I wouldn't trade where I'm living in Northern California for anything, but sometimes, I really miss the South. When my friend Charles posted this article from Hot Rod magazine about former bootleggers (we're talking white lightning, not Morrissey concert tapes), I can't say that I didn't feel a twinge of homesickness. Not that Atlanta was exactly moonshine central--it had way more Priuses than flathead V-8 hot rods, but I certainly took some trips up into the mountain, where the moonshine legacy was still in evidence (not to mention in Mason jars).
One of the legacies of moonshine running is NASCAR, where many bootleggers used their driving skills to become legends. The article interviews several bootleggers-turned racers, including NASCAR legend Junior Johnson:
The cars we ran on the road, you could modify 'em to the tip. Plus, they were supercharged and turbocharged. We could just do anything we wanted to 'em. There was never a time we could do anythingwe wanted to the race cars, even the Modifieds. NASCAR wouldn't let 'em run turbochargers or superchargers or anything like that. A supercharger or turbocharger just packs so much power in that motor, it's unbelievable. And we had no limitations on cubic inches. We could bore and stroke 'em all we wanted. We'd run 500 cubic inches a lot of the time.
These behemoth cars could outrun the local law enforcement officers, even with 750 pounds of illegal moonshine hidden in their trunk. The Hot Rod article goes on to explain handy modifications that the bootleggers made, including toggle switches (pictured above) that left the tail lights burning, but switched off the brake lights so police couldn't see when they hit the brakes.
Another popular modification was tying the emergency brake to one of the back wheels, allowing for spur-of-the moment 180 degree turns at high speeds. Not something I'd recommend for your Prius. In any case, pop on over to Hod Rod and luxuriate in the article, with its photos of impossibly big cars that could really hold their liquor. Moonshine runners were a classic example of proto-hackers who were able to adapt what they had into exactly what they needed.
