The next installment of Ridler Award Through The Ages is hitting the year 1966. During a time when President Lyndon Johnson was Commander-in-Chief, The Beatles were all the rage, and the Vietnam War was on everyone’s minds, life still went on. At the Detroit Autorama, a very unique car was taking the crown.

Shown here in its unrestored state, the mid-engine Chrysler Hemi 402ci was a powerhouse for this Funny Car.

Maynard Rupp was a Top Fuel racer who decided to go against the grain and accept the fact that funny cars were going to be a part of the drag racing future. To get in on it, he built “Chevoom.” Incorrectly dubbed a rear-engine car, the car was powered by a supercharged 402 cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi dropped right in the middle of the chassis. The front end was stretched forward and the rear differential was pushed back to allow more room for the engine and transmission combo. Rupp went to extraordinary lengths to make the tube chassis car look as though it was a typical Chevelle that rolled off the Chevrolet assembly line.

A custom fiberglass multi-piece body was built to wrap the car. The hood and trunk opened and Rupp would climb in and out via a side opening fiberglass door. Many of the other top funny cars of the time were using the then new tilt up one piece fiberglass bodies but that took away from the appeal for Rupp. A full set of Chevelle trim pieces was placed onto the custom body, furthering the stock-ish feel and attention to detail. Rupp did stray from the norm and installed a full blown roll cage inside the shell versus a basic hoop style roll bar like many of the competition.

Chevoom went on to have a fairly successful couple of years on the track but what might be better than that is that it won the Ridler Award at the 1966 Detroit Autorama. This unique masterpiece is still kicking around, too. The car was shown at the 2006 National Hot Rod Reunion in a completely unrestored form. Rumor has it that the car was going to be restored, though we can’t find anything to back that up as of yet.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of The Ridler Award Winners Through The Ages when we dig into the iconic “Deora” pick-up built by the great Mike Alexander.