Art & Inspiration Traditional images that need no explanation.

You think this go-kart is badass, wait til you see what I do to the Henry J!!!

 

Well he is going to be easier to catch with all the weight he put on.

 

This picture is before the 3 tone pink, white, and black paint job.

 

George Barris's wife's car.

 

Very tasteful.

 

Jr. Thompson's Studebaker.

 

Hello,

The photo is part of the collection from Junior Thompson’s Website collected by his daughter. The name below is Restored by RestLess D Graphics is her design services. Those photos are priceless.

Most people know of Junior Thompson in the Gas Coupe and Sedan racing. Then as the years went by and the cars changed from the street legal Gas Coupes to full race Funny Cars, the beginning seems to fade away. Sure, there were other Gas Coupes and Sedans in the picture, but the history we associate with Junior Thompson started for us near our own house in the Westside of Long Beach.

Jnaki

Here is the information gathered from the origins of the black 1941 Studebaker from Speed Engineering and Junior Thompson.
1958
FROM A PREVIOUS POST:
Hello,

We all have known the drag racing laurels that Tom McEwen has received over the long years involved in the racing circles. For some, it was knowing he had the fastest 55 Chevy sedan in town (Bixby Knolls/Long Beach), it continued with a faster 56 Chevy sedan and then on to the 57 Chevy sedan that ruled the streets and dragstrip classes for quite some time. Who the heck has a 55, 56, & 57 Chevy sedans in successive years?

Here is an advertisement for a small industrial shop that was turned into a drag racing speed shop and hot rod build site by Tom McEwen and Ronnie LeGrand back in 1958. It was a half mile away from our last Westside of Long Beach house. It was a block away from my teenage job at a trailer manufacturer company. The small speed shop was a gathering place for a lot of the locals from Bixby Knolls and it was a place to call home for many racers from that age group of Long Beach teenage/20 something enthusiasts.

March 1958 opening of a small “local” speed shop: Speed Engineering

Little did we know that the name of SPEED ENGINEERING on the side of Junior Thompson’s 1941 Studebaker car for the Gas Coupe/Sedan Class was built, maintained and stored there during its heyday at nearby Lion’s Dragstrip. Our favorite sedan from the 1959 days was located just a few blocks from our house. We eventually saw it at that small shop.

Jnaki

The stories that came out of that business venture were a little hilarious as they had little to none in the business sense. What teenager/20 something drag racers had any sense at that time period, especially running a business. Stories from Reath Automotive (where most of us, including McEwen and LeGrand bought our speed parts) were plenty as told among friends. Those new guys were buying parts from Reath Automotive and sold them to their friends at a discount. That was a chuckle in the business sense, since the original discount was very little and the new price was a little off of the listed normal price.

It wasn't the heavy 25 % discount for being a huge dealer of speed parts then selling them at a big profit for the business. The more you bought and sold, the dealer discount from the big suppliers and manufacturers was larger, making the profit larger.

By the time we knew about the little speed shop, my brother also got the bright idea that opening up our backyard recreation room into a small garage. That was the starting of our own home speed shop that lasted until 1964. Our business practices were for us to be able to buy speed parts for our own discounted price as certified engine builders. We even had a fancy name of “Precision Racing Engines.” That was about as good as “Speed Engineering” for those other race guy’s shop.

The established shops like Joe Mailliard’s Shop nearby and Reath Automotive a short drive away had a real top running automotive businesses. Stories are still circulating with things like buying from those two big name dealers and then selling at a tiny discount to their friends had a certain ring to it, even for us.

Back then, it was all about getting a dealer/builder’s discount on your own build stuff first. Not, to make a million bucks as a big time speed shop. So, we chuckled, but were part of our own business sense. What a couple teenage /20 something antics that worked out in the long run.

Thanks for the historic information…BUD

1958 OKC NATIONALS
Jr.Thompson SOUND
Speed Engineering from the Westside of Long Beach, CA

I was able to edit out some digital converted sounds and add them to the film I had taken just months before the 1959 September Nationals in Detroit. So, film taken in So Cal in the summer and the sound converted from those in September U.S. Nationals. The drag racing style and performance was letter perfect by Junior Thompson and his Tom McEwen/Ronnie LeGrand Speed Shop, Studebaker from Long Beach, CA. “Speed Engineering…”

So, now the connection between Junior Thompson, Speed Engineering, and Tom McEwen/Ronnie LeGrand is made and goes down in drag racing history from Long Beach. Thanks for the memories…