In 1956 as a Southern Calif high school student I had quite an experience with Von Dutch. I took my car to him to have it pin striped and one of the requirements was that I had to take him a half gallon of wine and the other was that he had full authority to do what he wanted on the car. The car was a 1950 Olds with a home built full race motor. 4 carbs, hot cam, bored, stroked, headers, La Salle stick tranny and locked rear end with racing slicks. It was used for street racing. Louvers on hood, trunk and any thing I could remove. Painted bright yellow. He said to return in 8 hours and I would be extremely happy. I returned and the first thing I saw was air brushed flames coming from the rear window. I ask why and he said anybody crazy enough to have louvers on the trunk deserves flames. He pinstriped every louver (about 300) and around all the trim, gas door, trunk and hood. A beautiful job. Couldn't wait until night to go from drive-in to drive-in and call out my next victim, just like the movie "American Graffiti". Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Was that a pair of 5.90s up front? Hope you had tubes in them. Outstanding early example of the "California Rake" trend that swept the nation. That looks like a factory 3 speed car - no backup lights & black gravel guards. Those '50 88s are in a class of their own. Red, yours is the ONLY dechromed '50 88 I've ever seen that looked better than all trim intact. You showed great taste stopping where you did.
A year later--the engine, trans and rear end survived now in a 40 Ford but now at the Santa Ana Drag Strip. No more street racing. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Wow, beautiful car - well, it WAS anyway! Glad you survived. Now, how about a play-by-play of that last street race?
The reason for the Pontiac shields--check out the side exhaust. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Not sure, that was 61 years ago but it would be way out of my price range if he was alive and did it today. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
It was estimated that the car was going 95mph, left the ground for 45' then traveled end over end for another 45' landing upside down. I was pinned with the floor gear shift knob stuck in my stomach. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Great recollection! Thanks for sharing. I was reminded of a life-long pal who built a similar ’50 Olds fastback with a much-massaged motor and trick hydro at about the same time you built yours, also in SoCal. His Olds was wrecked on a road trip by a pal of his who was sharing the driving chores. The motor and trans were plucked from the wreckage and inserted in a Ford ’32 five-window that proved to be an exciting quarter miler for a year or better. Where was Dutch located when he did the work on your Olds? I’m guessing in the sporty car shop on Haskell in Sherman Oaks . . . I included a personal recollection of Dutch in a piece I wrote about car shows in American Rodder magazine in 1995. He was a large part of the SoCal car and motorcycle scene of the ‘50s and well into the ‘70s. There was no one quite like him. “ . . . It was at the Pan [Pacific Auditorium] that I saw Von Dutch for the first time. He was pitching a fit to a show official about this enormous early '30s touring car he was striping. As best we could tell some well-meaning expletive lackey had turned the expletive car around while Dutch went to the expletive can. The side of the car now facing the expletive aisle was a mish-mash of paint daubs and strokes and some aborted stripes. Dutch had just been warming up his expletive brushes, getting his head together and now here was this expletive mess for the whole expletive world to see! He then did the logical thing, of course, and wiped every expletive thing off with lacquer thinner, all the while continuing his rant and just being himself.” Mike Bishop
My father had the wreck towed to our front lawn, put up a sign "this is what could happen when street racing" Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
One of the most interesting racing moments with the 50 Olds was in 1956 racing Sammy Davis Jr in a big limousine on a long straightaway on the way to Las Vegas. He had the window down waving as we went sailing by. He was a Las Vegas headliner at the time. One of the worst things is that I was kicked out of Yosemite Park because the car was too loud and it scared the animals. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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