Drag Racing History - The Glass Slipper

The Glass Slipper, constructed in 1954 by Ed and Roy Cortopassi and Doug Butler of Sacramento, Calif., is credited with being the first dragster to combine a streamlined fiberglass body, aluminum frame, and enclosed canopy. As was the case with many dragsters of the 1950s, it did double-duty on the salt flats, reaching a best of 181 mph with a flathead engine at Bonneville in 1955.
NHRA founder Wally Parks selected the Glass Slipper and Calvin Rice's dragster to compete for FIA International Acceleration Records at March Air Force Base in Riverside, Calif., in 1958. It clocked 168.85 mph in the standing kilometer with an unblown 302-cid small-block Chevy, and it was named America's Most Beautiful Competition Car at the prestigious Oakland Roadster Show in 1957.