CarTech® - Hubert Platt: Fast Fords of the "Georgia Shaker"

Webster's Dictionary lists the term showman as "a notably spectacular, dramatic, or effective performer." In the art of drag racing, Hubert Platt checked all boxes. Known as the "Georgia Shaker," Platt cut his motoring teeth on the long straightaways and twisty back roads of South Carolina while bootlegging moonshine. After a run-in with the law in 1958, Platt transferred his driving skills from illegal activity to sanctioned drag racing and began one of the most dominant runs in drag racing history until his retirement in 1977.

After stints in 1957, 1938, and 1962 Chevrolets, Platt's next ride was a Z11 Impala, which carried his first "Georgia Shaker" moniker. Once Chevrolet pulled out of sanctioned racing, Platt found a new home with Ford for 1964 and remained there until he hung up his helmet. Some of the cars he campaigned became icons in their own right. His factory-backed and personal machines included a 1963 Z11 Impala, 1964 Thunderbolt, 1965 Falcon, 1966 Mustang Funny Car, 1967 Fairlane 427, 1968-1/2 Cobra Jet, 1969 CJ Mustang, 1970 427 SOHC Mustang, and 1970 Boss 429 Maverick.

A 1986 NHRA Hall of Fame member, Platt's lasting legacy on the sport can't be denied. Whether he was launching his Falcon with the door open, conducting a Ford Drag Team seminar, or posting low E.T. at the 1967 CarTech Nationals in his Fairlane, Platt's imprint on drag racing was all-encompassing. His son and biggest fan, Allen Platt, shares his dad's iconic career in, Hubert Platt: Fast Fords of the "Georgia Shaker"!

Table of contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Chapter 1:

• Poor Boy

Chapter 2:

• New Beginnings

Chapter 3:

• Nalley-Nicholson Race Team

Chapter 4:

• Brand Loyalty?

Chapter 5:

• Keeping Up with the Factory

Chapter 6:

• The One-Piece Body Mustang

Chapter 7:

• The Factory Comes Knocking

Chapter 8:

• The Switch to Super Stock

Chapter 9:

• Cobra Jets

Chapter 10:

• Ford Drag Team

Chapter 11:

• The Pro Stock Years

Chapter 12:

• The Reunion Years

Index

Allen Platt
Allen Platt is the son of drag racing legend Hubert Platt. Allen spent the first 14 years of his life traveling the country going to drag races coast to coast with his father. In the early nineties, some 15 years after Hubert's retirement from racing, Hubert and Allen started their mission of keeping drag racing history alive, traveling to nostalgic drag races and car shows around the country. They continued this until Hubert's passing in September 2015. Allen still has the same passion and carries on his father's legacy, racing a tribute replica of Hubert's most iconic ride, the "Georgia Shaker III" A/FX Ford Falcon, at nostalgic drag racing events today.