These days, seeing a car hit 200 mph isn’t all that special—there are American-made muscle cars and sports cars available for less than $150,000 that will do the deed. But 50 years ago, it was a serious feat, especially to do it in a quarter mile.

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Not even today’s fastest supercars will do that. And while  today’s top fuel dragsters will push well beyond 300 mph, watching “Big Daddy” Don Garlits do it with the tech of half a century ago in his Swamp Rat VI is still impressive.

It’s all the more impressive when you realize he was straddling the driveshaft and rear end of the front-engined dragster.

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As The Garage Blog points out, however, there was some controversy over Garlits’ famed 200-mph run—Chris “The Greek” Karamesines was thought by some to have hit the mark several years earlier, in 1960.

Whatever the case, this video is a slice of the past that should interest and excite any gearhead. So have a watch and soak in the history.