Those might have been AMT's, too. I kept my wrecking yard stocked by helping the local hobby/toy store do inventory once a year. The 1st yr I helped, I did it for money. The store was adjacent to a family owned variety store & pharmacy. The dad was the phsrmacist, 1 son ran a hifi-tv store added on the back & the other son ran the hobby store in an old shop next door. The front was closed & they knocked a hole thru the wall. They Summers family were friends of my mom, a single parent & they kind of adopted me. The 1st year I helped do inventory in the hobby store, it was a 2 day, doors closed event that was as much a family holiday/party as anything. Mom Summers & their daughter made picnic food & we had a great time. I got talking with the hobby store son & he said there was a huge problem w/ kids stealing parts from model car kits, making them unsaleable except as severe markdowns, which I'd buy when they got to 0.05 or 0.10.l, (gas was
Brian, thanks for doing this video. There was more to this story than I thought. This is great stuff. I've added this video link to my video. Thanks for the hard work you do on all these videos. This made my day.
I have the AMT model kit of both the street Piranha and the funny car! Haven't put it together yet, but when I wanted to get into model kits I saw that one and bought it immediately without any context for what those cars were, because come on, they're just awesome-looking. Discovering the road car was Corvair-based made it even better, as Corvairs fascinate me in general! This video was exactly what I needed to properly appreciate what I've got, and probably motivate me to actually finish it lol.
Its been a few months since I've seen the road race car. The story of how it was found is interesting, if my memory is correct a few years ago the owner found somebody with file cabinets full of automotive history including all of the Piranha's. With out giving the owners name he should be easy to find and contact to get more history and find out about another super rare roadrace car he has.
He’s pretty public and it is a great story of finding it under the truck and then taking the paint off and discovering what it was. Seems like a neat guy.
Walt Stevens, or Uncle Walt, as he was known in the pits, told me a few tales of this car and how much fun it was. I was lucky to have him sign my original AMT Piranha kit, along with Gene Winfield at CHRR! I have some pics of the car sitting in the swap meet area at an early CHRR meet, it was for sale and I guess Big Daddy got to it too late, but he ended up with it anyway.
Hey man, cool car thanks for this. Also, anytime the engine is mounted behind the driver before the rear wheels it’s called a mid engine car, anytime the engine is behind the rear wheels, it’s a rear engine car.
My brother & I got to know Walt Stevens at the very beginning of the nostalgia Top Fuel thing. He was also on the old Header Flames message board every night. It was like story time when he would post. He was better known for his driving in the west coast Top Gas wars, driving the Odd Couple, but also drove a bunch of fuelers through that era too. The way he put was "I was a Driving Whore!".
What the heck did we do to deserve two days of brians history extravaganza in one week?! Keep it rockin brian! And thanks again, I spoke with ecta this morning about approval to take on that tractor record!
In the mid 80s a friend of my dad gave me a box full of old magazines. One of those had the piranha story in it. Always wondered if it survived. Great video as always thanks
Wow! Dude you must really enjoy this to be putting in this much work. I’m no where near an expert on these cars but thought I at least some amount of knowledge about them. Impressive work! Thanks for bringing our history to light the way you do!
I forget the name, but there's a channel that deals with and owns tons of vintage kit cars. They have one featured in a fairly recent video. Good stuff!
Mind. Blown. AMT made speed parts....and CARS? Designed by Winfield? Hey, Brian, check out the picture at 16:35. The roll bar was definitely modified at some point, and then apparently "un-modified" later. Weird.... GREAT ONE! 👏😎
What an interesting episode!!! I remember building AMT models back in the 60's & 70's... This car was very intersting!!! Probably the MAIN reason that GM stop supplying the drivelines for the 'Piranha' sports car versions of these is because those drivelines were the same ones that powered the cars that left GM's 'poster child' cars in the dust at the closed course sports car tracks...The Corvair 6-passenger 'Family Models' were Absolutely Destroying the reputations of the much heavier Corvette 2-passerger 'Sports Cars' at the various tracks that they went to... And now this sexy little gull-wing 2-seater using one of their Corvair drivelines!?!?!? Nope, GM's execs were NOT going to let that happen... And that's really a shame, that GM could not find the good sense to embrace the Success's that their small light highly sensible and affordable cars like the Corvairs, introduced to the general public... The Super-charged Chrysler 392 Hemi drag car with one of those 'Piranha' bodies??? Wow!!! That was a healthy dose of Bad Ass , Back in the 1960's... Those were the days!!! Thanks, again for the cool trip to re-visit Memory Lane!!! Today is: 11/23/24
The $10.88 for the 1/4" electric drill is almost $118 now in late 2024 if we assume that's a 1958 ad. And today you can get an essentially identical drill from Amz for ~$13. Holy heck...
