”Wally Gator” was Built By Gary Betz in 1973 and features a lightweight tube-frame chassis, high performance 1600cc VW engine and custom-designed body panels. The buggy was raced by Tom, John and Ray Swift throughout the early 70’s under the team name, the ”Lemon Drop Racers”. ”Wally Gator” was completely restored to its original appearance in 2009 by John Swift. NORRA chose ”Wally Gator”, along with the team's ’58 Edsel and ’72 Banshee to be displayed as vintage centerpiece show-vehicles at the 2009 Off-Road Expo in Pomona, CA. ”Wally Gator” is much more than a show vehicle. The VW-powered buggy was raced in the 2010 NORRA Mexican 1000. The three-day, rally-style event was a throwback to the historic 1967 Mexican 1000 and featured many off-road racing legends. Names like Parnelli Jones, Walker Evans, Bruce Meyers and Rod Hall were in attendance as well as the Swifts who also share a deep-rooted history with the origins of the Mexican 1000. Competing in “Category 4”, Jonathan Swift and his cousin, Rylan Swift snapped up a well-earned third-place finish in the team’s classic 1973 VW Gator.
ˆˆ