The Corvette powered Mongoose fiberglass sports-car.

Mongoose III_Racing Orange with duel air meters

Mongoose III Racing Orange 1965 with duel air meters

About The Mongoose.

The Mongoose had all the advantages in handling of the '63 Corvette Sting-rays innovative four wheel independent suspension. Once the engine was moved back in the car no drive shaft was required because of the rear swing axle movement. The Mongoose had the 50/50 weight distribution of a mid-engine car. The Muncie T10 close ratio four-speed transmission hooked strait up to the rear end using only one specially adapted universal joint. Weighing in at 1760 lbs dry and with the final addition of dual air meters on it's fuel injection, the Mongoose became a true beast. The power to weight ratio was phenomenal for it's time.

Mongoose III Racing Orange 1964

The Mongoose became a nearly uncontrollable MONSTER with the addition of Dual Air meters on it's fuel injection.

The increase in performance was staggering.

When I hadn't driven the mongoose for a while I would run the Mongoose up through the gears sometimes only getting through three of the four gears. Then I would stop roadside and just sit there quietly by myself and shake uncontrollably. The Mongoose was guesstimated at over 750 bhp. According to the power to weight and gear ratios it would go well over 220mph.  Unheard of in those days. It always took allot of will-power to put the throttle down to the floor and control the Mongoose. The powerful Mongoose definitely was not for Sissies.... 

To make it a little more able to stop, I installed competition racing cindered steel brake linings in the brake drums with air scoops for cooling. Quite an advancement for it's time. Few in America had even heard of disc bakes yet.

For the Mongoose's day in Iowa it was quite the race car.

I hand lettered and photographed the pictures to make this advertisement describing the Mongoose I

Carol II & Mongoose II_Orange

FYI- Carol II was my attractive secretary that also worked in my studio learning photography at the time.

But I always kept alive my life long dream of one day becoming a Playboy magazine photographer and........

I kept my photography business going on up stairs in my dual purpose apartment-photography studio above my folks grocery store. Just a short few steps from the garage behind where I was building the Mongoose. I would advertise, interview and hire sweet nice looking young girls that had an interest in learning photography and train them to shoot pictures in my studio to make money for me while I was out-back deeply engrossed in building the race car.