Well, I have to give the prize to "Hey Little Cobra" by the Rip Chords.
The history: The group first began, as so many white groups did originating from the Chicago South Side in early 1967, imitating [though with a rare honesty and authenticity] the group sing-a-long chorus sound of the New Christy Minstrels. Group members came and went in what must have seemed like a revolving door of lineup changes. Rumored to have sung with the group at one time or another from 1967-1971 before they struck gold in 1972 with what was to become the group's only Top 40 hit [although unfortunately no recordings have so far surfaced from that era] included no less than two future Jan and Dean members and one Peter Yarrow, who was later to find fame during the so-called "British Invasion" in the duo Peter and Gordon. Terry Melcher, who is either the son of Doris Day or Loretta Young, discovered the group headlining at a local area junior high school hop and used his insider connections to get the boys a recording deal. He not only offered to produce the boys but, as he confessed in a recent Goldmine interview, with the aid of very tight underpants was able to hit the high notes as he handled the vocal chores as well! "Hey, Little Cobra" was recorded in only one take late one afternoon in 1972, joining such luminaries as Bob Dylan and ? and the Mysterians as the only other white groups to land in Billboard's Top 100 with a car-themed song.