{"id":42057,"date":"2020-08-25T18:00:45","date_gmt":"2020-08-25T22:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=42057"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:22:20","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:22:20","slug":"burning-rubber-for-almost-50-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/owners-clubs\/2020\/08\/burning-rubber-for-almost-50-years.html","title":{"rendered":"Burning Rubber for Almost 50 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Original owners who\u2019ve happened to\nhang on to their iconic muscle machines for five decades are a rare sight. Many\nof these individuals might be satisfied just to display their valuable cars at shows\nwhile sitting in lawn chairs and talking to other enthusiasts that share the\nsame passion for vintage automobiles. But 72-year-old Nick Reiter from\nWarminster, Pennsylvania, would rather be burning rubber at NHRA drag races all\nover the country in his 1971 Charger R\/T that he\u2019s owned since new. With a 440\nSix Pack V8 under the Ramcharger fresh air hood, Reiter\u2019s high-flying Dodge has\nno problem pulling wheelies when he launches off the starting line. Quite a\nfeat for this Charger R\/T considering it weighs over 3,800 pounds and runs in\nthe NHRA Stock Eliminator class that has strict rules on engine, driveline and\nchassis modifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reiter\u2019s love affair with Dodge muscle cars and drag\nracing began at the tender young age of  11. \u201cMy dad had taken me to Atco Dragway\nin South Jersey when I was young to watch some racing. That was around the same\ntime this iconic drag strip opened up. After those visits, I was hooked on\nracing,\u201d said Reiter. His dad also influenced what type of car Reiter would\npurchase and race for almost five decades. \u201cFrom the time I could remember, my\ndad had always wanted a muscle car.  When\nI was in my early twenties, I remember telling my dad that he better not wait\ntoo long to get a muscle car as he was 60 at this point. He first drove a 1971\nCharger Super Bee that had a 383 Magnum, but decided he wanted something faster,\nso he decided to order the \u201971 Dodge Charger R\/T in Butterscotch. The car came\nstandard with 440 Magnum V8 and he ordered it with the Ramcharger hood, stripe\nkit, power front disc brakes, positraction rear axle with 3.55 gears, saddle\ntan interior, auto trans, tinted glass and a black vinyl top,\u201d reminisced\nReiter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After a couple of months, Reiter\ndecided he also wanted a new Charger R\/T for himself. In April of 1971, he placed\nan order at the same dealership his dad bought his Charger R\/T from. By the end\nof May that year, it was delivered. \u201cI wanted a high-impact color that would make\nmy car standout over my dad\u2019s,\u201d said Reiter. He ordered his Charger R\/T in \u201cCitron\nYella\u201d (color code GY3 for you numbers freaks). However, Reiter didn\u2019t want the\nmandated black or white interior colors, he had to be different. \u201cWe called the\nfactory and requested a saddle tan interior and it got assembled that way. For\nall I know, my \u201971 Charger R\/T might be the only one ever built with that\nexterior and interior color combination,\u201d commented Reiter. Reiter also ordered\nthis Charger R\/T with the Super Track Pack option that included a 4.10 Dana\naxle. Despite the rigors of being raced hard for almost 50 years, Reiter\u2019s 1971\nCharger R\/T still retains much of its original \u201cCitron Yella\u201d paint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After getting a speeding ticket in his Charger R\/T when\nit was less than a week old, Reiter decided to keep his racing activities off\nthe street. \u201cIn 1973, I went to Atco Dragway and ran the car with open\nheaders on 10\u201d slicks. I would also race at McGuire Air Force Base with my good\nfriend Joe Jensen. One time, my dad and I took both Charger R\/Ts to the track to\nsee how fast they would run. We drove them to the track with open headers and\nslicks. My dad\u2019s car ran 13.72 seconds while mine ran 13.84 seconds. With both cars\nhaving the same engines and drivetrains, I figured the 440 in my dad\u2019s Charger\nR\/T was built closer to the specs and that made it a little faster,\u201d exclaimed\nReiter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was around 1975 that Reiter\ndecided he wanted to race his Charger R\/T full time, so he went through the car\nand made numerous modifications so the car would fit within the NHRA Stock\nEliminator class. Over the past few decades, Reiter has racked up numerous wins\nin his 440 Six Pack Charger R\/T. He\u2019s wheeled the big Dodge to 10 race wins, an\nNHRA Division One Stock Eliminator Championship, several Stock Eliminator Class\nwins and plenty of class records. \u201cMy dream Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> ride is my 1971 Dodge\nCharger R\/T, it\u2019s my drug of choice,\u201d laughed Reiter. \u201cI have no other hobbies\nother than drag racing, it is my life with my family. If I wasn\u2019t driving a\nMopar, I would die, and I plan on racing until I cannot race anymore.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It takes family, friends and good\nsponsors to go racing, and Reiter has many that provide him the support he needs\nto keep racing for all these years. \u201cI would like to thank my wife of 51 years,\nEdie. She has supported my need for speed for all these years without batting\nan eye. She is by my side at the track for every race cheering me on and\nlistening to me grumble throughout the winter until racing season started\nagain. My son, Billy, and daughter-in-law,\nLeslie, who do everything for us! From\nworking on the car during races to working on it in between races, to pulling\nmotors, replacing differentials and transmissions while still trying to make\nthe next race. I would be lost without\nthem,\u201d declared Reiter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It also takes the backing of\nmachine shops, engine builders and parts suppliers to keep a dedicated racer\nlike Reiter on the track year after year. \u201cI cannot say enough about these guys\nthat have helped over the years, like Bub Whitaker of Burtonsville\nPerformance Machine<\/a>, who has built the fastest engines for me. Also, Rob\nCunningham at Mancini Racing<\/a>, and\nFrank and Shawn Lupo at Dynamic Transmissions<\/a>\nhave helped me go rounds and win races.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Don\u2019t expect to see Reiter\u2019s \u201971 Charger R\/T sitting\nstill at some car show; if you want to catch a glimpse of this rare, one-owner\nmuscle machine, you better head to the drag strip. It\u2019ll officially be turning\n50 next year and neither Reiter nor his prized Dodge show signs of slowing down.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n