A side note of sorts: In 1959, a Ferrari bodied by Vignale of all things made a run at Bonneville. According to an Italian paper, it managed a 151.770mph pass. Now, as someone who’s split their life between the raw pulse of hot rods and the sculpted finesse of Italian machinery, that little nugget of info has always gripped me by the collar. I’ve long dreamed of catching even a whisper of that car in some dusty old frame. But nope. No dice. And wouldn’t you know it? Tom Cobbs, who loved European cars as much as I do, didn’t shoot a single frame of it. Not one. It’s a ghost. And that kind of thing leads me to a long-held gripe of mine: Every other major racing discipline has a detailed, organized archive of results going back to at least the 1950s. Indy? Easy. Daytona? Piece of cake. Pikes Peak? You bet. But Speed Week? Good luck, pal. The SCTA, for reasons I can’t fathom, never bothered to create a comprehensive, publicly available record of the runs. That’s borderline criminal, considering how historically significant this stuff is. It’s not like it would be impossible to reconstruct. Hot Rod magazine and others did excellent coverage in the day. With a little sweat and some obsessive digging, I’d bet you could patch together a solid year-by-year roster with most of the speeds filled out. Sure, it’d take time. But impossible? Hardly. We should know who ran what and how fast they went. The salt deserves that kind of memory. And so do the cars that came to prove themselves there… even the Italian ones.
that ranchero must have had some serious overload springs, I love details like that in these old photos.
Feels like I’m screaming into the void with rolls of film that should be punching people in the chest. But there’s so many damned photos that somehow the novelty has worn thin to the common man. Don’t matter to me though. This train stops for no one.
I don’t think the novelty is getting lost. It’s just the detail density of each photo makes coming up with an intelligent comment nearly impossible. There are so many questions!
@Rocket Scientist Chris has it right. @Ryan, you just keep on doing what you are doing with all those pictures. I, for one, am not tired of seeing how it used to be. I'm sure I was born in the wrong time, so if they ever do perfect time travel, I'm going back to experience early hot-rodding for myself.
The novelty hasn’t worn off for me, I love this stuff. I don’t know much about the LSR stuff so I can’t comment on any history etc. however I’m learning and enjoying the history lesson. Love the photos - great stuff. Dan
Here's a case where pictures really are worth a thousand words. More, even. Absolutely amazing. Thanks @Ryan for your efforts in bringing these pics to the world.
Ryan, keep on screaming until the void is filled. I've seen countless images of cars, races, engines, etc. starting in the 1950s when I would read dad's N.S.S.N. before he came home from work. What you bring to us through Cobb's eyes is a rarity. He does not just show us the iron, but captures the environment and characters with the innate skill of a gifted photo-journalist. I want to see every roll of exposed film, even the shots with the lens cap firmly in place. I want to ride the train till the end of the line!
I’m not bitching… I’m gonna write regardless, because at this point it’s hardwired into my system like some degenerate tick. There’s no off switch. I don’t know anything else. Even if “knowone” gives a damn… I’ll still type away. Also… I get it on some level… I really do. I stare at these goddamned photos and I got nothing. Just slack-jawed awe. How the hell do you add to that? How do you pile words on top of raw myth or art… or whatever the hell this is? You don’t. You just salute it, grit your teeth, and keep typing through the static. I guess? That’s what I’m gonna do anyway…
I think that the appreciation of the photos comes with an understanding and a link to what was happening and what they are doing. The understanding of the Bonneville experience, of the Heaven and Hell of the salt, the thrash to prepare/build a car, to get a team together, to keep them together and to have set a goal, and to fight your way there is difficult to express. The photo of the guys sitting in the pits, near the push truck is very telling. Jack Costella used to say to me when we were at that point in the day. "I could have played basketball"... If you are yelling to the void. I am here. I am the void. Please keep yelling. I need to see more images of individuals dreams shared with me. The eternal timeline of another person, I love the experience you are providing.
Ryan, please keep on about Bonneville and Speed Week, there nothing else quite like it. In the early 60's seeing Hot Rod magazine coverage of The Salt was something Special. The variety of machines cannot be duplicated to say nothing about the speeds and ingenuity used to create them. So you just carry on and know that your efforts are genuinely appreciated. My pick, just imagine what being in That seat must feel like!
Punch away think about it....you have the perfect opportunity and this is the perfect place.... and much of your audience is silent...and yet to discover this I have shared links to non JJ folks so they know...this is epic in so many ways thank you for salting my breakfast today in the spirit of 3WLARRY ......more.....
Fantastic stuff, thanks! Timely too as this years Speedweek is fast approaching...... The spirit of those early racers is still alive there, I think that's what keeps calling me back
Haven been given the honor of driving down that black line laid down on the salt, I am thrilled you are posting these treasures as they have made me even more respectful of the guys that did it before me. All you said above is so true, it is truly American history that deserves to be properly saved. As far as someone getting bored by your posts, they don't belong on the HAMB. Bonneville is the definition of hot rod.
From one photog to another: HELL YEAH!!! Keep doin whatchyer doin! Spread the news far and wide shout it from the hilltops, we most enthusiastically welcome it and yes I also pass it along to non JJ folk and the younger generation. To my nephew who I got into cars and hot roding, goes all my camera gear, accessories and whatever photos and negs he wants! ONWARD EVER ONWARD!!!
Hmmm... Maybe not a frame but I think by chance... It almost looks like Tom Cole's 340 MM but that I believe remained in Modena at Ferrari's scrap yard and then disappeared.
Late 50's, early 60's was when I was just becoming cognizant of things like Bonneville, Indy and the drags. Challenger was a big deal to me at the time, so these photos are well worth looking at!
Cant find a Vignale pic, but here is a what I think is a 250 Pininfarina Special at Bonneville in '59 https://archive.petersen.org/pages/...estypes=1&recentdaylimit=&foredit=&ref=624963
The SCTA relies mainly on volunteers. That would be the major reason for why they haven't compiled a record of runs through the years. The organization is still running races at El Mirage and two at Bonneville annually, so that's going to be their focus. It's no easy feat to pull those off from what I've seen. Jimmy Miller of the American Hot Rod Foundation has a pretty good archive of Bonneville photos and is good at cross-referencing programs and car numbers with photos, sort of like what you are describing. But there isn't anything online that is easily accessible as far as historical records of Bonneville races. It's difficult even today with the internet and social media to find out how every run turned out for each car or bike. Information like that usually doesn't get made public as far as I can tell, other than successful record runs. Although most racers are friendly and very forthcoming with info if you ask. Side note: As one of the few younger guys that has built a car for Bonneville and is actively campaigning it, I'm doing what I can to carry on some of the legacy and promote racing out there while we still can. If you have Speedweek on your bucket list, now is the time to go. Don't wait. And I'm pretty sure the SCTA always needs more volunteers.
The Jalopy Journal