Another well done, informative video. recommended. Great drag racing history. On the car itself, I never cared for it, never bought the model as a kid. Did not realize it was built in Phx where I grew up. etc. As an adult, drag fan, event host and car owner/tuner though- What I do not understand is Stevn's comments that it "drove like a Cadillac"! How can that be? A short wheelbase B high power C rear engine and D driver almost on the front axle. So- HOW did this car not swap ends on the top end? How did it handle so good when no other back motor car could (even though most of the others had longer wheelbases)? This puzzles me but, it must have had super slow steering to 'handle' good. Thoughts? I am puzzled at how it was claimed to have good handling. It also appears it never wrecked either? And then are is the lack of aerodynamics. Running close to 200mph, it looks like it would gather air under the front and flip over. Common sense says- things just do not add up
How the heck do you not have 100k+ subscribers by now, long time fan/subscriber of the channel. Please continue the awesome work you're doing!!! Thank you!!!🏁
Check out Dan Deaver and the Jeep XJ-002. Can't remember what I had for supper yesterday, but I can remember some article in a Hemming's magazine from years ago.
Dude, your content is always top notch. I thought i knew all there was too know about the Piranha. Boy was I wrong. I was one of the roughly million 12 year olds that had this model displayed over my bed.
Glad it had some value for you!!!
Nobody tells a story so well as you mr lohnes
No one builds a motor like you guys!!
Not even close!!
I don't understand how this channel doesn't have more subs. Thanks for doing what you do. Excellent as always.
Hey Josh, more coming in every day. It’s all good!
I don’t either. Hopefully the recent announcement and those hosts moving to UA-cam will help this channel. DF is gaining subscribers decently so maybe a few collaboration projects will help.
@@PurpleNovember I just found Mike Cotton too.
Hellllllll yeah! Lohnes dropped another bomb ass video!
Trying! Haha
I saw the Piranha run at Englishtown in 67. He match raced against Don Gay's blown 67 GTO. The first run Gay got out first,but by 200' the Piranha blew by. The next run Gay had to run his spare trans because it blew at the finish line. Same results, trans too. He sent his crew to the local Pontiac dealer to pull a stock trans out of a new car. Came back, installed it, had the Yankee Peddler do the burnout for him in his lane knowing it probably wouldn't last for a full run without the burnout. Same result,trans and all,except that as he blew by Walt stuck his arm up and waved bye bye!
Two great showmen, Great show!
Thank you Brian. Sam Foose repaired my parent's steel bodied Islero in the early 1970s. Chip was in his shop from time to time, but was knee high.
Amazing!!
Thank you Brian. I love these videos made by a real human with a true passion for what they are talking about and no AI making shit up
I’m anti AI for all the reasons. Appreciate you seeing that perspective. Thank you for watching it.
@ FK AI!🤘😎🤘🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺
Yes, a way too many millions being spent on Artificial Intelligence, instead of trying to correct Natural Stupidity!
Loved Amt in the sixties!
As a preteen car nut when "Piranha Mania" happened this really put a smile on my face----------thanks Brian
I believe i saw this run at Irwindale. I only lived about 4 miles from the track and spent a lot of Saturdays and sundays at the track. And later raced there in my black 64 cyclone.thanks again for the complete story.
I knew Walt Stephens and I can tell you right off this was his favorite car
That’s fantastic!!
Another great video Brian! Thank you! I had the model and also viewed the restored car at Don Garlits' Museum of Drag Racing in 2015! Thanks again!
The car is just so stunning and I love the fact that it actually ran well!
Tune in next time for another binge worthy nugget of automotive history! Well done again thank you😊😊
CHEERS from AUSTRALIA. As always- BEST drag racing (HA - and tractor) history stuff - and bring back many memories
Really enjoyed that, as a modeller and car enthusiast it combines my interests! Thanks, great film
I built the 1/25th scale AMT model kit circa 1968. The kit had a clear plastic body to show off the early Hemi and the tube frame. "AMT presents Excitement in a box! Piranha" proclaimed the packaging.
