Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

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GeneralZod
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Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by GeneralZod »

Some time ago I came across an Ebay listing for an old Hyperdrive car. The seller mentioned it was an old National record holder in its day. I was interested but let it pass and moved on. The listing was removed so I figured it sold long ago. Then a year or so later, it shows back up on Ebay so this time I bought it. I thought I saw this same car somewhere before but could not place it. I started looking through old magazines that covered the big races around 87 and 88 and finally found the picture in the Feb 1989 RCCA covering the Whippoorwill Nationals.
OIP.jpeg
RCCA1989FEB.jpg
H10Whipp.jpg



The body had the "SS" hand painted logo on the hood. Does it indicate "Snuffy Smith" the founder of Hyperdrive or "SS industries"? I thought I have seen the same logo on some of Ralph Burch Jr's early cars.


20230601_093916~2_copy_1224x1032.jpg
20230601_093928_copy_1224x1632.jpg
20230601_093955_copy_1214x893.jpg

Does the "XX" on the body signify the painter or owner?
20230601_093940_copy_1221x1379.jpg


Doing some comparisons with the magazine photo and the car provide clues that this may be the actual prototype raced that year.

H10Whipp.jpg
20230604_171619_copy_1224x1632~2.jpg
20230604_172929_copy_1224x1632.jpg
20230603_152848_copy_1224x1632.jpg

Any help out there with any additional info and photo's to help document this car? Unfortunately, Snuffy passed not too long ago and Ralph doesn't answer any messages through Facebook it seems.
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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by GeneralZod »

Also, here is a rough overlay to see the similarities. Click on the photo to see animation.
H10op.gif
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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by Dadio »

If it's not then somebody has gone to a lot of trouble to copy it back in the day.
If a jobs not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well.
A problem shared is a problem halved but an advantage shared is no advantage at all.

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by TravelinTravis »

Wow! Sure looks like the real deal to me...awesome! Seriously nice find there! Steering blocks are white vs. black...but bending kingpins and swapping blocks was common bitd...and they're the same style.

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by GeneralZod »

TravelinTravis wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:18 am Wow! Sure looks like the real deal to me...awesome! Seriously nice find there! Steering blocks are white vs. black...but bending kingpins and swapping blocks was common bitd...and they're the same style.
Yep - that is the only difference I see as well. You may be right about the front end being rebuilt during the race. It was mentioned later in the article that the front end was repaired several times during the race. Also, looks like it was using the Team Ugly quick change battery setup.
RCCA Feb 89.png
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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by hugger19 »

Crazy cars like this are still out their!! If for any reason would sell one day keep me in mind love this car 😎

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by coxbros1 »

General Zod!
Tap pic for clarity: Derek

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by BattleTrak »

This looks like the car to me and a great find! The RCCA article mentions it getting stepped on by a corner marshall.. do you see any signs of that?
-Brad

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by GeneralZod »

hugger19 wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:08 pm Crazy cars like this are still out their!! If for any reason would sell one day keep me in mind love this car 😎
They do show up from time to time but it seems harder to find a gem nowadays. Mostly luck of the draw it seems.

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by GeneralZod »

coxbros1 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 1:40 am General Zod!
I've been away for some time. 2023 has been a rough year for me so far. But been getting back into things now to get my mind off daily living and hopefully it takes a positive turn from this point on.

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by GeneralZod »

BattleTrak wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 1:49 am This looks like the car to me and a great find! The RCCA article mentions it getting stepped on by a corner marshall.. do you see any signs of that?
Funny you mentioned that. I did notice some body creases and a large one on top of the roof kinda shaped like someone's foot. It's hard to capture with the camera but you may see it in some photos. The car has heavy nicotine staining on it from previous owners.
IMG_20230605_205602.jpg
IMG_20230605_205543.jpg
IMG_20230605_205254.jpg
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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by TRX-1-3 »

Super cool! Good to see you back around!
Hope you're doin' something fun.

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by 1911Colt »

Such a cool period correct Ford decal, too! :D
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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by GeneralZod »

1911Colt wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 11:21 am Such a cool period correct Ford decal, too! :D
Yep, that logo is so 80s!

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Re: Is this Snuffy Smith / Ralph Burch Jr. 1988 Prototype Hyperdrive?

Post by MtnbikerTN »

Ok, I realize that this thread is about 1.5 years old, but I just found it the other day and can answer a question about the body. The XX is not two X's, it is a W over an M. Bill (William) Morton ran some of the Hyperdrive team out of Lexington, KY in the early 90's and this is how he signed his bodies. He most likely did this body, built this car, or both.

On another Hyperdrive-related note, I recovered the original pit box for Ralph Burch out of NC this week. Not sure how to upload pictures here, but I'll try to figure it out.

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