Does anyone who lived in the Denver area in the 70's remember any of the following drag cars and possibly have pics of them.... Kelvinator - AMC Hornet Corwin and Short/Johnson - Gasser painted like an American Flag Assasination/Rasputin - 53 MG? Grasshopper - 60's Cuda High Flyer? - late 60's Ford Pickup Black
Yep...remember most of them well... There's a web site out there somewhere...can't remember the name of it tho, chock full of Colorado cars. Think there was even a thread on here with some in it. R-
Try this... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310758&highlight=colorado+history Roach
The AMC Hornet wagon "Kelvinator" belonged to Rick Rusk from Aurora. the car is still around and came up for sale a few years ago in Wisconsin. Howard Corwin and Sandy Johnson ran the very cool looking 41 Studebaker painted like the flag, they actually ran the car as a AA/ Fuel Altered. Howard told me the car or whats left of it is sitting in some weeds just rotting away up around Rawlins Wyoming with several bullet holes in the body.
I remember the Studebaker Coupe of Howard Corwins. .My Father LLoyd Berry worked with Howard Corwin in a gas station in Denver where they worked on their race cars. The studebaker was the first race car i ever set in. I was about 5. My Dad Had a 49 studebaker PU that they built in the shop that would pull the front wheels off the ground. Im very interested in finding the Coupe of Howards if anyone can guide me too it.
I remember most of those Cars-the Car in my Avatar is Tak's Toy-do any of you remember him? I am also looking for Gary Seifried-he had a pyschedelic painted (by Sids' Signs) '67 Camaro-and, does anyone remember the '57 Chevy called "Screaming Yellow Honker"? I'm sure most of you remember "Sunday's Child", Swingin' Sid, and "the Frog" AMX-here's another one I also found: http://phoenixsystemsolutions.com/CRM/Dallas_Schneider.htm
Rob Williams, The guy who drove the Assasination lived a couple of doors from my folks in Westminster when i was a kid use to fire it up once in a while in his driveway. Wouldnt see a car like that in a neighborhood much anymore. I can remember the goose bumps up my back though!! Rod
Oh yea, I remember seeing this car run a lot, probably have a bunch of pictures of it somewhere. I remember his "pull car" was a really cool Chevy LUV pickup (or maybe a Datsun pickup?) with a blown smallblock in it. So cool! Anyone remember Rainy(sp) Racing top fuel dragster from the western slope? I still have one of their satin jackets with a graphic of their dragster on the back. When I worked at Kenz & Leslie we all bought one of their jackets to help support "the local guys" for the Mile High Nationals.
Ya unfortunately Tak passed away this passed fall. He was still at the track alot helping people up until the last couple years.
I remember "Assassination," Art Ward, if I remember right, was once green, ran national events....unfortunately I watched as the new owner, Peggy Pierce, drove it head-first into the guard rail at Denver International, mid-70s...car got sideways and she turned into the wall instead of away from it...unhurt, but the car got pretty crunched.....
I used to go to CDR and Thunder Road with Frank and Jim Estes in 1969... Frank ran a F/MP orange 55 Chevy sponsored by his gas station "East Evans Fina" His brother Jim ran a plum colored CC/Gas 56 Chevy wagon with a blown small block, I remember flat towing the 56 to the track with an orange 60 El Camino, the El Camino even had Halibrand wheels on it. I also remember a few other cars that stick out... A 48 Anglia Panel called "England Swings" painted like the British flag. A 53 Studebaker called "Taboo" The red Top Fuel car is Ed "the Groundhog" Reneck from Pueblo running at Thunder Road in Denver. The 55 Chevy is Frank Estes
Here's another picture... Kenz & Leslie's Cougar running against Art Ward in the Assassanation Corvair at CDR
Does anyone remember a 66 or 67 nova. I believe it was called the widow maker if my memory serves me?? I guess it was racing all the way up to the late 80's. Cool car.
I remember most of those, but sundays child is my favorite and was garaged just down the street from me. I was a good friend of Ron the owners cousin growing up. I remember when Ron went to the 427 in the 66 chevelle, and I know who still has the original 396 race engine installed in his 62 SS impala. Great history guys.
I saw that Studebaker run at CDR in 70, The track booked in 16 Funny Cars but was short one car, they put Corwin & Johnson in with the Funny Cars. Does anyone remember a dark midnight purple with red candy flames full bodied front engine dragster with Houser & Short lettered on it... it had an injected small block Chevy in it? I ran it at Thunder Road and Bandimere. I was the driver of that car, I lost most of my pictures in a house fire. I towed it in the Kaiser Bros. old Red White & Blue Dragster tralier, still had Kaiser's name on the trailer. I also ran a Funny Car at Thunder Road, it was the Ex Keeling & Clayton California Charger Mustang.
Does anyone remember a couple named Bart & Necia Steeley? They ran a AA Fuel Altered called "Foolish Fantasy" out of the Denver area, it was a red Topolino with a blown 392 Hemi. They ran off and on at Thunder Road. They hauled the AA/FA in the back of a converted school bus and flat towed a blue 55 Chevy behind it. They went to Tuscon for a Fuel Altered event and on the way home they broke down near Lordsburg NM while on the side of the highway a Consolidated Freightways semi driver fell asleep at the wheel and came across the median and ran over the Steeley's rig, killing Bart and Necia.
Just found this thread---I'm looking for any info on my old California Charger Mustang funny car that seems to have passed thru Colorado---- Jerry Clayton
Does anyone have an E-Mail address or phone number for Howard Corwin? I was informed he owned a front engine dragster about 10 years ago that I used to own in the early/mid 70's. The car was a full bodied 175" MW car with a 392 that Howard ran as a nostalgia top fuel car named "Infuelential".
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