Minor detail: The street version was driven by Stefanie Powers in "The Girl from U.N.C.L E," a spinoff of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
Bam! This is great insight and an awesome story on the model!
I constantly leave these videos thinking how have i never heard of this. I don't sub to a lot of channels, less than 10 at the moment, but this one was a no brainer.
Thank you Brian! I try to make it worth people’s time to check this stuff out. If you come away with some new tidbits about stuff, that is a win.
Another Banger my friend!!!..Thank you for taking us back to the 60's and their awesome cars..Thanks Brian!!!..-John
Two days in a row! Woohoo!
I got a pile of backlogged ideas!
@@brianlohnes3079 and I look forward to watching every one (without even knowing what any are about!) 🇳🇿
At the age of 11 I thought that was one of the coolest cars ever! I remember the AMT kit.
At the age of 44 I still think so! Haha
One of my all time favorite cars (as a kid), I still have 2 models of the car.
OMG What great story after literally watching the story of Allis Charmers tractors today. I grew up 15 minutes from the AC plant in WestAllis Wisconsin and both of my Grandfathers worked for them. Gosh who knew that the story went into tractor racing. Thanks so much Brian for telling that story if it has an engine and makes load noises I love it. And I’m not alone
Brian, you absolutely have to do a video on the late great Max Bulchowski and his legendary road racing car Old Yeller II, the home built car Max and his wife Ina built from scratch in their shop Hollywood Motors that sent every Ferrari, Alfa Ramero, Jaguar, and even the Maserati Birdcage, what was supposed to be the most advanced race car in the world at that time, packing back across the Atlantic to Europe with their tales between their legs, he beat them ALL.
And the list of famous race car drivers that Max allowed to run it on weekends when they didn't have a ride is a who's who list of America's greatest drivers of the 60's, none other than Caroll Shelby, Phil Hill and other big names in 60's drove it with Hill once telling someone years later that it was probably the finest race car he ever drove.
Max was also Hollywood's go to guy for modifying cars for movies including Herbie The Love Bug and the Mustang's and Charger's used in Bullitt along with many others, he also did some of the driving in Bullitt.
Max and Ina's story is truly inspirational and one that makes everyone who hears it proud to be an American.
It’s an all timer and Max has been on my list. The Yates book about him is amazing.
Another great story, Brian. I knew the basics of the real car/AMT story. But your research fleshed it out so well.
Thanks for sharing, my friend !
Great video
Great story..actually that model kit is still available!
That is awesome on the kit!
Sad that Drag Season is done for a bit ! ( but ) Brian has more time for Us !! - Thanx
Thanks for watching this Darren!!
I was looking for a movie to watch.
But this is far more exciting.
Thanks for your research.
Always excited to see a new video from you. Thanks
I love listening to all of your off the wall crazy stuff. Thank you.
Amazing
I'm also very sorry motortrend had to disband the knowledge brain. But I'm really glad you all came here. Brian we need some merch from you to help you out. Classic inspired drag shirts maybe. A very nice mug. Just know america will miss the decade and half of turning on DSC and hearing your sound on the tube with racing. Please keep going. Your an Icon.
Wow. I just realized it had an aero duct in the nose to kill lift.
Just gets better and better...lol
Should have mentioned that but yes it did!
Love this car. Is it just me, but the CRV-4 looks a lot like a Pontiac Fiero.
It definitely has Fieri vibes.
Thanks Brian! I was unaware of this car. Now I want to visit The Museum of Drag Racing again! It’s been about 10 years anyway….
Never a bad time for a visit!
As close as I ever got to this car was making the model of it in 67 or 68. I can still smell the glue...
I remember the Pirahna well. I was a model building fiend as a kid, had my own wrecking yard in a box from 1 of those 1/12 scale models, a T-Bucket I believe. Those might have been AMT's, too. I kept my wrecking yard stocked by helping the local hobby/toy store do inventory once a year. The 1st yr I helped, I did it for money. The store was adjacent to a family owned variety store & pharmacy. The dad was the phsrmacist, 1 son ran a hifi-tv store added on the back & the other son ran the hobby store in an old shop next door. The front was closed & they knocked a hole thru the wall.
They Summers family were friends of my mom, a single parent & they kind of adopted me. The 1st year I helped do inventory in the hobby store, it was a 2 day, doors closed event that was as much a family holiday/party as anything. Mom Summers & their daughter made picnic food & we had a great time.
