Gasser rules about ragtops, etc

[Deleted]

I've browsed through my new copy of "Drag Racing Gassers Photo Archive" by Lou Hart a few times now and there are a few photos that are confusing me. It has to do with what type of top, or roof, is acceptable for a gasser. I have it in my head that the only thing acceptable is a solid, rigid, full roof. In the book, there are quite a few photos of ragtops, cars with no top at all, and a few photos of Corvettes with a very small, helmet sized "bonnet", if you will, and an enclosed cockpit. They are all identified as gassers.

You guys that have the book might have already noticed what I'm talking about. If not, scroll through the book looking for what I'm going to call "non-standard" roofs/tops. He clearly IDs them as gassers. I thought cars with no tops had to class as roadsters, MPs, or maybe altereds. It seems to me that I read in the rule book that in the 50s and early 60s convertibles were acceptable as gassers but they had to run with the top up and have a full roll cage. Then I also seem to recall that changed at some point and convertibles were excluded from the gasser class. I don't seem to be finding that now.

So, you guys with the book take a look for the photos I'm talking about and see if I'm missing something or I'm just confused about what is, or isn't, a gasser.

Then all you guys chime in here with what you know about this. If you find it in a rulebook, let me know what year book and what page. If it's just something on the 'Net, please post a link.

Thanks in advance!

[tubbs]

I don't have the book but I think that rag tops, or open cockpit cars were before they actually laid down some rules. I looked at some modern rules for period correct gassers and they state that ALL car must have a roof. I will do some more looking.

[Deleted]

Thanks, Al. Maybe that's the deal. Everything went in the early days, then the laid down the law. I'd be grateful for anything you can turn up.

[tubbs]

no problem. I will look for you.

[Deleted]

OK, Al. I found the info below on georgeklass.net/index.html  I figure he probably knows a little something about racing. It may be where I got the ideas in my head that I do. I've read parts of his site for quite a while, off and on.

On the Gassers page he states, "The official class name was “Gas Coupe & Sedan” class, which was soon rounded off to just a Gasser class." It does specifically state "Coupe and Sedan".


Then on the Street Roadsters page he states, "The Street Roadster classes were very similar to the Gasser classes, with the obvious exception that instead of coupes and sedans, the S/R classes had no tops."


Now, that's the understanding I've always had about gassers, but then in that Photo Archive book there are obvious differences. That's why I got confused.

[Deleted]

Did you ever find anything, Al?

Is the consensus with everybody else that ragtops and topless cars are not eligible to run in gasser classes?