the three "new" cars all appear to be 1949 models. The hills in the background match those in more recent El Mirage photos (yeah, I looked at the patterns of peaks)
That sports car - I think an Immortal 2.9 Alfa Romeo 8c2900 ( name of book ). Most beautiful car ever build. Dug book out of my book case. Now will have to review see if can find that one listed in book. Twin blower straight 8. Immortal
Yeah... Tom took the photos... And there is one motion shot that looks like it might be his roadster (with hard-top on). If it is, we can assume Buddy Fox was behind the wheel. Here's a shot of Tom's car I believe was taken in 1950:
The streamlined was Bob Rufi’s, in 1948 it was owned by Howard Markham and ran a Ford four with a cook cyclone head to hit 123.96 mph. Probably the 1949 season. SCTA. My dad used to say those wheel covers were from a Jenny airplane.
Zooming in on Alfa for 3rd time. License plate name appears to end in an “A” could be Pennsylvania? Dr. Fred Simone museum in Philadelphia has Mille Miglia wining car #412031 on display in historic correct Italian red. Fantastic cars.
I didn’t see any cars in the Hop Up article matching any of the cars in your pics, so it was most likely a different meet. I’ll keep looking though. I love this old stuff.
I thought Bob Rufi crashed his streamliner just prior to the war? Am I remembering that wrong? Similar nose of course... and the wheels covers are there. But I was told Bob never raced again after the accident.
Turns out it is the Rufi streamliner. It was rebuilt by the Beck Bros: First back in action in 1948...
I got the info from Don Montgomery’s book, Hot Rods as they were) Page 115 I think it’s the same car, anyway it really nice you shared these photos, made my day…..
Tommy Lee's Alfa 2.9 (412030) shown in the photos wasn't on the west coast until early 1949. The car ran a full season of events for Lee that year, including trips to the lakes. When Lee died (January, 1950) the car was repainted all red to prepare it for sale—so the photos can't be earlier or later than 1949, given that the car is in its metallic brown/cream "Don Lee Special" livery in the photos. If anyone has any entry info, the driver most likely would've been Mal Ord (or possibly Willett Brown...)
Some additional info...this meet/these pictures have to be from before September of 1949, if that narrows things down at all...the Alfa was running at Pikes Peak and Watkins Glen after that, then parked/rebuilt due to engine damage. By the way, 412030 is the prototype 2.9 Mille Miglia spider, coming in second in the 1938 Mille Miglia, and is the car now owned by Ralph Lauren.
If that's the case, I think we found the earliest known image of the Valley Drifters Lakester: It was owned by Mal Meredith... and that tank does look really fresh. Look how straight the waist line seam is...
Ryan, here is a photo of the streamlined when the Beck Bros. owned the car, from my dad’s collection. He took this at Harper before the war.
The Jalopy Journal
