SEX & SPEED | "JUNGLE PAM" HARDY & "JUNGLE JIM" LIBERMAN LIGHT 'EM UP

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1973 — “Jungle Pam” Hardy and “Jungle Jim” Liberman with his Chevy Vega Funny Car.

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You’d be hard-pressed to say who was hotter back in the ’70s– “Jungle Pam” in her go-go boots, short-shorts, and titillating tops… or “Jungle Jim” Liberman’s rubber-melting burnouts, wheelstands, and screaming up and down the length of the dragstrip backwards.  Liberman was arguably one of the most flamboyant and memorable showmen on the funny car circuit, who knew better than anyone what the crowd wanted– and hiring the 18 yr old tall, dark and sexy “Jungle Pam” Hardy as his sassy staging sidekick was a calculated stroke of marketing genius.  But she was no lightweight– she quickly learned to turn a wrench, know here way around cars, the crowds, and the scene– the fans loved her.

“Jungle Pam” is still a legend to this day, and a true original.  Sadly, Jim Liberman left us back in ’77 when his Corvette hit a bus head-on in a tragic road accident.  His spirit lives through all the drivers he’s inspired, and the countless memories of his “Jungle Jim” antics and achievements during Liberman’s legendary racing career.

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Drag racing legends “Jungle Pam” Hardy and “Jungle Jim” Liberman doing what they do best.

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“Jungle Pam” gets down.

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Jungle Pam in cut-off shorts…

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“Jungle Pam” Hardy

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“Jungle Jim” Liberman’s epic 1970s wheel-standing funny car.  Image via

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“Jungle Pam” Hardy and “Jungle Jim” Liberman with his Chevy Funny Car.

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“Jungle Jim” Liberman’s epic 1970s wheel-standing funny car.  Image via

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“Jungle Pam” Hardy — Photo courtesy Greg Sharp and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsport Museum

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A beautiful photo of a young “Jungle Pam” Hardy

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“Jungle Pam” Hardy

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Epic shot of “Jungle Pam” Hardy look-a-like (as it turns out) working the crowd, and no doubt distracting the competition. –image Jim Kelly

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“Jungle Pam” Hardy

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A young and fresh-faced “Jungle Pam” Hardy on her way to becoming a racetrack legend.

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“Jungle Pam” Hardy– Image © Charles Gilchrist, right with racing legend “Jungle Jim” Liberman.

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“Jungle Pam” Hardy and “Jungle Jim” Liberman at work on the drag strip.

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“Jungle Pam” Hardy and “Jungle Jim” Liberman at work on the drag strip–  Image © Charles Gilchrist

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Jungle Jim & Jungle Pam. “K&G Speed Associates” still going strong on West Chester Pike, Broomall, PA. So, story has it from a friend of mine E who is a PA native, that a young Pam was walking down the street in downtown West Chester and Jim was cruising by in his Corvette. Well, he got one look at her, spun his ‘vette around to say “hey” and she jumped in. The rest is history.

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Jungle Jim Liberman, Jungle Pam, Austin Coil and Merle Mangles after hours and relaxing. Coil, of “Chi-Town Hustler” funnycar fame, Mangles and the Jungles Jim and Pam of the most beloved F/C team to ever tour, in a candid glimpse of the lives of pro drag racers in the early Seventies. –Photograph by Paul Stenquist, who comments: “These aren’t good photos, but some of you may find them interesting. I shot them a couple of days before Christmas in 1976 at Austin Coil’s apartment in Justice, Illinois. Austin was the brains behind the “Chi-Town Hustler” funny car, a top contender for many years in American drag racing competition. In later years, he took John Force to numerous world championships. In the foreground is Jim “Jungle Jim” Liberman (the furry thing without a head) and his girlfriend, sidekick, showpiece, Pam “Jungle Pam” Hardy. Austin Coil and his friend, Merle Mangles, are in the background.” via

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More Jungle Pam goodness here at H.A.M.B. and at JunglePam.com

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