Vintage shots from days gone by!

It is, in 1956. But the uprights were pretty much obsolete by then and it was a DNQ.

 

Daytona Beach

 

The Trestles, California

 

1955

 

Notice that Bonadies is driving right out into the pits and onto the race track on his own. Before the new pits were built after the 1956 race it was common practice for the cars to be started in the Garage Area and then driven to the track for their first run. After that the cars would drive back to the pits for any adjustments and then be restarted in the pits for their next run. And you could stop either in front of or behind the pit wall during Practice. It wasn't until 1957 with the new pits that the cars were first towed or pushed through the new "Gasoline Alley" entrance to the pits before the engine was fired. Tony Hulman himself came up with the plan for the cars to go through the opening to the pits and he also made sure that there were no fences between the fans and the cars as the cars left the Garage Area on their way to the pits. It's still that way today.

 

Do you remember what Radio did the rest of the year outside of Indy? I seem to remember that he was in sales but I'm not sure. He had a son that was a big football star at one of the SEC schools.
Also, my father had a cousin in Portsmouth who hung out with Radio and several other guys on Saturday afternoons for many years in some tire store down by the Ohio River. From what he told me Gardner was one heck of a story teller and generally kept everyone in stitches.

 

Was into an old yearbook and found a few that I can contribute.

 

It didn't take long to fully appreciate what Gary goes through posting all those photos.

 

Coal burning Ford in Japan, late 40's
due to wartime shortages, it wasn't unusual in Germany and Japan to convert vehicles to coal or wood burners.Beat walking.

 

Due to severe shortages of gasoline, many civilian vehicles in Europe and Japan were converted to operate on gases generated from coal or wood. The gases would be condensed to liquid form and fed to the carburetor. The condensed liquid hydrocarbons would form a fuel of relatively high volatility that would be sufficient to operate the gasoline engine.

 

Autonomous Highway System tests, 1950s. GM and RCA developed automated highway prototypes with radio control for speed and steering