I got talking with the hobby store son & he said there was a huge problem w/ kids stealing parts from model car kits, making them unsaleable except as severe markdowns, which I'd buy when they got to 0.05 or 0.10.l, (gas was
I really appreciate your attention to detail, as you did your research. Great job! Enjoy your videos.
Good stuff, always enjoy the class room.
Good Stuff!! Thanks .....but how did AMT do in hobby model sales of this model?
This is the best Automotive/Racing/Plastic/Carbon Fibre history channel by far! Brian, your research and narration is always exceptional.
I love these kinds of stories! I've never heard of that one! Would have been fun to see race!
Agree, would have loved to have see Walt piloting this thing basically in the open
Brian, thanks for doing this video. There was more to this story than I thought. This is great stuff. I've added this video link to my video. Thanks for the hard work you do on all these videos. This made my day.
Your killing it as usual. 2 great stories this week alone.
I have the AMT model kit of both the street Piranha and the funny car! Haven't put it together yet, but when I wanted to get into model kits I saw that one and bought it immediately without any context for what those cars were, because come on, they're just awesome-looking. Discovering the road car was Corvair-based made it even better, as Corvairs fascinate me in general! This video was exactly what I needed to properly appreciate what I've got, and probably motivate me to actually finish it lol.
I built A LOT of models (mostly cars) and I had that one! The coupe street car reminds me of a Pontiac Fiero....
I love your stories both informative and entertaining. Being a gear head and a history nerd it fits perfectly. Keep up the amazing content. Thank you.
Brian, F.Y.I The water vent tube into the headers was used until the mid 1980s. When most nitro racers switched to billet cylinder heads.
Wow what an excellent excellent video and history lesson 😮😮😮
Thank you 😊 much
Awesome vid, Brian! I built the model when I was a kid.
thanks brian for a new video! sick af and watching some of your longer older stuff too
Its been a few months since I've seen the road race car. The story of how it was found is interesting, if my memory is correct a few years ago the owner found somebody with file cabinets full of automotive history including all of the Piranha's. With out giving the owners name he should be easy to find and contact to get more history and find out about another super rare roadrace car he has.
He’s pretty public and it is a great story of finding it under the truck and then taking the paint off and discovering what it was. Seems like a neat guy.
Great story Brian, I miss the “Wild West Days” of drag racing!😊
I really enjoy your concert 👍
Great content; well-resarched. Thanks!!
BRIAN!!! hey great to get new episodes!! [since i binge watched all the back catalog!]
Another great history lesson
8.08 at 193 is quick and fast even for today. Doing it back then is BONKERS!
Two in a row!!!! Keep them coming, love it!!!
Go baby go! Haha
Walt Stevens, or Uncle Walt, as he was known in the pits, told me a few tales of this car and how much fun it was. I was lucky to have him sign my original AMT Piranha kit, along with Gene Winfield at CHRR! I have some pics of the car sitting in the swap meet area at an early CHRR meet, it was for sale and I guess Big Daddy got to it too late, but he ended up with it anyway.
The Man from Uncle car! When you first showed the CRV, it looked REALLY familiar, but I couldn't figure out why! Awesome!
Great story ty
Very Cool Never Seen This Car.
Hey man, cool car thanks for this. Also, anytime the engine is mounted behind the driver before the rear wheels it’s called a mid engine car, anytime the engine is behind the rear wheels, it’s a rear engine car.
Did you see the part where I went into this? Haha
My brother & I got to know Walt Stevens at the very beginning of the nostalgia Top Fuel thing. He was also on the old Header Flames message board every night. It was like story time when he would post. He was better known for his driving in the west coast Top Gas wars, driving the Odd Couple, but also drove a bunch of fuelers through that era too. The way he put was "I was a Driving Whore!".
Any remnants of the Header Flames board around, or is it lost to history?
Hey Brian, thank for another kick ass video. Best content on UA-cam.
Way too cool! Thanks Brian.Later Tuna.
What the heck did we do to deserve two days of brians history extravaganza in one week?! Keep it rockin brian! And thanks again, I spoke with ecta this morning about approval to take on that tractor record!
Checked it out at Big Daddy’s Museum. So awesome with the Winfield fade!
I don't have the Piranha model anymore, but I do have the wheels from it on an AMT '63 Comet model.
Great stuff
In the mid 80s a friend of my dad gave me a box full of old magazines. One of those had the piranha story in it. Always wondered if it survived. Great video as always thanks
I think the guys who designed the FIERO must have built a couple of AMT PIRANHA models when they were kids.
