In the wild world of wheel-standers, there is one name that is instantly recognized; the Hurst Hemi Under Glass. It all started back in the 60's as an experiment between Chrysler Corporation and the Hurst Research Center in Warren , Michigan. Looking for ways for both companies to gain recognition and publicity, George Hurst and Jack “Doc” Watson devised a way to truly stand out from the crowd. Taking a 426 Hemi engine and placing it behind the driver, under the huge rear window, certainly did that! Often referred to as a “rolling research laboratory,” it soon became known as the “Hemi Under Glass”.
The concept of a wheel-stander actually came about quite by accident. Jay Howell, the original driver of the Little Red Wagon, accidentally put his foot to the floor tipping the truck over onto its back wheels, front wheels pointing toward the sky. Wanting no part of this, Howell stepped aside. Enter “Wild Bill” Shrewsberry, the first pilot of the Hemi Under Glass, an early Plymouth Barracuda. Shortly after this car was built, Shrewsberry left Hurst to pilot his own wheel-stander, known as the L.A.Dart. Seeing the incredible promotional opportunities and attention that this car was drawing, George Hurst and Doc Watson immediately offered the ride to racer Bob Riggle, who had originally scribbled a drawing of a rear engine Barracuda on a dinner napkin...
Riggle soon found there was much more to piloting a rear-engine Hemi powered fish down the track on its rear wheels, and that it was incredibly hard to handle. Hurst was also not impressed with the car veering left to right as he viewed it going down the track. After experimenting with different methods of launching the car, Riggle was able to harness all that power by rolling out in second gear and dumping the clutch. This technique settled the car down, allowing it to travel down the entire quarter mile on its rear bumper, sparks flying.
In 1969, Riggle purchased the early car and all of the related parts from Hurst, and for a while, the Hurst name was not used. Known as “The Frantic Fish”, Riggle once again hit the tracks with his earlier version of the wild wheel-stander to the crowds pleasure. Several Hemi Under Glass cars were campaigned over the years until eventually, Riggle stepped out of the spotlight after surviving a wild crash. In 1991, after a fateful meeting with old friend Linda Vaughan, the Hemi Under Glass was resurrected and once again, Riggle was pleasing crowds at various exhibition runs, blasting down the quarter mile on the back bumper of the Hurst Hemi Under Glass Barracuda.
The 1968 Hurst Hemi Under Glass Barracuda, the last of the authentic Barracuda Hemi Under Glass cars, currently resides in the collection of Bill Sefton, along with the 66 and also the 67 version. This may be the ultimate Tri-Fecta of historical Mopars, and we are proud to feature this car at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals inaugural show, November 21-22, 2009.
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