I am a member of a Hot Rod, Racing & Custom group on FB. The group is mainly for car enthusiasts who have been around the North Alabama area for the last half century or so. Several posting were made the last few days that I thought I'd share with my HAMB brethren. The Coachmen were apparently one of the first Hot Rod clubs in this area. They were formed in the late 50's and was one of the clubs inspired by and in support of the NHRA. These are photos of the then Presidents roadster and shots of other members cars. If more are posted I will share them as well. Enjoy...
These photos are from a show the Coachmen held at the local armory in 1959 or 1960 showing a insane inline twin engine Coupe!!
Hey, thats cool. That was before I moved here. I didn't know there was any hot rod enthusiasts in this area back then. I wonder if any members are still kicking.
Yes Don. If you know Charles Malone, he was in the club. Ronald Reed (R&R Speed Shop) and Pete Moon... that's him with his Bean Bandit roadster. Cecil Hicks from Arab, Pat Gray and Sam Keith were also members and I think they are all still around.
holy shit those yellow tow vehicles! the Truck, the 55 wagon, and a yellow Nomad hiding behind that wagon... and the 56 Nomad, and ... the heavy channeled 32 5W up on blocks..and... .
I know.... very cool & radical cars. This area is not a mecca for cool cars, so it was surprising to me. Lived here all my life, been pretty involved in the hobby since the mid-80's and never knew about any of these.
A few more vintage photos posted over the weekend. Not sure if these were members of the Coachmen or not, but both of these were Huntsville Hot Rods in the early 60's. Both were also supposedly daily drivers!! The black pickup had a J2 Olds engine.
Northern Alabama has always been full of hot rodders with a keen appreciation for the finer things in life: fast cars, moonshine and music. I have been told many tales from the past by my good friend, Kelly Mann. Several cars built in the Shoals, and those from a well-known known builder in Decatur have gotten national exposure in Street Rodder Magazine, as feature cars. So, this bug for hot rods has been around for some time, with Bennett Racing, a buider of performance Ford engines in Haleyville, and a scattering of drag racers who compete at the highest levels of the sport, as well as an ongoing interest and participation in round track racing, we are a state full of hot Rodding to this day. And, I must tip my hat to the post by loosewhell for his history lesson on the Coachmen, HRC, Huntsville. Well done, and thanks a bushel!
@loosewheel, thanks very much for sharing these...with the Hamb Thanks also to the membership within your group and any former members of the Coachmen Hotrod Club for making this sharing of history possible. It is very awe inspiring stuff indeed. Please continue to update us with anything you feel relevant and I have to say you have a Serious handle on what is...
Bruce.... the FB page I'm getting these from has a lot of the right people from the area on it. They are very active with posting historical as well as current content regarding all things hot rod. As people post I will continue to add to this thread. Glad so many others are enjoying this.
Is 'Huntsville Engines' still in business?!! If so I bet they would be a good source of info about hot rod clubs of the past. 6sally6
Not sure if this page is still active, but a couple buddies and myself are trying to bring back the Huntsville coachmen car club. We have a active face book page please take a look Coachman CC Huntsville
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