Just curious if anyone in the Milwaukee Wisconsin area remembers this ride and has any info. This is a family photo and that's little me standing on the side step cutout. I remember the car had no traditional steering wheel, the driver I believe sat mid-vehicle and used a yoke mechanism moved left and right for steering. Any info is appreciated, thanks.
I don't see the photo (red x) but I'm assuming it's one of the Besasie X Cars built by Ray Besasie and his Son Ray Jr. in the late '50's, Early '60's.....As I recall, there are 4 of them. Photos abound here and on the net....They were a common sight on the streets of Milwaukee and especially at the lakefront......Centurion9 Here's a good link for you.... http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/tag/ray-besasie-sr/
It was parked at a body shop just a few years ago on main street waukesha, right next door to waukesha iron and metal. It was there a long time. There was a thread here about it when it was parked there. I beleive it was Wingnut on the board here that knew the body shop owner and knew more about it, might contact him. Before that maybe 5 to 7 years ago it was at the world of wheels show in Milwaukee. Haven't been back to that show, so i don't know if it is a regular or not.
Ok, i just went thru the members list, it wasn't wingnut but i beleive wingnutz was the one that had more info on that car at that time.
I remember that car, or one like it, back in the '70s when my dad had auto repair business on the south side of Milwaukee. We'd pass it every so often and I remember him telling me it had center steering. He must have gotten up close to it at one time. At the time I think it was sitting at a body shop or repair garage on 16th St., somewhere around National Ave. I haven't thought about that car in years.
Found this by searching Ray Besasie, check out post #9 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=396495&highlight=ray+besasie ..and here is another good link http://www.retrocom.com/retromilw/besasie.htm
I think when I last saw the car it was in primer but I'm not sure, it was like 30+ years ago. There was another car in the Milwaukee area about the same time that was at a body shop on Appleton Ave, north of Silver Spring Dr., that had body parts from different cars, I remember one rear quarter panel was a mid '60s Mopar, the other quarter was from something else, it had two different front fenders and two doors on one side and one on the other. I remember someone told me that car was built for an insurance display. I do remember the lines of the body and trim flowed pretty nice.
ok, when I looked this morning, i found a brief mention and pictures about it in the 60's show rod and bubbletop thread. That is the thread i was refering to earlier and just thought that it is the one found by ol'shoe but it looks like he found other threads, otherwise i would have put a link in then. i thought it was originally a thread by itself on just that but it turned out to be a few posts about it in the 60's showrod and bubbletop thread. But that turned out to be from 2008(the posts), so my mind was foggy about that but i do know it was parked at that body shop in waukesha in 2008, so it was still around 3 years ago. who knows might still be parked inside at the same bodyshop yet.
Yep thats where I saw it last. On national ave just west of hwy 100 in front of some apartment complexes.
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