Hot Rod Hoarder Feature: 40+ YEARS! The Legend of the “BRANDED RAT” ’55 Chevy
Here’s another great historical feature from the Hot Rod Hoarder, and this one is a truly great story of a cheap 1955 Chevy that would become something truly special. From daily driver and street terror to full on drag car, this thing is cool as hell. Check out the video below.
Video Description:
East Tennessee drag racing legend Don Cox started racing in the 1970s with a 1955 Chevrolet that he bought for $125. What started as a daily driver turned into an occasional trip to the drag strip, and that turned into a drag racing obsession. He never stopped racing his ’55 Chevy, even as the drag racing world changed around him. He stayed true to the car that started it all for him.
During the 1980s the Branded Rat evolved from a gasser-style drag car into a low-slung bracket racer with a custom tube chassis. In 2017, Don crashed the car severely at Huntsville Dragway, destroying the original steel body. He replaced the body and repainted the car just like it was for all those years, including hand lettering and artwork by the same guy who painted the original car (Howard Horn). Don also stayed with a one-piece flip front end. Even though this car was all modern by the time we shot this video, it still carried that history along with it.
Unfortunately, Don Cox passed away last fall. He was at the drag strip, doing what he loves. The Branded Rat lives on, and made a memorial pass down Don’s home track of Knoxville Dragway to pay tribute to the local legend.
