Damn I wish I could walk around that "242" roadster the way it sat there that day and take in every detail! Thanks again, these pics are pure gold.
I have enjoyed your photos. It appeared to me that the attached photo was taken at a Russetta (RTA) meet. It looks like it was taken at the November 7, 1948 meet on El Mirage. The roadster in the foreground was entered by George LaRue of the Velociteers (292A). Roadster no. 44A was Roland Mays' entry (Gophers). George was from the Monrovia area and hung out at Carpenter's drive-in in Arcadia (as I did). He soon changed to a chopped '32 5 window coupe. Roland was from the Whittier area. I ran at that meet. The A roadster RTA class was for roadsters with engines below 260" in displacement. Good photos - Don
Hello Don. Thank you so very much for throwing in your "proverbial two cents"! Obviously you have first hand knowledge of the era. Please feel free to comment on any of the post's, as I would love to hear what you have to say. And I am sure others would also. My Mother also grew up in Monrovia. Do you remember the Moonlight Roller Rink? My Mother worked there. That's where my Dad met my Mother. In fact the first time she met him, she threw him out of being an "ass"! Love at first sight I guess!! HA! What was your number when you ran? Maybe I can find a picture or something. Also do you know what "little cog's" was? I see it on some of the car's, and on the back of a tow car that I will scan. My Grand Mother is on the left, and my Mom on the right. Again...please throw out what info you might have!! Thank you very much.
Here again are a couple of pages for all to enjoy. From here on, the album starts missing some photo's. Not sure if they were moved to much, just "father time" or what. But I will send what I got, as I feel privileged to have that! To me the captions give them so much character. Again there are a couple of photo's that I really like. The # 6 car; Mom was right, just flat ass "cool"!!!!! And how about that "banger"going 108.09!!
Really glad Don Montgomery weighted in on your photos...Carpenters was still open in the early '60s when I hung out there...was a classic circular drive in, lots of guys from Pasadena, South Pasadena, Monrovia, etc. hung out there...by the early '60s the hot rods were mostly gone but still a great place to go
@woodiemike - Thanks for continuing to post these photos from your father's album(s) ... Much appreciated! They're all great ... but I think this '28-'29 Roadster on Deuce rails is probably my favorite (so far):
I believe this neat roadster was the Beck Bros. - Travers (Centuries club) entry at a 1946 SCTA lakes meet. If my memory is still OK I think that Fred Larsen got this roadster from Travers. Travers went on to work on winning Indy cars and Travers - Coons formed a very successful racing engine business. The Beck Bros. had set some prewar records. Neat stuff - Don
Jim Travers roadster later owned by Fred Larsen. In June 1946 California Timing News there was a bit that said Stu Hilborn ran this roadster and the engine went into the streamliner. I know Stu had one of the fastest roadster pre-war I am wondering if this is it. Those hairpin ball caps are the same as what the Spurgin/Giovanine had on the rear radius rods.
Mike, thank you for posting that, is that 129.87 or 149.87. That was the last meet Chuck Spurgin & Bob Giovanine ran the roadster, they ran a 135mph run then on the return many have said they were going 150 then the engine detonated. The roadster didn't run again Until Carl Borgh bought the rolling roadster in 1954 dropped in a GMC 6. In 1952 Bob Giovanine sold/swapped the engine to Duane Steele for a Sears drill press.
Here on the HAMB, your "rambling" is referred to as "informing". We can never get enough. Your pics are amazing, so please continue what you started. Welcome to the craziness. You will really like this website..
I, for one, would love to see this so-important piece of history get featured on the HAMB. I respect you rodders who can make this happen. It will allow computer retards such as myself to experience dry lakes racing as it unfolded. Good luck in your endeavor.
This photo was taken at a 1951 SCTA meet. The flathead Cadillac powered roadster was raced by George DuNah of the Glendale Sidewinders. However, George was from Pasadena and in 1946 he and I lived only a few blocks apart. We often talked, on our way to school, of what we would do to engines when we could build a hot rod. We were 15 and were not very knowledgeable then. Here a few years later George had built this flathead Cadillac powered '29 roadster. He had help from Harold Nickelson (Nick's Speed Shop, and Don's brother). As I recall George's family owned the Elite Cleaners on south Fair Oaks in Pasadena. George's best time with the roadster was I believe 151 mph at Bonneville. Years later George's Cadillac stuff was purchased by Doug Robinson (BMR Racing and Horsepower Engineering). The nice T roadster in the background was the entry of Leroy Holmes of the Hornets (Redlands area). His roadsters were always very attractive.
Thank for that Don, I had my wires crossed with the similarly proportioned George Radnich & Ellyson A roadster.
@firingorder1 - What a coincidence! That video clip is from the opening scene of the 1950 movie "HOT ROD" ... and was uploaded to YouTube by @Jimmy B (whose last post in this thread proceeds yours). I'm guessing you saw it on the SCTA Facebook feed this morning?
Again I want to thank all who have thrown their proverbial "two cents" in!! The amount of knowledge that is out there is truly amazing! I sincerely hope the replies keep coming. I'll do my part by throwing it out there, and hopefully you guy's will keep the ball rolling! On that note I'll throw a couple out now. Again some of the pictures are missing, but it's all good. Apparently my Dad found some speed between the R P/U @ 102, and the Roadster [Gophers] @ 144. I will post more this weekend when I have time. Enjoy.
A couple of newspaper articles that my Dad had. Not to sure what to think about the fact that my Dad, his Brother, Brother In Law, and my Mom made the news by going to Harper's Dry Lake to run!!!! Slow news day? Sign of the times? Just wondering!!
Just some neat pictures. The picture of the body on the trailer is my Dad on the left and a friend of his. He had told me that they had picked it up in a river! Apparently in the "old days" they used old cars to stop erosion of the river banks. Can you imagine going down to the river and picking up a body now day's? Crazy!!
Apparently I need to spend some time at said river bank in Temple City! Wonderful pictures and history here, thanks for sharing them with us!!
More pic's. The "Daisy Mae Special" at Dad's garage. And yes.....I have that Pasadena Roadster Club plate! The two standing next to the Roadster is my Dad on the left, and his Brother on the right. Hope they didn't run those tires on the Lake! Yikes!!
The Jalopy Journal
