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

John Matsek Ford powered altered

 

296ardun did not identify this shot when he posted it in July of last year but here are some details. It is Texan John "Mouse" Wilson in Fred Rowsey's Banzai II. The photo is most likely from the WCS points meet in 1967 when Wilson set both ends of the track record at 7.57/201 while winning the event. Read more about him here: http://wdifl.com/Wilson.html

Roo

 

John Matsek Ford powered altered


Although 296ardun had this listed as John Matsek when he posted it just over a year ago it is actually John Matusek, the father of Aeromotive founder Steve. Read more about the family here:
https://www.aeromotiveinc.com/aeromotive-president-steve-matuseks-all-american-success-story/

Roo

 

Note: Don't do fire burnouts with an alcohol car, hint they need oxygen to run NITRO doesn't!

 

The car on the right is the very early version of Don Briethaupt's(sp?) famous "DCB" coupe w/Chev V8 power.

 

Thanks added that info

 

Jimbo

 

Don Green's Rat Trap before paint. Woody Gilmore designed the unique chassis, one of several fuel altered chasses he built, including one for Don Argee/Fred Sorensen. (or one of them, don't remember the details).


I may have posted this before, but have more of the story. This started out as one of the Jack Chrisman-driven sidewinders owned and built by Paul Nicolini. It was sold, then sold again, the second time Ronnie Hampshire and George Bolthoff bought it, replaced some of the drive train and dropped Bolthoff's blown gas Chevy in it. It didn't handle first time out, at San Fernando, so they made some adjustments and towed to Fontana the next week. As they unloaded, a sheriff approached and confiscated the dragster, because the person who bought it from Nicolini did not pay. Apparently Ronnie would up paying the car off (which meant he bought it twice), but it never went straight, so they abandoned the project. Anyone else heard this story?


Olin Davis's "Little Red Riding Hoodlum" at Caddo Mills, TX. Olin was a legendary Texas drag racer who preceded this Crosley with a radically chopped '34 Ford coupe with the same name.


SWC vs Sam Parriott at the Winternationals. Parriott, who was the Mayor of the City of Industry, ran this Kurtiss car with a blown Ford. As Dean Lowe has documented earlier, apparently the mayor misappropriated city funds to build this car and later the authorities seized it.


Very early Saugus drags...I think that this is the Morris Brothers roadster.


More Saugus. I don't imagine that a lot of crews pulled the engine in these early days, but these guys seem pretty determined to get their car back to racing.


Love these Bantam coupes...


I don't have all the details on this, but I believe it is Orv Moe and Lloyd Scott's "Sleeprocker Special," from Washington State. Lloyd Scott, famous for the Bustle Bomb, moved to Washington, and partnered with Orv Moe, (I think the manager of Seattle International Raceway??), on this car...anyone else know more?

 

I think Orville Moe ran Spokane Raceway Park, in Eastern Washington.

 

Actually Dave, the authorities hauled both Kurtis sports cars out of Sam's garage. Sam was the first mayor when a section of La Puente split off and formed The City of Industry. Sam convinced the new city council that having the city name on a race car, seen by the public, would be great PR for the start up city, and attract more industrial companies. He used city funds to build both of the sports cars. Sam ran them at the drags for a few terms as mayor, but when he was defeated in an election, the city took the cars and sold them. Sam's son, Buddy, tried to fight it, but the city had the titles, and that was that. Both cars were in the NHRA museum a few years ago, and sadly, the '53 500S had been painted black, covering Sam's favorite maroon.

 

Interesting story Dean, thank you.

 

Marvin Ruetz, from Niles MI, 31 American Bantam body, gas flathead, at the '60 NHRA Nationals.

 

That's correct.

 

Gene Mooneyham, #554 at Colton, around '55, still fuel flathead powered at this time, before the partnership with Al Sharp and the blown Chrysler.

 

Sneaky Pete.note the high tire pressure.

 

Jr. Thompson, gasser at Lions.

