All things being relevant during the sixties I was racing short track asphalt cars. 55-56-57 chevies were the body of choice, because they were cheap, really cheap and plentiful. Myself and a few of the other racers from the area had several stashed at a friends property and would pick them up around town often free. I even used a few in demo Derby's. When you take into account all the other guys doing the same thing around the country, the lack of good bodies is understandable. At least many drag race cars survived and make incredible hot rods today. However that shot of all those coupes in one event is amazing! MickeyC
When I was dirt track racing in the '70s 90% of the field was tri five Chevys. I cut up and raced a '66 Olds 442. There will be people who look back fondly on todays cars just because it's what they owned when they were a kid.
If all the old cars where still around we would not think they where worth anything now.Just the fact they are rare is what makes them worthwhile.
I can remember my dad taking the family to see the figure 8 races in Birmingham back in the 50s.I really enjoyed seeing the carnage but even at a young age,I loved those 32-34 coupes and hated to see them crunched.The older late 40s stuff didn't bother me too much.
Being 60 years or thereabouts after the fact, we might feel some pain over the number of old coupes that were raced to death, but for the guys out there on the track there was no way to know what each of those potential hot rods would be worth when there were 90 years old. I wonder if when I'm 90 I'll feel the same way about all Chevy, Willys, Studebaker, etc, g***ers that got their rear quarter panels cut for bigger tires on the rear. Probably not, but younger guys might.
I watched channel 5 (KTLA) in L.A. during the early 50's. They had Jalopy Derby and Destruction Derby on the weekends during the day. **** Lane annouced a lot, he also announced wrestling matches. His "Whoa Nellie" was famous when something exciting was going on. I think this is where I developed a love for 2dr. Sedans. Parneli Jones was just a young jalopy driver then. No way to duplicate those races today with newer cars.
I'm glad you all enjoyed the site. Ridgerunner found it. I just put the link on here. I agree with most of the comments. Those were the good old days. My first Demo Derby car was a solid 1954 Lincoln 2dr. hardtop that was abandoned at the Texaco station I worked at as a kid in 1965. I , too, saw a lot of neat old iron destroyed and enjoyed doing it.
My Dad raced these Jalopy's at Gardena, Carrel, Culver City, Ascot, etc. He also was Destruction Derby Champion at Gardena several years in a row. He also raced Claimer, and Superstocks. His name was Howard Walton, and he worked at Capital Auto Parts in Gardena on Figueroa who was also his sponsor along with the Wilshire Service Station on the same street. Tons of FUN Memories. I've a few photos on my website at www.w7car.com
He who smashes up Camaros and Monte Carlos just frees up some parts for hot rods. These great old cars were cheap and plentiful at the time. An old guy with a nice '32 Ford 5 window couple told me that he built that one in memory of all the ones he smashed up in his younger days.
The same thing happened with sixties and 70's muscle cars. Lots of my friends and neighbors butchered them into dirt track cars, put good bodies on 4x4 ch***is, flaring and tubbing fenders, chopping, channeling, etc. on cars that would bring big money today if left pristine - but they never are. Cars are viewed as purpose built machines until it's too late for most of any given model. They become rare and valuable as more are lost to attrition. If every T ever built was still running and driving do you really think they would be as desirable today?
My dad still cringes at the number of 32's that he and his buddies tore up jalopy racing in those days. We have lots of pictures like that one from tracks all over north central Kansas. The flagman usually started the race standing in the middle of the track on the front stretch with the cars zooming by on each side. That took balls! Very little water on the tracks and lots of dust. The local club of racers were known as the "Dust Devils". He still has the club jacket that is way cool.
No telling how many coupe's were mangled during those days. Now we know why the 32 coupes are so high today. Not many survived!
My dad and I went to the jalopy races almost every sunday in Gardena in about 1960-62. No way did it make us sick. It was a blast. Low buck racers were having the time of their lives and we were enjoying every minute. I met some guy there named Parnelli Jones there. My grandfather used to come along too sometimes. The races were backwards in a way from today. The quickest qualifier started dead last and the slowest qualifier started on the pole. No kidding. That made it so the ****piest drivers and cars would get pushed and shoved right from the beginning. Hilarity ensued. The BEST race was called the "Hooligan Race". This was for all the jokers that couldn't even qualify for the main races. So this race had the worst of the worst. Now, THAT was carnage. They'd just haul the bent up **** to the dump and then they'd just do it all over again the next sunday. So, don't get all huffy about this. That stuff was just junk 50 years ago. I've sold a showroom mint '67 Corvette with a 427/435hp for $2200 in 1971. My dad sold his mint 1967 Shelby GT500 for $2400 in 1974. So? That's all they were worth. Those days with my dad at the jalopy races were some of the best days of my life. As long as nobody got hurt, we loved to see those old jalopies tumbling ***-over-tea-kettle. Fun times.
The Jalopy Journal
