The Snake and Mongoose are a pair of drag racing funny cars from the 1970s that had many memorable battles on the drag strip and then became a popular set of Hot Wheels for Mattel. But nobody except former auto racer Rick Hendrick seemed to remember that at the Barrett-Jackson Auction this weekend as the pair of funny cars – a 1972 Plymouth Duster and 1970 Plymouth Barracuda – went on the block and failed to meet the reserve amount for owner Don Prudhomme, stalling out at a mere $1 million for both cars plus their transportation trucks. Hendrick came to the rescue, making a backroom deal to collect both cars and trucks for an undisclosed amount and avoid further embarrassment.
The Barrett-Jackson Auction ends on January 19, 2014.