There seem to be two schools of thought in what it takes to build a dual-purpose street/strip car. One group would suggest taking an all-out drag car, doing just enough to make it street legal, and trailering it anywhere and everywhere to demonstrate its stellar—and frankly predictable—on-track performance.
However, to the other bunch of street/strip believers, that’s just cheating. Take Frank & Mary Bendit of Mechanicsville, Maryland, for instance. Their street-driven, razor- sharp, and brutally quick 1970 Nova is a fine example of a fast street car that has been built to cruise on the street and perform on the track. “I’ve always had fast cars, and decided I wanted to build a true street outlaw,” Frank said. After owning a veritable who’s who list of classic muscle cars and street machines in the past—including a 1969 Boss 429, a Corvette, and a Chevelle SS—Bendit fell in love with the pro street look. He discovered this clean and straight ’70 Nova and decided it was the perfect candidate.
“When I found this car, it had a 355 stroker and a lot of potential for what I wanted to build,” he added. What he “wanted to build” was a legitimate street car that is driven to and from the track and is able to consistently hammer the competition…. Read more of this article. Just click on the digital feature below this introduction.
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