Dernières Nouvelles

Mike Lookner pays homage to the A/FX drag cars of the '60s with an updated street version

At right about the same time, just about the same thing was going on in drag racing. Despite a joint agreement signed by the Big Three automakers in 1957 not to actively support racing, they did so clandestinely.

By the early 1960s, special lightweight, high performance models were “available” to the public in order for the carmakers to win in NHRA’s popular Super Stock category. Having had enough of the automakers’ shenanigans, in 1962 the NHRA created the Factory Experimental class, the most well-known being the top-level A/FX.

One of the original A/FX Funny Cars: Dyno Don's altered wheelbase 1965 Comet Cyclone

There are many who look back at the years between the forming of the Factory Experimental class and the appearance of the first flip-top Funny Car was a golden age of door-slammer drag racing. Count Mike Lookner among them.

Thankfully for Mike, his brother Andrew runs Extreme Machine Unlimited, in their home state of Massachusetts. Together the two conspired to build a 1965 Comet Cyclone influenced by the AF/X cars of the early 1960s, but not be limited by 1960s technology. In essence, they reinterpreted the concept of the AF/X to a streetable car of the 21st century.

Mike's Comet was fitted with mini-tubs to accomodate 12" wide rear wheels and tires

Peter Newell of Competition Specialties sprayed the body in Candy Brandywine that looks like it’s three feet deep, with the bumpers painted in metallic Argent giving them the appearance of the unpolished aluminum bumpers on early A/FX cars.

The interior was kept stock looking except for a few safety features plus a full set of gauges

Underneath subframe connectors were added by DMC Racing to strengthen the chassis in preparation of the powerful big block motor. A Ford 9-inch rear axle with 4:10 gears was fitted to accommodate the larger 15x12-inch rear wheels that will reside in the mini-tubs. The multi-leaf rear spring was replaced by a mono-leaf, which now acts more as a locating device.

The rear suspension loads are now carried by QA1 adjustable coilovers. Up front, a Total Control Products dual-adjustable coilover conversion was installed. Brakes are a conservative 11” front disc and rear drum set-up. The Radir wheels selected nicely reflect the five spokes on “Dyno Don” Nicholson’s 1965 AF/X Comet Cyclone.

The Ford FE big block was built by Mike's brother Andrew and produces 650 horsepower

The bottom end features a Scat crank and Eagle rods all forged from ultra-high strength 4340 alloy steel, 11.25:1 JE aluminum pistons, and an aggressive solid lifter camshaft from Cam Motion.

Intake air is drawn through the factory hood scoops and into a pair of K&N E-3280 filters into matching Edelbrock AVS 650 CFM carbs, Edelbrock RPM aluminum intake, and into a set of Edelbrock RPM aluminum heads, topped with valve covers featuring K&N 62-1220 breathers.

The process took two-and-a-half years to complete, but even just from viewing the photographs, the results are both stunning and a fitting tribute to that insane era of drag racing.

Craig Raudman (2) and Austin Reed (14) side-by-side at Kern Raceway (Photo by Amanda Perryman)

Reed, CEO of Advanced Memory, a company that manufactures high reliability computer memory for critical applications like the military, has operated Dave Reed Racing and entered cars in various race series around the West Coast since 1993, including NASCAR Craftsman Trucks, K&N NASCAR Pro Series West, Legends, Mini Outlaws, and even local Late Model.

Promising young driver Ricky Schlick, who had raced for Reed in 2016, has had the opportunity to move to another team to compete in a full-season of the SRL for 2017, so Reed was faced with a choice. Continue to run different drivers for a few events each or concentrate on a single driver and work toward not one, but two championships. He chose the more difficult but potentially more rewarding route.

Craig Raudman will be the full-time driver of the #2 car (Photo by Roger Seymour Photography)

There’s also a long-term relationship between Reed and Raudman that dates back to 1994, which is clearly to their benefit. Raudman is also well-known as an ace crew chief on short track cars, which can do nothing but improve the team’s ability to set-up the car quickly.

Raudman may be best known for his victory in the short-lived LA Street Race that was part of the NASCAR Featherlite Tour Series at the time, beating out both series regulars as well as some big name drivers attracted by the prestige of the event and large purse on offer. The event ran for just three years and Raudman nearly won the first two as well.

