Winged Express was built in 1960 by driver William "Wild Willie" Borsch and partner Al Marcellus,[1] assisted by Howard Johansen (Howard's Cams), Don Reynolds, Phil Johnson, Dale Young, and Jerry Hyatt.[2] The car's 392 hemi was built by Jim Harrell (of Jim's Auto Parts).[2]
The body, donated by Curt Hamilton,[2] was the first Cal Automotive fiberglass 1923 Model T used on an Altered.[2] When completed, the car had a simple hoop rollbar and narrow slicks, with the engine tilted upward to aid traction, and was missing the rollbar-mounted wing that later became its trademark.[3]
The car was first entered in NHRA's A/Roadster class, at Riverside in 1960, where it set an A/R class record of 10.28 at 148.27 mph (238.62 km/h).[2]
Borsch raced Winged Express for ten years, winning AA/FA at the NHRA Winternationals in 1967 and 1968.[1]
Since AA/FA was not recognized as a class by NHRA until 1967, Winged Express never earned a national title.[1]
On 28 September 1967 at Irwindale, Winged Express made the first 200 mph (320 km/h) pass by an Altered, at 7.91 seconds and 200.44 mph (322.58 km/h).[4]
Winged Express qualified for the 1968 NHRA Winternationals, a 32-car field in Top Fuel, at an AA/FA record elapsed time of 7.29 seconds, only to have the rest of the field refuse to race Borsch, for fear of the ill-handling Altered. It turned out they were right: in Round One of Super Eliminator, Borsch went from guardrail to centerline, in a wild ride, captured, and made famous, by photographer Bob McClurg; it "became one of the most famous drag racing photos of all time".[1]
