Art & Inspiration Flip top bodies

That's awesome!

 

20210303_151021 by chessterd5 posted Nov 1, 2021 at 6:06 PM

Forgive the ugliness.

 

the original

 

This was built by Paul Hobby in the UK, some time in the 80's. Had a 455 Buick motor, was yellow when finished. He had owned Pinball Wizard, a well known UK Pop (anglia) which may have had something to do with the Minor's body.
Sorry about the grainy pics, hard to find any on the net.

 

Man, calling my car the dragmaster is so perfect. I live that name. Thank you.

 

Originally built by Jim Lytle as a drag race car. Rumor has it that he did a lap (or two) around his local burger joint before he hit the track with it. Was always powered by the Allison engine, never a jet, and currently resides in Don Garlits museum in Florida.

 

Lion's Dragstrip Class Lanes 1959
Next to the popular class lanes for A&F stock
Modifieds and Altereds...
Hello,

My first round of films started in 1958 as I was given the direction to film my brother racing his 1958 Impala in A/Stock, using our dad’s 16mm color point and shoot movie camera. After I finished helping my set up prep work on the Impala, I had free range to wander around until he came to the line for his trial run or elimination run.

One of the early drag racers from the Long Beach area was the Dark Blue Fiat Altered of Ratican, Jackson, and Stearns group. We always saw them in the pits and in competition in those early days. We watched the changeover or as the future adaptation for faster competition, speed parts were added and some major changes took place over the times we saw them at Lion’s Dragstrip and other So Cal dragstrips.

Not only were they fast and a cool looking early Altered Coupe, they were sponsored by our favorite speed shop, Reath Automotive. As their success grew in the Altered Class, there was a chassis change to a shorter frame set up.
1959-60
The Ratican, Jackson, Stearns Fiat A/Altered went through some major changes before their winning ways at the 1960 U.S. Nationals in Detroit.

The final shortened wheelbase, changed to 96”, was the right combination for ruling the Altered Coupe class. Ratican, Jackson, Stearns: National Champions...
old Friday Art
Ratican-Jackson-Stearns

Jnaki

While I was taking photos at the original grand opening of the Lion’s Dragstrip Museum during the “Cacklefest” in the afternoon, an old friend was in the line up.

The whole experience opened my eyes and brought back a flood of memories from those teenage years… old vs new…

"And, we still do car shows, as well as cackle it.”
Ron Stearns

June 2017 Lions Dragstrip Museum Cacklefest

June 24, 2017 ... Price Transfer original Lions Dragstrip Museum grand opening event,
"The big second cackle."

 

I did not know the owner of this Crosley but I remember the car very well.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/dave-lukkari-rip-my-friend.543364/

 

late 1959 Riverside Raceway

Hello,

When my brother and I went to the Riverside Raceway back in 1959, we saw plenty of different hot rod/drag race set ups. There was a yellow modified roadster that could unbolt the body from the frame in a few minutes and the whole pit crew lifted off the body to set it down next to the frame/motor.

Ganzer, Palmquist and Weeks A/Hot Roadster Class

The one roadster that stood out from all the way across the pits was the Higgenbotham Farms Modified Roadster. We knew of this roadster from the local weekly Drag News publications. But, we had never seen it in person.
May 1959
Jnaki

Upon walking up to the Candy Apple/Tahitian Red Color roadster in the pits, it was amazing that the whole body was hinged on the rear. It could be lifted up in front to be able to work on the motor/transmission.
Pits DEC. 1959
No more crawling over the top to get into the seat.
Direct access for the center seating, arrangement was evident.

Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plb3vorppus

Higgenbotham Farms Riverside 1959

 

The Last Logghe altered