Wow! Dude you must really enjoy this to be putting in this much work. I’m no where near an expert on these cars but thought I at least some amount of knowledge about them.
Impressive work! Thanks for bringing our history to light the way you do!
It’s my favorite hobby.
@ Glad to hear it! Not many have a PHD rabbit hole deep dives.
This was GREAT!
Thanks
Looks like a Porshe 914 and a Pontiac Fiero love child.
Another great video, I've noticed that the CRV/Pirhanna bears a striking resemblance to the Jack Rabbit Special from the HotWheels cartoon of the day
Good pull there! I had forgotten about that car!
Another great informative video!!!!!!!! Not unlike Jim Dunn s car!!!
Great video and very interesting history 👍😃thanks for showing and best wishes from jolly old England 👍😎Pete 🤓
I forget the name, but there's a channel that deals with and owns tons of vintage kit cars. They have one featured in a fairly recent video. Good stuff!
Mind. Blown.
AMT made speed parts....and CARS? Designed by Winfield?
Hey, Brian, check out the picture at 16:35. The roll bar was definitely modified at some point, and then apparently "un-modified" later. Weird....
GREAT ONE! 👏😎
What an interesting episode!!! I remember building AMT models back in the 60's & 70's... This car was very intersting!!! Probably the MAIN reason that GM stop supplying the drivelines for the 'Piranha' sports car versions of these is because those drivelines were the same ones that powered the cars that left GM's 'poster child' cars in the dust at the closed course sports car tracks...The Corvair 6-passenger 'Family Models' were Absolutely Destroying the reputations of the much heavier Corvette 2-passerger 'Sports Cars' at the various tracks that they went to... And now this sexy little gull-wing 2-seater using one of their Corvair drivelines!?!?!?
Nope, GM's execs were NOT going to let that happen... And that's really a shame, that GM could not find the good sense to embrace the Success's that their small light highly sensible and affordable cars like the Corvairs, introduced to the general public...
The Super-charged Chrysler 392 Hemi drag car with one of those 'Piranha' bodies??? Wow!!! That was a healthy dose of Bad Ass , Back in the 1960's... Those were the days!!!
Thanks, again for the cool trip to re-visit Memory Lane!!! Today is: 11/23/24
neat story...
I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on a White Motors Trend truck with a Royalex plastic cab for $300.
The $10.88 for the 1/4" electric drill is almost $118 now in late 2024 if we assume that's a 1958 ad. And today you can get an essentially identical drill from Amz for ~$13. Holy heck...
Great channel!!
Great Stuff !
gread video must have been a great time in drag racing back then
Sure looks like it to me!
It was a great time. Right in my mid to late teen years and the best time of my life.
You are spoiling us.
The CRVs have a bit of Lotus Europa look, the later one a Fiero look.
They 100% do, agree!!
Walt told me that was the most stable car he ever drove ...
Awesome...
RIP Walt.
Was not long ago. Wish I could have spoken with him.
Another well done, informative video. recommended. Great drag racing history. On the car itself, I never cared for it, never bought the model as a kid. Did not realize it was built in Phx where I grew up. etc. As an adult, drag fan, event host and car owner/tuner though- What I do not understand is Stevn's comments that it "drove like a Cadillac"! How can that be? A short wheelbase B high power C rear engine and D driver almost on the front axle. So- HOW did this car not swap ends on the top end? How did it handle so good when no other back motor car could (even though most of the others had longer wheelbases)? This puzzles me but, it must have had super slow steering to 'handle' good. Thoughts? I am puzzled at how it was claimed to have good handling. It also appears it never wrecked either? And then are is the lack of aerodynamics. Running close to 200mph, it looks like it would gather air under the front and flip over. Common sense says- things just do not add up
Wow had to subscribe I see you with a million subs soon you should already imo bravo 👏🏻👏🏻
How the heck do you not have 100k+ subscribers by now, long time fan/subscriber of the channel. Please continue the awesome work you're doing!!! Thank you!!!🏁
made my day. thanks
Thanks for stopping by!
4:50 would make a nice jet boat !
Sadly , can i assume none of these vehicles survived the years ? I loved man from uncle !
Looks like some are still around.
Check out Dan Deaver and the Jeep XJ-002. Can't remember what I had for supper yesterday, but I can remember some article in a Hemming's magazine from years ago.