The Trader Ray Mustang funny car with the transporter in the background.
New York Nationals, 1971. Photo: Perry Wyatt, Jr.

Gallagher’s truck started life as a Chevrolet Cheyenne C30. It came with a 350 cubic inch small block Chevrolet engine. A 396 cubic inch big block engine was available as an option, but was not selected for this truck. The truck was rated as a “one ton”.

The hauler appeared in the movie, Funny Car Summer. In 1972 Speed Products Engineering (SPE), of southern California, fabricated a stainless steel cover for the ramp.

Later, Tommy Ivo began putting windows in his trailers so the fans could see his cars. He put lights and a generator in the trailer, so it would light up the cars at night and save the time of lowering the tailgate so the spectators could see what was inside. Ivo painted the hauler red (over the existing white) to match his other trucks, trailers, and race cars. In addition, he replaced the 350 cubic inch engine with a big block Chevy 454.

See complete History (527kb PDF).