Featured History Tom Cobbs: MickeyThompson_1

These amazing images just keep coming, each roll more exciting than the last. Today's are the best yet? He was a true documentarian.

 

Pictures are absolutely incredible !! These need to be made into prints

 

Just Fantastic...Christmas in July
thank you Ryan

 

More amazing history! So much going on in all of them. Thanks again for including us.

 

So unbelievably cool!
And how prodigious of Tom to capture white letter tires done right

 

Mickey is on the short list of people I admire. Outstanding pics and great article, Ryan.

-Abone.

 

So the DC-3 with the Pegasus is from Mobil oil, one of mickeys sponsors ?? There has got to be a lots of film shot by Goodyear, British Lealand and ?? plus what has got to be hundreds of stills ?? We need more

 

Wow. Just wow.

 

Wasn’t British Leyland in 1959, it was British Motor Corporation that was later bought by Leyland.

British Pathe has loads of news reels;



And one of Challenger I

https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/110388/

 

Wow, these are awesome. Casually working on a racecar at Bonneville, under the shade of an airplane wing is cool as hell!

 

Can ya imagine having one of those Challenger I shirts?!?!

 

speechless

 

Can’t help directly with the Goodyear shoot but according to this article the MG team arrived in Wendover and ran EX219 on 8th September but Phil Hill didn’t run in EX181 (the MG in the pics) until 3rd October

https://www.mgcc.co.uk/articles/bonneville-swan-song/

 

The timing stand pic says “EX219” on it, the article says they only ran it on 8-10 September and then it rained on the 12th. Which backs up your August date if he dated his reels when he put them in.

 

Pure gold! Thanks for sharing these snapshots in time.

 

Simply magnificent!
Hopefully there is a shot of the tail number on that DC-3.
That isn't just any gooney bird, if you look closely, that particular DC-3 has the special clamshell fairings that fully enclose the landing gear when retracted!

 

View master windows too.

 

Wow!

 

Each image tells a story and each is worth studying. My favorite is pushing the beast onto the trailer, with the young boy helping, giving all he can to the effort. Priceless.

 

It wasn't uncommon back then, nor is it today, to "rent out" the speedway for a singular record attempt. Mickey did it, as did the Summers Bros with Goldenrod (there's a doc on their attempt as well). When Craig Breedlove lawn darted the Spirit of America into the lake at the end of the course in '64, it was a singular attempt (closed course). So, not as uncommon as one might think. Hell, Budweiser courted Moon Equipment Co and Gary Gabelich to take the Moon streamliner on a "record run" on a closed course at Bonneville for a commercial back in the '60s. Mike Cook's Landspeed Shoutout is a good example of a more contemporary meet where only the fastest of the fastest are allowed to participate.

Speedweek's popularity is a more recent fad. There wasn't a lot of spectators back in the day. It was racers, crew, and a few outliers and that was about it. And "lost revenue"? Short of selling hats, shirts, posters, etc. what revenue does SCTA generate from the general public? It's a free event, or at least it was. In fact, lack of revenue is one of the biggest hurdles facing landspeed racing and why the Save the Salt organization is so important.

 

Ryan, how about Danny, would he have any records ?

 

Don Ferguson, or Jim Travis ?