Do you remember Wacky Races, the Hanna–Barbera cartoon series? It featured the fiendish Dick Dastardly and a host of the world’s “wackiest racers”, each driving a mind-boggling modified car of their choosing.
The cartoon was inspired by the 1965 slapstick comedy film The Great Race and featured 11 drivers taking part in rallies throughout North America.
Dastardly, the bungling villain of the piece, drove the Mean Machine, a purple, rocket-powered modified car with an abundance of concealed weaponry and the ability to fly.
He was the archetypal mustache-twirling baddie and Muttley, the sniggering mut, was his simpering sidekick.
Dastardly’s modified car was always pipped at the post
Dastardly’s usual race strategy involved using the Mean Machine’s great speed to get ahead of the other racers, and then setting a trap to delay those in hot pursuit.
But most of his plans backfired, meaning that he was usually passed by the entire field at the finishing post. Doomed Dastardly never won a single race.
Do you recall all the Wacky Racers and the modified cars they drove?
They were:
- The Slag Brothers, Rock and Gravel, who drove a cavemen-themed racer called The Boulder Mobile
- The Gruesome Twosome in The Creepy Coupe
- Scientist Professor Pat Pending in The Convert-a-Car
- Red Max in a car/plane hybrid called The Crimson Haybailer
- The only female racer, Penelope Pitstop, who drove The Compact Pussycat
- Sergeant Blast and Private Meekly in an army tank/jeep hybrid with a steamroller wheel at the front, called The Army Surplus Special
- The Ant Hill Mob of gangsters in The Bulletproof Bomb
- Hillbilly Luke and Blubber Bear in The Arkansas Chugabug
- Gentleman racer Peter Perfect in The Turbo Terrific, and,
- Rufus Roughcut, a lumberjack, and his companion Sawtooth in The Buzzwagon.
It can be a struggle to find modified car insurance
There’s no indication in the TV cartoon series if these cars were insured but if they were, the drivers would have struggled to find the right policies for their level of risk.
Finding good-quality insurance cover for a modified car at a sensible price is still not easy, especially if you have a high performance model or if you are a younger driver.
Enthusiasts frequently find companies that claim to cover modified cars often can’t or won’t give a quote on their particular model, or to drivers of their particular profile.
All too frequently, modified car owners have to compromise, either on price or level and quality of cover.
Sterling insurance can provide specialist modified car cover
There is another option however. As specialists in covering all modified and custom vehicles, Sterling insurance has a wide-ranging, in-depth knowledge of the modified scene.
This means Sterling can offer top-notch modified car policies at incredibly low prices. For the very best deals, call one of Sterling’s trained underwriters on 0344 381 9990.
