History Comp Coupes, All but forgotten?

Been awhile since I posted. Waited on front wheels since March. Slowly getting there.

 

Saw this at a fundraiser at Nelson Ledges near Warren Ohio.

 

These are from the Romin Chariots car show in Blue island Il 9/28. I think the US 30 sign is the original.

 

It's been all over the midwest Ohio/Indiana/lower Michigan area car shows, I've seen it several times in the last 15 years..

 

Good to see the Gabby Bleeker car! I didn't know it was in one piece. Can you post those over on the Altered thread too?

 

Not Bleeker's. His had rear wheels in stock location and no extended firewall and less chop.

 

I was told that is indeed Gabby Bleakers original body, but it's on a newer longer wheelbase chassis. Apparently who ever owns the car also has the old short wheelbase frame.
Here is a pic i found on the net of Gabby racing agains the Winged Express with the lonlg wheelbase chassis.

 

I wonder who won that one? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

I robbed the Bleeker shots over to the Altered thread.

 

Card's Auto Specialty El Cerrito, Ca


Hello,

Ever since our friend from Bixby Knolls rolled out his yellow Potvin blown comp coupe, we had envy. My brother and I just finished out 40 Willys 671 SBC coupe for C/Gas and now, my brother was thinking of moving to a full competition coupe race car build. Joe Reath had his fingers in most of the fastest cars in Long Beach and the competition coupe class was the closest thing to FED classes. Our Willys Coupe would become one of our legal street hot rods and during the time of racing, we would start our new frame/body build.
old Friday Art
Bob Brooks from Bixby Knolls also had a yellow 671 Potvin style motor set up in his Bantam coupe.
Lion's Dragstrip 1959


Jnaki



Here is a complete story on the grey-silver comp coupe of Gerry Card from an old HAMB post.

Gerry Card from El Cerrito, California

March 1960: an early version of Gerry Card’s California Competition Coupe racing one of the top record holders in the USA, Leffler-Loukas out of the Midwest region on a Westcoast tour.
Loukas-Priestling comp coupe was also a record holder... see listing in 1965 above.


We were introduced to the hard running Competition Coupe of Gerry Card at the 1960 Bakersfield Smokers March Meet. In the pits, it looked very mean and fast. It looked like a pin point shape slicing through any obstruction for a victory in the Competition Coupe Class.

My contribution to the lasting teenage memory...

We were amazed at the shape and design of the coupe. It sounded powerful and made some outstanding runs. As time progresses, the paint color scheme was different, but the coupe was still fast looking and also, fast.

Nov 1964 Gerry Card
The ad in the Drag News weekly paper in 1964. What a cool race car and power to match. We were certainly surprised at the Competition Coupe being for sale. It would have been a great starting point for anyone wanting a ready to go, rolling chassis and body.

Gerry Card of El Cerrito owned Card Automotive Specialty in San Pablo, California, and campaigned a series of A/FMCs in the late '50s and early '60s. Card set a Standard 1320 record in the Sumner-Burt A/GMC in 1961.

at Lion's Dragstrip

 

I know the Bantam guys don’t like when the racers chop up their old tin, but those little Bantams make the coolest race cars.

 

In talking with restorers, in general, I have found that many look down their noses at hot rodders, but at the same time will pass on some of the battered rusty tin we make into hot rods as being too far gone for them to use. Go figger.

 

Real steel Bantams are in a tough spot, restoration wise. The guys that want them stock are aging out of the hobby, the cars were at best good for about 50 MPH, so basically a parade car, and the parts are very hard to find. The engines are prone to crankshaft breakage and proper sized headlights are very scarce. There are several Bantams sitting around missing these key items. We went to Hershey in ‘22 and were shocked at the scarcity of Austin and Bantam parts there. It’s not surprising to me that even today they are winding up as radical hot rods or race cars.

 

Front tires finally on. Was taken about a month ago. ✌️

 

I got kicked out of the Bantam club for cutting up my panel truck.

 

Recently, or several years ago? Seems the current members are softening on the hard line restoration stance. I think they should welcome any activity with Bantam, otherwise the brand is going to die.

 

Sure seems to me they were out of touch, aren’t Bantams mostly known for being used for Comp Coupe/Altered bodies?

I remember watching an episode of Jay Leno’s garage, he was doing a feature on a the FAIT Toplino…


…I had never seen a stock Topolino and it’s history as a drag car body was never mentioned on the show.

I was watching thinking “Why does that car look so familiar?”

A few hours later it hit me!

 

A local Topo was just sold for stupid money. I wonder what it's future is.

 

Methinks it's a Fiat Topolino.

Or not.

 

I'm interested in fuel-ban era gearbox/ transmissions of the TWIN- MILL side-by-sides- e.g. the Dye/ Hampton Fiat. And, particularly- although dragsters- the Eddie Hill and Tommy Ivo twin AA/D's- what was going on between the engines and the wheels? Any comment/ info welcome, thanks..

 

I was at garlits museum back in January and Ivo’s twin was there it was direct drive no trans now I’m not sure if it was a recreation or the real one but I’m pretty sure most of them were simply using a clutch and a candle stick my 58 chassis research car I run I use a toploader for three speed from a early ford van so the trans is real short I made a inline shifter for it depending on what engine and gear ratio I have in it depends if I use all three gears or just 2-3 I don’t have enough motor to just go direct drive but at least this way I can do a burnout and backup though back in that time frame there wasn’t many burnouts but they were starting to do that at that time