Found this while surfing Flickr! I always heard of him and his legacy he left behind, these photos are awesome! There not mine! ..i just came across them surfing. http://www.flickr.com/photos/7552532@N07/sets/72157603712632579/
So here we go,people get run down while spectating an illegal race in WA and some one decides to close a facility opened to curb such things. I remember reading about Big Willie in 1970 and was always fascinated by the Afrocharger with it's two "big elephant trunks sniffing out racers" for intakes . but what about this... Those Post mix soda cans in the back ground are worth around $200 each here in OZ to the home brew guys...alchoholism at it's best..ha ha
I remember seeing Big Willie and Tomiko, at Toronto International Dragway in the early 70s. She was driving the Black Super Bird. He wasn't happy because she would lock up the brakes at the end of her burn out. ---- They used to book in Jets and Funny Cars there. Saw Snake,****oose,Jungle Jim,Green Mamba, several others I don't remember. Walked through the pits,watched Snake pulling plugs, and tossing them on the ground.Flipped me out at the time.
Closed the Terminal Island track due to the increase in the ports use and expansion. Even the site of the legendary LIONS Drag Strip is now all shipping containers from the port...thanks to all the Chinese **** that Americans can't seem to get enough of...sad in many, many ways.
This car was at the Hot Rod ReUnion in Bowling Green a couple of years ago. Was it Big Willie's.... or just along the same lines???
That was his. I talked to the guy who owns it, I think he lives in BG. He said he'd been trying to buy it from him for a long time, then finally was able to. He's on the hamb here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7552532@N07/2187378922/in/set-72157603712632579/ wow thats alot o money .....
The L.A. Street Racers met at the International House of Pancakes at Crenshaw Square in the late 60's. I worked in a Mobil Station and would go to the street races after work. One night, nothing was happening so some big guy challenges Willie to a lift off. What were they lifting? A car transporter!!! The challenger got the front shocks fully extended, Willie actually got the wheels off the ground, yikes!!!
Any Daytona or Superbird will cost you that on average,but this is one of the very few to have actual race history so compared with the ****ing idiot money paid for ****ty old Falcon GT's in OZ . it's cheap.
Years ago when the Sunday AM cars show stuff started on TV I remember an interview with Big Willie. Sure seemed like a good guy.
That's weird - I was just talking with some buddies over dinner just two hours ago and I asked whatever happened to Big Willie Robinson? Used to take the pink '50 Austin - yep, Pepto Bismol pink, to Terminal Island Saturday nights to race. I get home, climb on the HAMB and voila! I see from the article on Flickr that there is talk of BPR reopening - anyone got any more on that? Thanks for the thread Ryan.
that 57 Ford SHOWDOWN is up here in Seattle now. I just did some work on it. Its got a 598 cu in BB Ford in it. Last time out was in 93 or 4 ot ran a best of 8.19 @ 163. FEDER
Terminal Island RULED!!!!! my dad used to take my brother and i when we were kids. fun fun fun!! Big willie was just that, One Big Hombre!!! damn i wish they would open up terminal island again!!! freezing late at night watching cars drag race!!!
I was at Terminal Island the last night that it was open. They brought in a jet car and blew away the wooden burn out back stop with the afterburner. It was a sight to see. I sure miss that place, even the big bump in the right lane.
She p***ed on in April 2007. Youtube on BigWillie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjMiCg2LDRk&feature=related
Man,,I remember reading about Big Willie Robinson in Hot Rod or Car Craft magazine in the late 60's in our high school library,,,interesting read then and today,,Thanks,HRP
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