Silver Bullet vs The Tasca Street Boss

[BOSSHEMI]

So I was just searching around the web and come across this site:

http://www.429-460.com/t6776-tasca-street-boss-vs-silver-bullet-gtx

They were talking about a 69 Mustang that was unbeatable and the Silver Bullet

the Silver Bullet

Tasca "Street Boss"

 

[383man]

Sounds like alot of bull to me as I have never heard of this Boss Stang and I have been around Mopars and hotrods since the late 60's. Everyone knows about the Silver Bullet GTX because it was bad a$$ and did win all the time. Heck that Stang looks more like a full blown race car then a street car but it dont matter as the Bullet would have cleaned its clock with no trouble. If it was so fast and bad how come no one has ever heard of it ?? Sounds like someone using the Silver Bullets rep trying to make a name for itself to me. Ron

 

[BOSSHEMI]

Ron

I heard of the Tasca Street Boss, but it was far from a "Street Car". I read this reply on the link I attached from my first post

I don't know much about that Boss but, I know a whole lot about the ORIGINAL "Silver Bullit" GTX owned by Jimmy Addison. It was a "driver" and was used everyday.
This car in the article is a remade car and NOT with the ORIGINAL underpinnings.
That car had 10 inch Cheater slicks of the day, (1968), and had two lines of tread to make them street legal. (Nothing like today's rubber).
That car also had only a 3.91/1 rear gear and FOUR mufflers and Jimmy used it as a parts chasing car in normal life for the service station where he worked on Square Lake Rd. & Woodward.
I can tell you first hand, (cause I was there), that car outran a legimate Pro Stock Camaro on the street in 1970 when that race car was forced to run with mufflers.
The automatic transmission in that car was the basis for the transmission used in the Original "Motown Missle", (Challenger), Pro/Stocker; (the first and only competitive Pro Stock car with an automatic transmission).
That GTX was NEVER run at the drag strip in those days using anything but, street legal trim and those times are "stop watch" guesses as Jimmy, (and the people who helped him at that time), never let the real times be known. He only went as fast as he had to go to win.
THAT original car was disassembled over 30 years ago and the remake became a reality 15 years ago. The car looks the same but, what is under the skin is far from the original.

The Boss probably shares the same kind of history.

The "Charger" in SoCal owned by "Big Willie" was in the same kind of mold..

 

[Hemifried]

Look at the size of those so called "street tires" on that ford!! lol regardless win or lose... I want the silver bullet in my garage NOT a rustang

 

[moparpoor]

It was as much stock as a prostock car was in the early 70's.Everything you read in that article is bullshit.My grandfather was a street racer that hung out with Jimmy at the gas station where he worked back in the hay day.The people and stuff I have been privledged to see is incredible.All I read was a bunch of ford fudges bitchin about a street car beatin up a race car.Its not the first factory backed ford race car to get pounded on by the bullit,thats a fact.That race happened on 75 when it was being built as most did.

 

[Al K]

Moparpoor;I think that I speak for many when I request more Detroit street-racing stories,if you care to(and can) share them. Last time I saw the Bullet was the late fall of 1976;my first wife and I were sitting at the intersection of Merriman and Plymouth roads and the S.B. rolled westbound on Plymouth. I went slightly bonkers,yelling and pointing and the ol' lady wondering what all the fuss was about. I had to explain to her the history and significance of the car and Mr. Addison. Had no idea who owned the car at that time;wish it had been me!

A lot has been made of the winning percentage of the car;I've only heard/read about three cars that gave Jimmy fits. One was the "Black Bird" Pontiac out of Wangers stable,one was a 67(?) big-block Vette from Booth-Arons(maybe-?),and a '67 ('68?) Camaro,again with a BIG-block Rat. I also remember Mike Fons had a '57 Vette that he sold to a guy named Steve Maynard(any relation to Al?) that was meant to challenge the GTX;don't know if they ever ran. Then there is the "street rod" story;don't know much about that. Please correct me and my info if I'm off-base here. I don't want to make assumptions or cast aspersions here and I certainly don't want to turn this into a pissin' match. I lived down that way in '74-5;by then,the serious action was over on Gratiot and on South Telegraph.

I have two copies of the September 1971 Car Craft magazine with the article on the Bullet. One is stashed,the other gets looked at frequently. I was born too bloody late!!! I would have loved to have experienced that late 60's-early 70's scene on Woodward.

 

[moparpoor]

I can tell you the camaro was from brightmoor detroit,MI.The south telegraph area was the place in the later years.The hang out was corvettes,I was a little guy riding with my dad.My stories are just handed down from the guys that lived it.I was just a little guy then.The majority of the stories you hear are some what true,just washed out by time or hype.

 

[BOSSHEMI]

I remember the first time I heard about the Bullet. There is a pencil drawing of the car in a magazine back in the 80's. and a cool story about Jimmy taking some Corp people out in a ride in the car.....anyone remember that magazine story?

 

[Ron 73]

Maybe both are a part of history but the GTX is the one i would want.

 

[Al K]

I can tell you the camaro was from brightmoor detroit,MI.The south telegraph area was the place in the later years.The hang out was corvettes,I was a little guy riding with my dad.My stories are just handed down from the guys that lived it.I was just a little guy then.The majority of the stories you hear are some what true,just washed out by time or hype.

Ahhh,Brightmoor...A few of my former m/c brothers(Detroit chapter) grew up in that 'hood;heard it was like the Wild West at times. Sounds like these guys(the Camaro's owners) were the Detroit equivalent of the Brooklyn street race crowd. Nefarious activities and all that...

I worked at Uncle Sam's back then,and rolled on Tele between Plymouth road in the North and all the way down to where it turned back into two lanes. Damn good times;we might even know some of the same characters.

 

[moparpoor]

I grew up right down the street from the bike club.Went to saint christines school were one of the members was laid to rest.Black 70 6pack runner,68 and 2 69 hemi chargers,red 6pack bee lived off lamphere and five and at westbrook and schoolcraft.schoolcraft was the testing grounds for friday and saturday.wrench and test all week on schoolcraft.

 

[383man]

They say the only car to ever beat the Bullet was a bigblock Camaro out of the Booth & Arons stable. But it was said that the Bullet had a plug wire off and when they raced again the Bullet won. That was the only car to ever beat the Bullet. As for the Blackbird Pontiac B/S thats just what it is. Thats a hyped up story from Jim Wagners the Pontiac big mouth. Truth is Jimmy is said to have creamed this Pontiac but the Pontiac guys said that it had the old eng in it and was tired ! LoL !! Another B/S story of someone using the Bullet name to try and get fame. Funny how people will use someones rep to try and make a name for themselfs. Ron

 

[Al K]

Ron;good points and good info. Might that Camaro be the same one from the 1972 or -73 Car Craft article about running the Bullet and said Chevy at(I think) Motor City Dragway? I had the issue,but lost it years ago. Time to hit the swaps... Moparpoor;any info on your end? I'm one who appreciates good automotive history,but I want to get it right.

I've also heard Jim and the GTX mentioned with the early "Top Enders" cast of characters;a couple of which I fortunate to have met and gotten to know a bit. I know that they came into more notoriety via the '77 Car and Driver article(another one lost to time),plus the Hot Rod magazine article on Joe Ruggirello's Mustang II and Steve Lisk's Challenger.

I never got to meet Mr Addison;missed out a couple of times way back when. I'm sure he was a fascinating gentleman,with a lot to teach a young gearhead with open ears.