Folks Of Interest Craig Breedlove

After reading Ryan's post about Sir Malcolm Campbell's accomplishments I was reminded of a photo I found a while back searching land speed racing.

Craig Breedlove's ran pretty fast before SMC but he was also a hot rodder and was honing his skills behind the wheel of a 34 coupe that he acquired when he was 13 years old..

The photo below is Craig at Bonneville in 1959,,he was 22 years old at the time of the photograph. HRP

 

HRP- so how fast did he go? Inquiring minds.......

 

As for his time I haven't found any from this period of his racing career.

History picks up around 1962 or so. HRP

 

If you are gonna do any comparison between any American vs British LSR efforts, (meaning no disrespect to either), seems the Yanks had tons more hands on experience being hot rodders, and did more with less than any of their competitors. Think it's still like that today.

 

Sure looks like a nice body -- interesting windshield treatment too.

 

Did ya notice the 4 Stromberg carburetors sitting on top of what appers to me a Scot Blower? HRP

 

November 2010 article in Hemmings Muscle Machines says Breedlove was clocked at 154 at El Mirage in Coupe - www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2010/11/01hmn_feature12.html

 

Link didn't work for me but thanks for the information. HRP

 

Saw him at the GNRS. He was on a scooter.

 

yep, the motor in his coupe looks really wild. sure would like to find more info and pics

 

I found a few more photos from a article in Hot Rod Deluxe. HRP







Just as this issue of Hot Rod was hitting subscribers and newsstands in August 1960, the world’s first jet car was making checkout blasts. While Dr. Nathan Ostich was making history at Bonneville (See “A Year in the Life of Eric Rickman: 1960&#8221, the young builder of this clever ’34 coupe was running Southern California’s dry lakes and dragstrips in relative obscurity. How obscure? Consider that more people still knew this Screwdrivers Club member by his previous name, Craig Bowman, than by the surname that was destined to become world famous for sitting on the nose of what would be described as “a fighter plane without wings.”

Craig Breedlove was just 23 when Eric Rickman twice hauled his cameras to Costa Mesa, California, to shoot one of the coolest coupes of its time. This was the kid’s fifth Hot Rod, dating back to another ’34 coupe that he was given at age 13 so he could learn about cars. Removable bodies were still relatively rare when Craig rescued a rotten body, chopped it 6 inches, and fabricated a laid-back, two-piece windshield. HRM’s story (bylined by Rickman, but probably ghostwritten by colleague Tex Smith) failed to explain how the blue-and-white shell mounted to the ’34 frame, saying only that “removal is quick and easy for direct access to all components.” It was all steel except for an “aluminum deck with 259 (you count ’em) louvers designed to exhaust cockpit heat and relieve pressure and lift that build in car at high speeds.”
Hrxp 1107 Craig Bowman Blown Flathead 1934 Ford Coupe000

That article, titled “Never Scrap a Coupe,” mentioned a speed of 143.312 mph at the dry lakes on the third run for the fresh engine shown here. At a Russetta Timing Association lakes meet later in 1960, the same combination produced a B/Coupe record of 149.501 mph.

Shortly thereafter, however, a photo of the car started appearing in HRM’s Hot Rod Mart. The proceeds from that sale would contribute to the construction of another innovative Hot Rod that set another record, repeatedly—the unlimited Land Speed Record, which this Hot Rodder’s Spirit of America ultimately boosted to 526.280 mph.

 

Here ya go...

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2010/11/01/hmn_feature12.html

Rich

 

Any times on the chopped greyhound? Bob

 

That greyhound is not chopped, he has been channeled.

 

Are you guys talking about the dog? HRP

 

I am. I hope the kid is too. Harley

 

An extremely rare photo by RASCO. 7 World Land Speed records between the two of them, but even more impressive. . . there're both smiling!

 

That's probably THE coolest pic to get posted here in a long time.

 

Yes, HRP. Did everybody notice the sponsor on the quarters? Quincy Automotive housed the largest cache of 'used & previously owned' speed articles ever assembled.
I gathered boxes of stuff from there in '60, for my 6-71 blown Reath engine.

Used parts between 1955 and 1968 made it possible to build some real dreams.

When (and why) did Craig change his surname from American Indian to...Brit, with 'successful suggestion'? Hey, it's a good question.

 

Did you notice the barbell weights on the back of the frame? I suppose that made it easy to adjust the weight to make class.

 

I noticed that right off, not necessarily for class but maybe for ballast and traction. Lakes are loose dirt and hard to bite sometimes.

Great history!

 

Doing some research on the 34 coupe, I came across this thread. Hoping to get some time this week to go pick up that piece of history.

 

Holy Shit!

 

Nice find, and it just goes to show that there are some rare gems out there!

 

Anyone know why he changed his last name.

 

WOW! Nice find, good luck with the restoration. Bob

 

Inquiring minds need to know.. Where ,When and how did you find that piece of history? Love this place.

 

Like was said up above Holy Shit.

 

Unreal, this is amazing, what's the story? HRP

 

All i could find is that his birth name is Norman Craig Breedlove and that he had a step dad with the last name Bowman.