The Little Engine That Could

Original Gasser from the ’60’s brought out of retirement

The 1940 Chevy coupe was purchased by Gary Blasey in 1958. He was 17 at the time and had to borrow half the money from a friend. This awesome sum was $7.50. The farmer who had the car had run it into a tree to stop it because the brakes had failed and this us how he found it with the grill pushed into the radiator and the front fenders in bad shape. But he loved it at first sight. It looked like a gasser to him and that’s all he could think of. The dream was born over the next two years. It was first run on the strip late in ’61, Gary had a grin so big he could hardly get out of the car.

In the beginning it sported a 261 c.i. Chevy 6 cly. and it’s first runs were in the 14.80’s. At that time this was good enough to run with the super stockers which was 335hp/348 c.i. Chevy. WOW! This is fun running with the big guys.

Over the next ten years this engine was run in all kinds of configurations and finally go it to run in the 13.90’s.

In 1972 the V8 was installed and the car because of many reasons didn’t get raced very much any more. With the V8 it’s best times were in the 11.10’s. It has been in storage since 1974 and now here is is racing again after 27 years of storage.

In 2007 the car was chosen as the poster child for the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Ky