My friend Pete Ogden is in the hospital and is in really bad shape. If you've ever seen the "PURE HELL" AA/FA, taken a good long look at a mid-sixties Woody dragster ch***is, saw a wheels up howling '65 AA/FD run for Top Eliminator at Half Moon Bay, have been to an outlaw dirttrack race in the bay area, or (if you were lucky enough) saw THE Texas drag race that started the big time in '59...Then you've met him. Jump in that roadster and hit it hard over the next few days boys, he likes the salt flats and screamin' flat Fords best...If you have any (rare) pictures of him or his work put 'em up.
Jump in that roadster and hit it hard over the next few days boys, he likes the salt flats and screamin' flat Fords best... Everytime it starts......this happens.
Everything. He could be in every wing of Kaiser permanente but there's only one of him. The nurses like him though!
Tim, I've got a picture of Pete driving Romeo Palimides' enclosed car at Vaca Valley, wheels up leave with the flag starter in the air. I've got another one of him, close up in the same car at Half Moon Bay with Jim McLennan handing him a trophy. Both pictures are from 1958. The problem is I can't figure out the scanner deal to place the pictures here. Maybe if you e-mail an addy to me we could work out a way for me to get these to you. I'm at spurlda@pacbell.net.
Sorry to hear. Never met him but sure read alot about his exploits in the old days. Hope all works out OK.
Hey Tim. Please keep me updated on Pete's health. Hopefully with good news. Dad and I were just chatting about him the other day. He built my dad's Groundshaker car. It took 2nd at the 25th and 26th annual GNRS. Pete has/had mad skills. That's Guasco in the back right by the fence in the first shot. Gene Gastellum is wearing the huge lid. The body panels were removed and a sceen was placed on the injectors due to a bunch of mud.
Even found his old show card buried in his garage a few weeks back. Going to the framer soon. True story. The car used to belong to Bill Wishart (sp?) and someone else who's name escapes me at the moment. My dad was friends with Bill, and learned that after a big argument with his partner, Bill got so pissed he donated te car to the girl scouts. Some girl like 10 years old wins the car in a raffle. Fremont is a small town, and pops finds out who got the dragster. Not knowing what the hell they had won, dad showed up at their house with cash and kindly took it off their hands. Get well Pete.
GREAT story! Feel free to e-mail me pictures if you can't post 'em...theconderosa@hotmail.com - Thanks
Sorry to hear about him being in the hospital... He built the Quality auto fuel altered... that was a copy, with improvements, of the Pure Hell car. Sam.
Mr Bayareagearhead, Just wanted to inform you on your recent posting. The first image is of Tom Prufer's dragster he raced from 1963 thru 1965. it was the original M & R dragster that Kent Fuller built and big Bob Haines crashed at the top end of Fremont. The M & R team bought another dragster that Fuller was working on to honor and continue the advertised match races publicized for the team. Tom Prufer bought the wreckage and had Fuller repair it. He commissioned Jack Hagemann to build the beautiful body and Injector scoop then covered it in his favorite Red scheme. The Enderle barn door injector was the third one built by the company. Tom will turn 87 this year and lives here in Texas. I see him once a month and he shares stories of his past Drag racing adventures. He is one of my best friends and consider him the man who started this whole Nostalgic Drag racing, Hot Rod reunions and Cacklefest gatherings that we know today.
Yes, we have a lot to thank Tom for, he changed my life and made this whole movement possible. I haven’t talked to Tom for some time, please tell him hi for me, he is a buddy!
The Jalopy Journal