 

Glenn Stokey at Lions.

 

Ivo in the lights at the Smoker's meet at Bakersfield, could be the inaugural '59 meet?

 

The Blue Streak Special . Dave McKenzie owned the car and John Collins usually drove it.

 

Bob Duedall, Albany Oregon. I'st pic is Bob in the seat in '62, 2nd shot is him in the car 50 years later ! Current owner is Jim Lindsay (yellow hat) who conducted the restoration along with Ron Austin (far left), who duplicated the K 88 chassis to perfection.

 

Bustle Bomb history along with the "Sleeprocker Special"
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/the-legendary-bustle-bomb/

 

Santa Ana, don't know if this is original or colorized...this is very early in Santa Ana's history. The red "coupe" was one of several cases where the roadster classes became too competitive, so guys made "coupes" out of their roadsters with cardboard.


Unknown flathead dragster at Santa Ana.


Huth Muffler Special at Saugus. Huth was in Burbank, and built many a header system for local hot rodders. Many of the cars that competed back then featured performance over looks...the chop here is pretty basic, but it got the job done.


The unique thing about this radical 5-window is that it ran a "backwards" flathead, with intakes on the side when the exhaust manifolds were, and exhaust out the intake ports -- thus out the top of the nose. The "nose" is an early Willys hood. Notice that these guys are running what appear to be snow tires to get more traction, so this may have been before slicks became the tires to drag race with. This picture appeared in an early Hot Rod Magazine, but I can't find it in my collection, so recalling this from memory.


Tom Walsh ran this coupe sponsored by S&S Automotive, which later sponsored several alcohol dragsters run by the Santos family. Later this "roadster" (a beheaded Fiat coupe) would get a 4-stack Hilborn on its blown Chrysler. Tom would suffer burns in it when he blew the engine at a Smoker's meet.

 

I spotted this on the "Vintage Shots" thread. It's Steve McGee's C/G car from Pendleton, Oregon. I saw it around 1965, the most beautiful 40 Coupe I ever saw ! It was Naples Orange, with black diamond tufted interior. It ran a 301 Chevy with Hilborn Injection, and everything was chromed. Steve went on to run an A/GS 33 Willys, along with a stint in Top Fuel in the 70's, (there was a model of his car "Black Beauty") and he rounded out his racing career in BB/FC. Steve passed away a couple of months ago.

 

The DCB coupe in this photo is running the 32 coupe of Buddy Anderson who later had the Widdle White Wabbit Fiat

 

Hey Gary,
By 1960, Tommy Ivo was running the twin and was touring the USA. He sold the single Buick to Don Prudhomme. We saw the white, single Buick at Lions, but did not get any action shots.

Jnaki
But, in the 2nd Bakersfield Smokers Meet in 1960, we were able to get this quick shot of a great run by Prudhomme.


Tommy Ivo Twin at Lions and the wheelie at Bakersfield in 1960.


So, yes, it is 1959 if the photo was shot at Bakersfield.

 

Just thought this was cool...local car, local to me Oregon, is it still around?

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Always liked this car, had a shot at buying it in the early 80's , from a friend but just didn't get the money together in time then it went to a couple of brothers ( Bailey's) two local guys , they changed it to black, saw the car in Portland's PIR the night they making there licensing run first run car made hard turn towards the lights right off the line....read about it not to long ago , new owner new Paint job.... I ended up buying a old front engined dragster

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Hey Midwest Guys,

I was told just yesterday (by a prominent drag racing /historian) that back then, a long time ago, another West Coast car went to the Midwest. The white, single Buick FED that Don Prudhomme owned went somewhere in the Midwest region. So, any of you guys know a little history of this original, Tommy Ivo red, single Buick FED from 1959? (changed over to the white single Buick FED for Prudhomme) Did it land in your area? Is it still around after all of these years?

Jnaki
1959 Lions pits
1959 Lions heading to start line
1960 Lions pits

1960 Bakersfield Smokers meet