The chassis that Craig Raudman drove to fourth, under construction (Photo by Craig Raudman)

Reed is pulling out all the stops toward his double championship quest. He’s fielding two new Straight Rail chassis cars from Victory Circle, in Bakersfield. Not only does Reed’s team benefit from having their chassis builder intimately familiar with all the tracks in the series, but with Bakersfield so central geographically to the tracks, if there’s crash damage to the frame that needs to be repaired in the jig, it’s a fast turnaround. Reed is also having a third car built by Bond Suss Racing in Charlotte.

For filters, Reed has been a loyal partner with K&N for 15 years.

“We have been fortunate to be able to tour their facilities several times and it is truly is an amazing facility,“ Reed said. “ K&N has the best quality out there not to mention the people behind the products.”

The K&N logo proudly displayed on the rear of one of Dave Reed's cars (Photo by Dave Reed)

The Number 14 car will be driven by a rotating roster of drivers, including Reed’s son Austin, Eric Norris - stunt coordinator on the Hawaii 5-0 television series and son of martial arts legend Chuck - and one or two drivers yet to be named. Reed hinted at one being an East Coast hot shoe while another is a former Southwest Tour Champion. Most intriguing is the driver who might fill in for Raudman at The Bullring: a “household name” in racing, according to Reed.

At the first race of the season at Irwindale, Raudman ran in the Top 5 in all practices, finished an impressive fourth in a race won by Bobby Hodges, with 2016 champ Derek Thorn second. Raudman started seventh and steadily worked his way up to fourth over the course of the race. All in a brand-new race car fresh off the trailer. Most definitely a good omen for the start of a very ambitious season.

Les prises d'air K&N pour Toyota Camry 2012 à 2017 de 3,5L

Les prises d'air de K&N installée sur une Toyota Camry 2012 de 3,5L

Les résultats sur le dynamomètre d'une Toyota Camry 2012 de 3,5L avec les prises d'air 69-8618TS installée

Bien que la Camry ne soit pas considérée comme une voiture ultraperformante, vous pouvez toujours profiter de la puissance supplémentaire d'un système d'admission d'air K&N tout en profitant du confort, de la sécurité et de la fiabilité d'une camry. K&N a testé les entrées d'air 69-8618TS sur une Toyota Camry 2012 équipée d'un moteur de 3,5 litres et a vu une augmentation en puissance estimée de 7 chevaux à 5914 tr/min et 6,5 lbft de couple à 4,698 tr/min. Le meilleur de tous les 69-8618TS est soutenu par le Million Mile Limited Warranty de K&N, ainsi ce sera les dernières entrées d'air et filtre à air que votre Toyota Camry aura besoin.

Les prises d'air 69-8618TS de K&N s'adapte aux Camry suivantes:
2017 Toyota Camry 3.5L V6
2016 Toyota Camry 3.5L V6
2015 Toyota Camry 3.5L V6
2014 Toyota Camry 3.5L V6
2013 Toyota Camry 3.5L V6
2012 Toyota Camry 3.5L V6

For a list of all K&N air intakes available for the Toyota Camry, visit the Toyota Camry Air Intakes page on knfiltres.com. Not the vehicle you were looking for? Check out the K&N air intakes for Toyota Camry models page also on the K&N website.

Trouvez les produits K&N pour votre véhicule en utilisant application search de K&N, puis utilisez le dealer search de K&N pour trouver un concessionnaire K&N dans votre région.

Thunderbike's newest builds are as extreme and innovative as any in the industry

“We´re creating all the parts you need for your bike,” said Thunderbike’s Martin Mix. “[We produce] wheels, forks, frames, swingarms, suspension kits, and almost everything else.”

Thunderbike was founded in the mid 1980s as a Suzuki dealership in the small German town of Hamminkeln. At that time, the company was a force on the German racing scene. They also built popular custom sport-bikes.

All of Thunderbike's Powerfilters, like the "Open Mind," feature K&N filters

Thunderbike Customs has won several of the biggest European custom builders’ competitions. They have also had success at the AMD World Championships as well as American builder competitions.

The company’s build portfolio is as extensive as any in the industry. Thunderbike produces customs that are based on the full Harley platform, as well as builds that feature their own custom frames. The builds are not limited to the American V-twin engine. Metric bikes are also represented in both Tunderbike builds and products.

Thunderbike Customs also builds beautiful traditional baggers

“All of our round kits called Powerfilter are using K&N filters,” Martin said. “K&N is a high-quality brand that everybody knows and trusts. It fits very well to our own quality standards.”

The company ships worldwide and is now truly a global force in the custom motorcycle industry. K&N is proud to be part of the Thunderbike Customs success story. We will highlight some of the company’s spectacular builds in upcoming feature articles.