The Logghe Brothers
Ron & Gene Logghe
Logghe Stamping Co.
Ron and Gene Logghe were “car guys’ from the beginning and worked in the shop that was founded by their father,Morris in 1947 to produce parts for the “Big 3” auto
makers. So it is only reasonable that they should end up building some of the most successful cars in the sport including the first “Flip-Top Funny Cars
They began by building cars for themselves, the first being a AA/Gas Roadster that Gene drove but when Gene got burned in the car after they converted it over to fuel in 1962 they teamed up with Jim marsh and Roy Steffey to build the “Giant Killer” that became the first unblown car in the 7’s.
In 1965 they were approached by Mercury to build a totally different type of car to compete with the Chrysler A/FX cars and the results were the beginning of the modern day funny car. The first three cars went to Don
Nicholson, Eddie Schartman and Jack Chrisman and the dominated the funny car scene in 1966 and Nicholson recorded the first seven second run in a funny car in September when he went 7.96 in Martin Michigan
They also continued to build dragsters and Connie Kallitta won the Winternationals in 1967 in the first outing
of his Ford SOHC powered Logghe Dragster. Their customer list went on to read like a “Who’s Who” in Drag Racing and they ran there own test bed Funny Car the “War Horse driven by Jay Howell.
Who can say what else the Logghe Brothers might have accomplished in Drag Racing had it not been for an unfortunate lawsuit by the father of an inexperienced boy who failed to lift when he got into tire shake in one of their dragsters. The lawsuit forced the closing of the chassis shop in 1975 and took another 13 years to finally settle..
The Logghe Stamping Co. Still makes parts today for the “Big 3” under the leadership of
Dan and John Logghe but has no ties to Racing. The Logghe Bros were truly ‘Pioneers & Innovators" in the sport of Drag Racing.
One of the Logghe Bros. First customers was Connie Kalitta who borrowed a Potvin Blown motor from them for one of his early cars thet was the first supercharged car to run in Michigan. They went on to build the car above and others including funny cars.
The Marsh-Steffey-Logghe “Giant Killer was the first unblown car to run in the 7’s.
Ron & Gene Logghe built Funny Cars for most of the Major players in the 60’s & 70’s from there shop in Fraser, Michigan
Dragsters,Funny Cars,Altereds and even Street Roadsters were produced in the Logghe Stamping Co. Shop where they also introduced the coil-over shock to the industry.
Example of a Logghe Street Rod Chassis
Fiat “Altered” under construction
The chassis for the “Prock & Howell” Fliptop ‘33 Willys
The “Prock & Howell Willys
A typical Logghe Funny Car Chassis from late 60’s
Sign on the wall of the Logghe shop.
CONTINUE with The Logghe Bros. Story
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