Hello, This orange roadster has been in a lot of photo arrays from the early days of drag racing and speed runs. It is best described by @296ardun ... Thanks “Rudy Perez, who took a lot of Northern California drag racing pictures for Drag News, just posted these of the Burkhart, Brammer, and Burns fuel roadster. Running a blown Desoto with a Potvin kit, this car broke records almost everywhere it ran. The bottom picture shows "Big" George Burkhart (over 300 lb, 6'7") standing at left, Everett "Hippo" Brammer kneeling by the engine, and Mike Burns in the cockpit. Hippo was a regular guy who worked in an aquarium factory, and Mike Burns worked the counter at Weiands...I used to stop when picking up parts for Blairs and have lunch with them there. After the Sadd Brothers & Teague lakes roadster was almost destroyed in a Bonneville return road crash, this roadster gave up its body to them. Hippo passed away a few years ago, was a drag racer for many years....” For an old Friday Art post... Jnaki When we used to go to Reath Automotive in the original shop on 10th Street and Cherry Avenue in Long Beach, we always got a great story, a noted fact, or two from Joe Reath. He was well known for the endless supply of useful information for all of us young racers. But, the whole time, we looked up (pun intended) to him during the conversations. He was friendly and a world of knowledge. Since my brother was 5’7 inches and I was only 5’11” and he was easily 6 feet 6 inches, we were always looking up… Yes, a great photo ................ Note: Who is that other tall guy the orange shirt? George Burkhardt was 6'7” inches tall (or so…) and Joe Reath was at least 6'6 inches tall. It is Joe Reath. But, a couple of big intimidating folks with tons of racing knowledge. Thanks for the memories and valued information at the time... YRMV May 1959 From Rockerhead, Don Montgomery: “Some great performances by the roadsters of the Brissette Bros. and Burkhart-Brammer & Burns and the coupe of Gene Mooneyham, plus others, were such crowd pleasers that the fuel roadsters and coupes were reborn in the early 1960s.”
Is that a 63ish Corvette/ I once,as Country Fire Service road crash rescue(among other things) had a ford 73ish fairlane cut in half like that I helped salvage. The back half was stuck on a stobie pole and front half inverted in a paddock with the driver underneath. Mainly uninjured and punching out the paras when we had him out! Should have left the prick there.
One owner '50 4dr, lowered, dual piped & whitewalled in 10 days on boot camp leave 1964. Last pair of 8.20 Royal Masters I ever had, & the only set of Cal Custom baldies I ever had. 2nd pic is result of flat out on the freeway trying to get back to the base before Cinderella liberty expired. Didn't make it ...
The Jalopy Journal
