Chris got it.. sorry quick look at book picked wrong car due to license plate read. Early pic with Tommy Lee shows 2 tone paint job. 412030 is the car
The hood ornament when zoomed into to appears to be a pierce arrow, but the hexagonal center of the hub caps appears to be Packard to me, but that grille isn't exactly a Packard grille, but everyone's results may vary greatly! Thanks from Dennis.
That would mean the Mercury and Shoebox Ford (middle picture third row) were fresh off the showroom floor.
Here's a link to American Hot Rod Foundation with the Beck/Rufi streamliner at Rosamond Dry lake bed 1942. https://shop.ahrf.com/products/hist...ldsjl06mC4wxhdJSn1lZ5ixkp-RTrYBwFnOR9j7wwCbD3
“Thirty minutes in that world. That’s all I’d need. Then, and only then, I could die happy.” Yup……what he said…….Mark
love the article. Cool pictures. Ryan comes up with some really rare photos. Kudos for him. I volunteer for 13 years and over 2600 hours at the REVS Institute in Naples Fl. Look up REVS.org and see the wonderful collection of cars. Mr. Collier has two very significant Alfa's the 1931 2300C and the 1938 2900C coupe the won the Mike Miglia on display. They came for the Briggs Cummingham Collection in 1986. Great pictures on line by professional photographer, Harholt of each angle, engines, interiors etc. Worth the time to look. REVS was recently awarded the Best Automobile Museum in the world for 2025 by the international Motor Museum Association in London. By the way the Alpha 2300C won LeMans in 1931,1932,1933 and 1934 the only car to win the race four years in a row.
Could be a 1934 Hupmoble ?? Rare then, Rarer now. A Hupmoble Hot Rod. Streamline Modern`styling of the day
REVS is incredible... I have spent hours on the website studying cars and have always wanted to visit...
I read somewhere that they were first introduced in June of '48 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York city and in the dealerships by July. Sold for a 16 month run.
This appears to be a Russetta Timing Association deal. Does anyone know if Russetta held any meets at Mirage after the October 10 event in 1948? Assuming all the photos are from the same meet, I'm just trying to completely eliminate 1948 as the year.
That's it! I didn't recognize it. I never would have guessed that the lights bolted to the grille shell were factory installed units, or that they weren't even the main headlights for the car. Wild.
Picture from the blog pic from here https://www.hotrod.com/features/priceless-images-1948-capture-dry-lakes-racing-el-mirage/photos/ note background hill profile I found a couple links back to here in the HAMB, including a movie that's gone private.
This came from the Alfa BB website. Simeon Moore's 2022 book "The 8C Story Continues" (a follow up with updated info on some of the cars described in his earlier books) has, on p.440, more info on the early history of 412030 -- namely that the car was listed with engine 422024 in a Dec-1945 listing of all cars that Alfa Romeo owned at that time (I guess, similar to an inventory), when the car had full bodywork, wheels and tires, but the battery missing. According to this book, Alfa Romeo sold this car on 10-Oct-1946. So, the pictures at El Mirage must have been taken between 1946 and 1949. This seems to be consistent with the possible 1948 license plate pointed out in this picture on p.2 of the thread at Jalopy Journal. BTW, the short decsciption in Simon's udate ends with "There are some beautiful photographs of 412030 during Phil Hill's ownership in Inside Track, the books that were published after Phil's death but featuring his own wonderful photography."
Cris, I have in front of me Don Waites timing tags from scta and Russetta. I have a 5/29/49, 10/16/49 AND 5/20/50 all El Mirage Russetta tags.
Got it, very cool. Anything from 1948? 412030 was still on the east coast with Frank Griswold in mid/late October of 1948. I do not believe the car was sold to Lee, sent to the west coast, repainted, and run at Mirage between then and 1949, but I wanted to know if there was a late-year meet there, run by Russetta (again, the meet appears to be a Russetta meet,) which would've made the scenario I just laid out a slight possibility. Again, I ultimately believe these photos are from a 1949 meet, and thanks to Ryan for posting. A couple of those roadsters really jump out to me. Cris
I can help but take in all the activity in those photos, they seem to work like crazy on the car wherever it comes to a stop. It looks like they are in a constant thrash. Fantastic photos, thanks Ryan!
Did somebody page me? Thank you Todd @HEMI32 Incredible batch of photos @Ryan . They may throw you cause these are a Hodge Podge of photos not from one event but many over a number of years and from different S.C.T.A. & R.T.A meets. Tom ran both associations hence the roof and doors to compete in R.T.A. roadster for S.C.T.A. Ok to get the Alfa Romeo date topic finalised this is your key, Bloke in back has a copy of that Meets Program which is Russetta. Cover car is is Johnny Hartman dual purpose roadster so from memory that was 1949 (could be '48) but I'm too pissed/drunk to remember This shot I about did my nuts over... This is the 'Dumb Kid' Don Waite's T roadster from 1948 so S.C.T.A. It was rear engined here powered by banger topped by Miller/Schofield OHV I believe this is Allen Hawkins 1932 Ford Cab will have to look into that Harvey Haller This is interesting 389A makes this a Russetta Meet yet Doug Hartelt's 1948 S.C.T.A.(joint) points champion is pictured not uncommon. 389 I know just can't recall. Ak Miller Dodge roadster, flathead V8 Cad power. built on the cheap, Ak would leave it on the side of the lake in the brush. Ak in background. Dave Glotch '25 T roadster this is likely 1949, 164 was his number in 1948 his orange T can be seen on pg27 of 'THE BIRTH OF HOT RODDING, the story of the Dry Lakes Era'.
Jimmy I am glad you spotted the photo of Waite's car. I am going through the timing tags I have and cannot seem to find one that ends in a number similar to what you can see on the car and with a C. In 1947 his 27 roadster on a 32 chassis was number 332 and that was a front engine 4 cylinder which I have photos of from Don. In 48 he put the engine in the rear on the 32 chassis. He ran the 48 season with the 4 banger in the rear. The tags have it as car number 524 B and 524. There was only the photo posted by Ryan here and one in hot rod of the 4 banger engine in the rear (Aug 48). The cover of the 1950 hot rod does have a photo of the car with the t grille and rear engine configuration. At the end of the 1948 season he pulled the car apart and built the Chevrolet chassis with the flathead ford V8 rear engine. I am so thankful you spotted this photo. He was 18 years old when he was running this!
Wow what a great batch of photos and history and interesting cars . As for time line I'm inclined to believe with a couple of others that the photos are from two or three meets and not just one. Timeline wise the 49 shoebox ford was available for sale to the public on June 18, 1948 and the 49 Merc was available two months earlier in April of 1948. That 49 Chev photobombing the Dave Glotch roadster says that was probably at the 5-20-49 meet and the Chevy was four months or less old .
The Jalopy Journal
