Why are “funny cars” called funny cars?
Hi Troy. Drag racing fans have asked this question for three decades! The answer is that in the first year or two of their existence, funny cars actually DID look funny! Racers did all sorts of experimentation to try to get better traction. One method was to radically alter the wheelbases of their cars. They would move the front wheels way back from their original position. This made for a very comical appearance. After about three years, funny cars didn’t look funny at all. Since the late sixties, lots of people think they’ve been the coolest looking drag cars out there. There have been attempts to change the name. In the 1980’s, there was a movement by one of the top racing magazines to change the name to “Fuel Coupe.” This way the ‘FC’ part would be the same, but the class name would be closer to reality. It never caught on, though, so even today’s $150,000, 315 mph technological marvels are called ‘funny cars!’ From Jasmine Singh — What’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever seen i
