The story is told of George Manessis, a Northern California NHRA Super Stock racer who wanted more. With help from Chrysler and San Francisco's Sunset Dodge, a '64 Dodge "Ramcharger" 330 sedan was ordered with the goal of competing and dominating in SS/A--a hotly contested class where the Max Wedge Mopars dominated.
Manessis would line up against the SS/A drag racing legends--names including the other Mopar-sponsored Northern California Max Wedge of Tommy Grove in the Melrose Missile sponsored by Melrose Motors of Oakland, California. Manessis would mark his years in the Sunset Dodge entry, which was later re-lettered in Van Ness Dodge nomenclature, with a fair degree of success, including an event win at the Northern California SS/A Championship. In addition to the quickest e.t. George ever made--a 11.14/126 pass--the sedan competed at legendary lanes of asphalt and concrete such as Cotati, Half Moon Bay, and Fremont. At these coastal California drag strips, the dense, cool air helped create the spectacle of Max Wedge domination.
Sometime after a build date of February 17, 1964, Manessis took delivery of his Dodge 330 and began to campaign the aluminum-paneled sedan. With its hinged aluminum hood; dual hump aluminum hoodscoop; aluminum fenders; aluminum bumper brackets; and acid-dipped components including the front bumper, doors and decklid, all seemed well. But looming at the Daytona Speedweeks in February 1964 and then on the April '64 cover of Hot Rod Magazine was Chrysler's new "Modern Hemi."
