Funny Car is the drag-racing class characterized by a tilt-up body and an engine mounted in front of the driver.
A Funny Car uses a lightweight fiberglass or carbon-fiber body that hinges or tilts upward, exposing the engine and mechanical components for servicing. The body resembles a contemporary production car, but beneath it is a purpose-built racing chassis rather than a modified showroom vehicle. The engine sits ahead of the driver, a defining layout distinction from a conventional dragster, whose engine is behind the cockpit.
The class developed from heavily modified production-based cars in the 1960s. Early Funny Cars often represented recognizable models such as the Chevrolet Vega, Plymouth Barracuda and other Detroit designs. Modern NHRA Funny Cars retain the visual connection to road cars while using highly specialized nitromethane-burning engines, enormous rear slicks and advanced safety structures.
Top Fuel dragsters can look similar from a distance because both are extremely fast and use powerful supercharged engines. The key visual clue is the body: Funny Cars have a single enclosed, tilt-up car-shaped shell, while dragsters have an exposed, elongated chassis.