History Comp Coupes, All but forgotten?

The original Leffler-Loukas car that ran from 1957-62 before being replaced by the "red" car.

Roo

 

Andrew Sheehan's School Bus ran in the high nines back in the early 60's.

Roo

 

Hey Roo,
Here is the original Leffler-Loukas coupe that came out west in 1959-60. They made a tour of the hot west coast dragstrips while setting records along the way. We saw and filmed them at Lions Dragstrip and at the Bakersfield Smokers March Meet. At Bakersfield, he beat the Gerry Card Comp Coupe with a rolling start that no one protested, but I caught it on film.

Jnaki


Here is the original post over a year ago. for those who missed it the first time:


Hello,

The Leffler Bros coupe, “World’s Fastest Coupe,” made a swing to the West Coast of California in 1959-60. They raced at a lot of the local strips. Here is a compilation of their run through several of the places where I filmed the drag races. (Lions and Bakersfield) It was an impressive coupe to say the least… Even though, he got a"California Stop" running start against the Gerry Card Comp. Coupe at the 1960 Bakersfield Smokers Meet. Red light …? You be the judge… (The Lefflers moved to So Cal in 1960) Californian’s are known for their “California Stop” folklore, but, this super-fast, record holding, transplanted, visitor, takes the cake…a win is a win?

Jnaki

 

Leffler & Loukas 84 car Loukas and Preising at Cordova Dragway (Illinois) in 1963 with Bobby Vodnik driving.




Leffler & Loukas 84 car in its lifetime the car was stretched 3 times. Dave Meal did the aluminum nose each time and he painted the red Bantam body, and chopped it.




In 1961





Loukas leaning on car Preising in seat 1965

 

Hello,
There was a recent development in identification of the race cars involved in the film clip I recently posted. The film was taken during the 1960 Bakersfield Smokers March Meet in the Competition Coupe class. I originally identified the sleek, black comp coupe as the Colburn/Glaze race car racing the Neil Leffler/John Loukas comp coupe. The competitor's name has been changed to GERRY CARD vs. the Leffler/Loukas Comp Coupe.

The correct identification has now been changed and it is important to get the names of the racers identified in my films. 57 year old memories sometimes gets clogged up in the rush to post the historic films.

Jnaki
Thanks, Denny


Which reminds me of an old TV show:
Another Dragnet trademark is the show's opening narration: "Ladies and gentlemen: The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."

(and the forgetful)

 

Bad News


FE power



Eldon Dye's Cad powered coupe 1959

 

Is that a coupe?

 

Loukas & Preising








Ram Rods

 

3 from Bangkok Dean









from the net

 

Bader & Ferraro, blown Cad powered.

 

Rays

 

What body seemed to be the most popular for comp coupe?

 

What do you see in the pictures here?

 

Ardun at Pomona

 

"Safeway Sandblasting Ardun-powered CC, engine from their Willys gasser, think Norm Wilcox drove"
Quote from 296 Ardun's post in March of 2013 on the DCIM thread.

Roo

 

That was a nice car ^^^^. Some of the ones posted are mighty rough looking.

 

You beat me to it Roo!

 

Hey Dean,
I know some people put in photos in altered coupes and sedans because they almost fit the mold. That Crossley Altered by Bader and Ferreira was pretty special and we should all remember it as one of the first to break 130 mph in that class way back then.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/drag-strip-days.1049925/page-3#post-12339213

Of course, back in those days, one slight alteration would put a car in a different class.
Competition Coupes and Altered Coupes/Sedans were usually racing each other in the old days. Some dragstrips alternated designating between the two. But, which class is the Bader and Ferreira Crossley race car? Sometimes it was Comp Coupe/Sedan, other times and mostly in the historic archives, it was classified as an Altered sedan. So, which is which...?

Jnaki

In my photo/movie files and from Drag News results, I can find them in the Altered Sedan Class. But, in those early days, the labels were so close, one could jump from a class to the other. (a Gas Coupe with a 10% set back could run in the Altered Coupe and Sedan Class if it did not have mufflers, license or working headlights at the time of inspection, then it was not technically street legal.) We had friends that ran in an Altered class because they did not have a headliner and license plate for the Gas Coupe Class.

But, the Crossley ripped it up all over So Cal in the A/Altered class as far as I could/can remember. So, yes, this post started with a misplaced or misidentified altered in the wrong thread by others.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/drag-strip-days.1049925/page-3#post-12339213

 

I took this pic of it at old San Gabe in '58.

 

Not too hard to identify this as Al Bergler's second comp coupe, "More Aggravation" early in its life. I am guessing that this photo is from the US Nationals at IRP judging by the "tent city" on the other side of what would be CR 1000 E (now also known as Wally Parks Drive) if I am correct.

Roo

 

According to 296ARDUN's post from back in 2014 this is "Mackey & Veselka, nearest, racing Alabama's Johnny Burrell..."--from a collection of Texas racing photos on the DCIM thread.

Roo

 

Frank Pedrebone

 

I think that fuel coupes were normally not as long as comp coupes. The question becomes which ones came first.

There were a lot of different changes in the comp coupe ranks over the years, seems like when I became really aware of different classes in drag racing a comp coupe was just a digger with a body kind of stuck on it. I always thought that they were way more fun tan a digger, more like a cartoon car.

 

"Frank Pedrebone"

That would be "PEDREGON" !!!!!!!!

Roo

 

LOL I like it either way but I am sure that Frank likes it your way the best.