SUMMERNATS SPOTLIGHT: LOU CARPINATO’S ‘DART ATTAK’ GASSER

The Dart Attak gasser has graced the pages of numerous publications over the years as you’d expect a cool build like this to do. It was built with the goal of becoming a street registered, 60s inspired funny car. The build took over seven years to complete and it all started with a fairly exhausted VG Valiant Coupe which was converted over to an American model Dodge Dart thanks to the brains of Grant Williams.

After cruising around in the converted Dart, the A/FX style build began. As you’d expect, there was plenty of work to be done on the body, with some rust removal on the cards before the team at Andrews Race Cars got stuck into structural reinforcement before installing a full eight-point roll cage featuring a removable taxi bar behind the front seats, plus removable side intrusion bar.

The heart of the gasser is still the same motor Garth bolted together some years ago. It’s a Chrysler 383ci donk, with some other bits chucked at it bringing it up to 451-cubes. Sitting on top of the 451ci is a Littlefield 6/71 supercharger on boost duties, plus a tricked up EFI system which is all paired up to a Chrysler 727 TorqueFlite transmission.

Current owner Lou Carpinato has maintained the iconic gasser, with a few changes and modifications done to his own taste.

“I drive it a lot and it’s seen a lot of the show scene. We went with this car because it’s just different. It’s not like a normal muscle car, and people that aren’t even into cars are intrigued and want to know what it is.”

“It’s not 100 per cent the same as when I bought it. It’s got some different wheels on it, and it used to have injector tubes hanging out the bonnet. I decided to change it up and keep it all neat and underneath, it helps keep the cops off our back!”

It was an epic spot at Summernats 35, and we caught up with Lou for a quick chat about the car over the weekend. Check it out below, and be sure to subscribe to the PG YouTube channel for more content heading your way soon.