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Featured Flyer: Supercharged Top Sportsman Corvette

10 Aug 2016
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
News


Bob Mandell's supercharged Top Sportsman Corvette
 
Bob Mandell has lovingly produced hundreds of showcase machines from his race-car-building emporium, Bob’s Pro Fab, in the tiny town of Culleoka, Tenn., but none may be more special to him than his current ride, a supercharged ’16 Corvette Top Sportsman entry.

No, it’s not just that the veteran Top Sportsman racer is enjoying the challenge of bucking the almost standard nitrous-assisted Top Sportsman combination favored throughout the quick-doorslammer class by going with a blown engine. The car owns his heart because it’s a rolling tribute and remembrance to his wife of 38 years, Paula, who passed away last September.

After selling his popular, low-slung, orange-and-cream ’55 Chevy Top Sportsman machine last year, Mandell asked his wife, who was terribly ill at the time, which was her favorite of the scores of cars he had driven in his long career, and she was quick to remember a Corvette they had campaigned together in the 1980s, so he decided he’d build them a new Corvette in her honor. She passed away before the project was fully underway, but he continued anyway.
 


And because Mandell sold the ’55 turnkey with all of his nitrous equipment, he was wide open to a new challenge and decided to run with a supercharged engine.

“I’ve been in business 40 years, and it’s the opportunity to put another notch in my belt, to prove that you can win in Top Sportsman with a blower car,” he explained. “I honestly believe you can calm the combination down enough to where you can trust the dial-in and be right there in the winner’s circle.”

Mandell and his son, Bob III, built the car at the family business, working 60 days around the clock to complete the tube-frame, chromoly chassis, upon which Tim McAmis Corvette bodywork was hung. St. Louis-based painter Jeff Hodgkin applied the show-quality paint job.

The Mandells also assembled a 500-cid Brad Anderson 5 Hemi to sit under the hood, through which pokes a Littlefield blower topped by a carbon-fiber hat.
 


The car made its debut at the JEGS NHRA SPORTSnationals, where it was immediately honored with the Best Appearing Car award. Unfortunately, things went a little downhill from there as, despite decades of experience with big-inch nitrous engines, Mandell’s lack of familiarity with the supercharged-on-alcohol combination led to a blown engine so severe that the chain reaction even sent the blower belt through the pristine hood.

Realizing his predicament, Mandell hired Rocky Flanagan to assist him in tuning the car, and in just a few outings since then, they’ve seen immediate and definitive progress in their efforts. With the help of Marco Abruzzi, they overcame some transmission woes at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, which set the table for their efforts at the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago, where they qualified No. 3 with a very impressive 6.500.

Even though his great outing ended in round one against Jimmy Lewis’ virtually unassailable .008-second package — “Oh my gosh. He’s .008 on the Tree and dead on, and I’m .027 and out to lunch,” he laughed. “I was just in his way.” — Mandell was encouraged by the progress and the 6.46 pass.
 


“She’s gonna be a hoss once we get to leaning on it,” he said. “I’ve run big-inch nitrous engines for years, and this thing backhalves so hard. You wanna talk about a thrill ride, this is it. Once it gets into high gear, it lays you in the seat like two more stages of nitrous coming on. That baby is truckin’. What a ride.”

As good as the car looks on the outside — compliments come fast and furious from fans and fellow racers — the view from inside is just as fine.

“I can see better out of this car than I ever did in the ’55,” he said. “I’ll let anyone who comes by the pit area sit in the car, and they all can’t believe how easy it is to see out of. And the blower sits so far out on the hood that it’s not in the way when you’re staging. Plus, 90 percent of the time I’m going to be chasing, so looking back isn’t that big of a deal.”

Mandell knows that the best days are still ahead for his unique racer, and even though the pain of losing his wife is still fresh, he knows that she would have loved the car.

“It’s the first car in 38 years that she didn’t get to see, but I know she’s looking down smiling on us,” he said.
 

Sadly, just weeks after NHRA National Dragster featured Mandell’s gorgeous Corvette, it was destroyed in a racing accident in Ethridge, Tenn., on July 31. He was conscious and alert when he was cut from the wreckage, but he was airlifted to the hospital. A few days later, he was back in his shop inspecting the wreckage and posted the following on his Facebook page:

“I would like to take a few minutes to thank everyone that helped me in a time of need. A big thanks to Ethridge Fire & Rescue for being at the racetrack this past Saturday. I wouldn't be here to write this if it wasn't for every one of you. I’m so lucky to have the best car builder in the world. My boys, Bob and Jeff, have done an outstanding job in building a very safe car. Thanks also to all my friends for the calls and texts. I am overwhelmed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

As an additional postscript, Mandell later revealed that the accident happened on what was to be a special evening involving a first date. This was posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Aug. 10:

“I have to tell this story about my first time dating since the passing of my wife,” he wrote. “I was looking to having a great day with Rene Livingston Tierney. We went to my buddy Joey Chessor’s winery Saturday morning to see him and how he makes his wines, which was pretty awesome to check out. Rene and I took the back roads of Tennessee to drive to the racetrack, where I was looking to do a little testing with my Corvette and to show her a racetrack for the first time and what my boys and I do for fun. Then, it turned tragic. I lost control of my car for the first time in 40 years of racing. As I was airlifted to the hospital, I was thinking to myself, ‘What have I done?’ Well, the ending of this story is Rene didn't run. She came to the hospital and stayed there all night holding my hand. The moral of this story is you never know when the worst can happen, but the fact that she stayed there though it all means that she cares. So now when you, Rene Livingston Tierney, read this, you will understand how I feel about you, so let me make it up to you. Bob.”

 

 
TECH SHEET
CAR BUILDERBob’s ProFab
ENGINE500-cid BAE Hemi
ENGINE BUILDERBob Mandell
INDUCTIONLittlefield LB20 supercharger
CYLINDER HEADSBrad Anderson
VALVETRAINComp Cams
CRANKSHAFTCrower
RODS & PISTONSGRP/JE
TRANSMISSIONTurbo 400
TORQUE CONVERTERCoan
SHIFTERPrecision Performance
FRONT/REAR SUSPENSIONStrange struts/Strange floater
TIRESHoosier
WHEELSWeld
REAR END9-inch Ford
AXLESStrange
FLUIDSLucas Oil
ELECTRONICSRacePak dash and data logger, Digital Delay delay box
SAFETY EQUIPMENTSimpson