Eastern Museum of Motor Racing – When you pay a visit to EMMR, it’s not unusual to see old, vintage race cars. They’re there all the time, that’s just what they do there. What you don’t always see, though, is one of the very early Mustang funny cars being brought back to life. Such is the case with Dan Medice of Cochranton, who in his own words, “has been working on it for years” to bring this car back to its’ former glory. This is no small feat considering this particular car had a very rich history. The body, itself, was manufactured by Shedlik Engineering in Detroit, Michigan, being the very first of only 9 bodies to come from the mold. It’s obvious funny car bodies have changed considerably when you watch Medice lifting the body up to display the chassis. It’s not an easy task as it’s much heavier than modern bodies and requires a bit of help to lift it in just the right spots so as not to damage the old body which is fragile in a few places.

Part of what makes this car particularly special is the fact that it’s the very first Boss 429 powered funny car in the entire nation. The original owner of the car was legendary Ford engineer, Wayne Gapp, who would later go on to team up with fellow Ford engineer Jack Roush to form the legendary drag racing team of Gapp and Roush.

Medice has been meticulous in reproducing a period correct Logghe-style chassis for the car. This is an undertaking that’s a lot harder than you’d think. Thankfully, Medice has been able to lean on the wisdom and experience of famed funny car pilot Bruce Larson for the build. According to Medice, “We were in and out of Bruce’s garage, back and forth, measuring parts and trying to reproduce an authentic style Logghe chassis for it. So far, we just have a dummy engine in it, but it is going to be setup to have a real Boss 9 in it. Be ready to cackle we hope withing a year or so.” It should also be mentioned the chassis sits on original Halibrand wheels, the fronts once holding up Bruce Larson’s ’68 funny car.

One of the things that stand out once the body is lifted is the glistening shine that reflects off the custom-made headers. Those are the master work of Mikey McCracken who fabricated the headers while the car was parked at his shop over the winter. Medice knows the quality there as he says, “Young Mikey made my headers for it, they’re just a piece of jewelry, they’re absolutely beautiful.”

So what comes next on this build? Medice lays out what lies ahead for him, “One thing I’m going to try to do when I take it back home is try to set the cackle motor down in it, although it will not run, and then I need to get a hold of somebody with a good paint job and start to do all the lettering and everything on it. I’ve talked to Jeffery Gapp, who is Wayne Gapp’s son, and he sent me a text saying dad said go ahead and put his name on it. That was a very big bonus right there.”

Keep your eyes out for this car in the future. It inches towards completion every day, and when it’s done, it’s sure to make you feel like Wayne Gapp’s about to appear from the driver’s seat.

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