Lil John Buttera Dies

John Buttera, known for building championship-winning race cars and show winning hot rods died March 2 after a long battle with cancer. He was 67 years old.

An original hot rodder of the first order, Buttera built some of the world's most revolutionary cars, and started trends that continue to this day. The use of the Jaguar IRS with disc brakes under one of his rods started off one of the most far-reaching revolutions in rodding since the Moon Disk, and he was the first builder to use billet wheels on a car. Not simply limited to show cars, Buttera spent a good deal of his life creating winning 1/4 milers, including Mickey Thompson's Mach 1 funny car. The 1969 Mustang bodied car was dominant in the '69 season, a testament to Buttera's abilities. On top of all this, Buttera even entered a stock-block vehicle in the Indianapoilis 500, for which he recieved the '87 Clint Brawner Excellence Award.

Buttera has touched the lives of many in the automotive world, with a few of his vehicles even becoming model kits, like his 26 T Delivery, which has stood the test of time as one of the most well-loved subjects in modeling. His creations found their way into more than record books, he found his way into people's hearts through his achievements and love for cars.