By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Making its first appearance at Rod and Roll Saturday, The Wheelie Wagon (www.thewheeliewagon.com), "the World's Wildest Wheelstander," is a hand-crafted, specialty exhibition vehicle designed to do wheelstands.
Just revving it up in downtown Dowagiac draws a crowd.
The one-of-a-kind vehicle parked at the southeast corner of Front and Commercial Street comes complete with a pull-along handle and a red body like a child's wagon.
It approaches 150 mph from a standing start to a distance of a quarter mile in just over nine seconds on its rear Goodyear racing tires.
When given the go signal, the driver steps on the throttle, keeping control while the front of the wagon comes up, carrying the front wheels all the way.
When the driver is ready to slow down, he slowly lifts his foot from the throttle and sets the front of the wagon back down on the ground, bringing the Wheelie Wagon to a safe stop.
Power to do this comes from a fuel-injected, super-charged, methanol-burning, big-block Chevy.
A specially-designed wing completes the package.
Built in Elkhart, Ind., about five years ago, the Wheelie Wagon belongs to Tom Brown.
Besides appearing at dragstrips across the country, the Wheelie Wagon has been to Puerto Rico as well as Dowagiac.
"It was the featured car at the Cavalcade of Wheels" at the University of Notre Dame, according to Bob Newton, a Special Olympics volunteer who lives in Edwardsburg. "It's been up to the Lane Automotive (in Watervliet) car show two years in a row."
"Out of the cars I've helped build, that was the absolute most fun," Newton said. "I've helped build funny cars and dragsters."
His day job is designing and installing control systems for machines.
Newton said The Wheelie Wagon is driven by Casey Jones, whose own dragster looks like – what else? – a locomotive.
Sunday The Wheelie Wagon was destined for another car show in Elkhart.