History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

I posted these pictures here a couple of months ago, didn't have an i.d. for this beautiful dragster from Bakersfield, and nobody was able to place it. Now I have an i.d.:




The build on this car was featured in Rod & Custom in 1956, under the heading "The Dragster," and here it is featured in the November 1956 issue of Drag News. Sadly Howard Stamp was killed in this car at Bakersfield, in December '57, when the throttle stuck, and the car rolled. A large "Howard Stamp Memorial Meet" was held by the Smokers Club, who managed Bakersfield, won by the Speed Sport Roadster, who raced John Bradley in the final. They donated their winnings to the Stamp family.

 

For the time period, this was an A+++ car.

 

The joys of an open rear.

Roo

 

It seems that the "Edgey" tag applied to Bovan later in life as well.

Roo

 

It did, it didn't end well......lots of different versions of the story, but none of them good....I knew him pretty well when we both worked at Blair's.

 

The Gas Company---Walt Stevens

 

Thanks Troy.

KB

 

Steve Dodd photo

 

Arnies first Pontiac.

 

I also had a 58 Pontiac with a 389 engine and one 4 barrel carb.
I made a lot of noise but was never very fast but it sure sounded cool when I nailed it.
Mine was black with white inside the chrome trim and black interior.
Jimbo

 

I love those Austins, but believe them to be Dorset (2 door) sedans. There has only been one "Football" Austin, the radically chopped version raced by Big John Mazmanian (Rich Siroonian in middle of top pic) and Junior Thompson. Much later owned by restorer and collector Tom Willford. RIP to all three.

 

Here is what it looked like when Tom Willford hauled it home.

 

Don't forget, KS Pittman owned that same car in 1968-1969 before using the chassis from it under his new Opel.

 

KS must have bought it in the latter part of '68, I saw Rich run 8.90 at Woodburn, Or in the summer of '68, in match up that included Skip Hess and The "Hippie", Mike Mitchell.

 

when I bought it from Tom Willford. My friend Jeff Kirkpatrick recreated the chassis and made it roll.
I looked for the KS Pitman Opel to try to retrieve the original chassis and had no luck tracking it but in my hunt for it, I did end up finding the Bob Panella AA/GS Opel that ended up being the Kroona and Sandburg black car.

 

The chop and other body work plus paint on the "football Austin" was done by Gil Ayala, famous customizer and Big John's long-time friend. They both went way back to just after WWII when they were pictured together in the custom Merc that Gil did for John. Gil also did paint work for Doug Thorley of Doug's Headers fame, and they too go way back to a time when Doug raced Gil, driving a stock Buick 8, with Gil in his custom '42 Ford.