The Golden Commandos
The Golden Commandos club was conceived in 1962 by a small group of technicians, mechanics and engineers from Chrysler Corporation Central Engineering Department in Highland Park, Michigan. The initial group soon grew to thirteen, each individual a specialist in a given area of expertise.
In fall of 1962 the Golden Commandos stormed onto the Super Stock drag racing circuit as Plymouth’s flagship drag racing team with three 1963 model year cars. They were runners-up at the 1963 Winternationals in Pomona California.
Locally known as “Detroit’s own Golden Commandos”, the team continually set the bar at the race track. They were used to develop and evaluate new technologies; sharing this technology with other factory teams, they advanced the win on Sunday/sell on Monday marketing themes of the era.
The momentum continued into 1964 when the Golden Commandos fielded two new light weight Super Stock Plymouths. The mid season addition of the 426 cubic inch Hemi engine propelled the Golden Commandos to be the first Super Stock to break the 11 second bracket at an NHRA event.
In 1965 the Golden Commandos fielded their wildest ride yet and in doing so they changed the landscape of drag racing forever. The altered wheelbase cars became known as those “funny looking Mopars” or “Funny Cars” as we know them today. The Golden Commandos were the unlimited class winners at the Super Stock Magazine’s 1965 meet in York Pennsylvania.
This same year the Golden Commandos showed the drag racing world that anybody can go racing with the introduction of the “Goldfish,” an F Stock Plymouth Barracuda with a potent 273 cubic inch small block V-8. The Goldfish broke the AHRA F stock record the first time it ran. Small block racing remains today a staple in the sportsman classes of drag racing.
In 1967 the Golden Commandos introduced their first full funny car know as the “Dune Buggy with the Flip Top.”
Throughout their history, the team members had backgrounds which included being engineers, mechanics, lawyers, policemen, truck drivers, and college students all with enthusiasm, dedication and a willingness to work long hours – after a full day at work and all weekend. Membership in the Golden Commandos was also a family affair as kids ran around in the pits, wives packed parachutes and polished cars. Nobody realized they were making history at the time – they just wanted to go racing, have a good time, and win.
