Frantic Fifty-Nine

Words and photos by Jeff Burk
1/13/05

It's not that often that a car builder will go out on his own and make a unique race car body, but when one does there is one brand of car that seems to be everyone's favorite -- Chevy's venerable Corvette. In recent years America's most famous two-seater has been the favorite and the fastest of all Pro Modified body styles. It started with Jim Oddy and Fred Hahn and their record setting "Black Mariah" supercharged, primered 'Vette.

Interestingly, Oddy had a couple of other 'Vette body styles that were very popular in the Pro Modified class. For instance, the '53 that Hahn drove to what is still considered to be the fastest legal pass in the class' history with a 234+ blast at Rockingham Dragway more than five years ago. Hahn also shoed Oddy's Summit-backed, Murray Anderson-built C-5 Corvette to the quickest legal lap so far with a 6.07 blast at an NHRA event at Houston just a year ago.

Nitrous hero Rickie Smith had Jerry Haas build a '63 split-window Corvette and soon it became one of the most popular body styles of all. They are aerodynamic bodies that go fast. Mitch Stott drove his Tommy Mauney-built '63 split-window to the quickest Pro Mod lap ever with a 5.98 clocking two years ago at historic Darlington Dragway.

A case could easily be made that the Corvette body style has been and continues to be the most popular and even most dominant body in Pro Modified racing.

Now car/chassis/body manufacturer Larry Jeffers, whose shop is just a short drive west of St. Louis in House Springs, MO, has delivered the drag racing community the next iteration of the 'Vette body style. He designed and built a '59 Corvette Pro Mod for Missouri outlaw racer Ron Muenks. He had a '63 powered by an Alan Johnson wedge with a screw compressor and backed by a Lenco-glide that ran as quick as 6.09 in the quarter, but Muenks decided that it was time for a new car and he wanted something unique.

We think he got it when he took delivery of his brand new, first of its kind '59 Corvette Pro Mod that DRO is showing you here.