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Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
President's Corner, Editorials, The following article came from MSN.com. I'm not sure if you've heard that Mari Palash passed away July 3rd, Hall of Fame open wheel announcer Jack Miller passed away 6 August 2010, Lee's condition did not change significantly over the weekend, Ed Justice Jr wants to let everyone know that you can learn more about the new Tom Madigan book on the famed Chrisman family, Moldy Marvin sent along news of a car show and event scheduled for July 24, For all those fellow car enthusiasts that are unable to attend this year’s "Car Week" on the Monterey Peninsula, They are in the steps of resurrecting The Alternate, This month’s Aussie Invader 5R newsletter is now available to read online, My father Doug Spence passed away last week at age 82, I hope this web site is still working, Some time ago I contacted you (not sure how I got to you) looking for any information about Dave Kent and his shop Kent Racing in the Los Angeles (Hawthorne) area, I’m still a Gear Grinder, The following are replies to my request for updated records to help me in transitioning to my new computer, We are working towards trying to print a new issue of The Alternate, Great website! My dad was Nellie Taylor, I am featuring Ford Thunderbirds at the September 19 2010 Capitol Concours d'Elegance in Sacramento California, I work with a chap by the name of Peter Evans he was telling me of his father that (according to what his mother told him) used to 'mess around with hot rods and flat head V8s, The 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Aug. 15 is paying tribute to Alfa Romeo, My buddy Frank Morawski and I will be showing the Fred Carrillo '27 roadster at Pebble Beach next month, LA County North Agency "Heal Our Neighborhoods" Fund Raiser Schedule 2010, I attended the Bent Axels Car Show in Santa Maria July 17th and Sam Flowers was there, The oldest Mercedes still on the road today is being driven 1,500 miles to compete in the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours, Do you have any shots on Chris Carr and Dennis Manning, Editor’s notes: The following was sent in by David Walker, Check out this Garlits video, I'd like to start planning interviews, Road Runners meeting Tuesday 13 July 2010 7pm, Road Runners At Bonneville Speed Week 2010, Dave Bennett is busy working on his Henry J Build, Everyone's 36hp and big block air cooled VW projects are coming along well, Michael Kacsala sent in the following video on the Spurgin/Giovanine roadster, This engine was sold out of the Crawford Collection last fall at the Hershey auction, Hello I am Carlo Berardini son of the late Tony Berardini and nephew of Pat.
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President's Corner:
With Bonneville coming up real soon it was dig out some old mags and see what the boys were doing back in the good old days. The May ‘59 issue of Hot Rod was full of pre B-ville excitement with a great story on the build of Mickey Thompson’s new Challenger I racer. There was also a cool drawing of the proposed body (JMC_1363 image was not sent) shape that wowed us 14 year olds at the time. I’ve included it for our first image. It’s fun to re-read something you haven’t seen for years and discover new things like George Hill was involved with the new cars body shape. Seems this George Hill was the same George that was right in the middle of the City of Burbank Streamliner in the early ‘50’s. He’s also the same George that did all the Popular Mechanics Hot Rod Yearbooks that we all grew up reading. Small world. Anyhow looking at all this stuff as a kid sucked us in big time and half a century later we’re still hooked.
Next mag grabbed was a November ‘60 issue of HR and there was a great story on Bonneville by our old bud Don Francisco. His prose sucked you in and it was almost like being there for real. When I flipped page 39 to see what was next it was pay dirt again with a Roger Huntington story called Bucking the Wind. When your 15 wind tunnels and CD and frontal area don’t mean much except if you’re thinking about Jane Mansfield, oh wait that’s a different frontal area, sorry. In the story there was a shot of an NSU streamlined bike hanging from wires. Seems those Germans were way ahead of their times when it came to wind cheating and checking things like lift and yaw. Opposite it was a shot of Howard Johansen’s second twin-tank B-ville liner that looked fast standing still. On the following page there was a chart that listed a bunch of cars and some stats on them. It’s our next image for today (JMC_1364 image was not sent). Look at it for awhile. For years people have bitched about this car and that car has an unfair advantage. When the ‘53 Stude came out everybody thought there older cars were now obsolete. Same thing happened when the Camaro’s and Mustangs appeared. It’s still happening today with the rice rockets. You can’t tell a coupe from a sedan from a GT or a station wagon from a SUV. I think they call that progress. When you dig a little deeper something comes to light that separates a serious racer from the lets go and have some fun guys. I like to call it homework.
When you look at the chart again check out the column that says CD. A low cd for the most part means your car is going to have an advantage because it’s easier to push through the air. That’s where the homework comes in. Your neighbor is dumping his old ‘65 Chevy and you can get it for $150. You think you got a great deal, and you did for a street car but not one that wants to go fast because it’s a brick (.48 CD) as compared to say a ‘91 Ford escort at .32 CD. Seems the guys that want to go really fast are looking for things like low CD’s. A couple of years ago a Mr. Swanson showed up at the salt with an old Porsche 356 and some of the folks chuckled. Seems Mr. Swanson had done some digging and discovered the old Porsche had a nice little CD of .28 and managed to wring the little 1500cc beast to a speed of 145.760 mph on gas. Not too shabby. When you really get into it all the new cars are designed to get the best mileage they can and the manufacturers spend big bucks working on some of the shapes to achieve this. That’s not to say some of the older cars aren’t slippery. Just ask Macdonald & Pitts about their older Camaro versus the newer one. The bottom line is if you want to go really fast you have to start with the right body package.
With every situation comes the exceptions and here’s one. Back in the early ‘60’s after Craig Breedlove had roared his jet across the salt and grabbed a speed record he turned his attention to the 1/4 mile and included some streamlining in his thinking. From the June ‘64 Car Craft comes this Bill Moore drawing (JMC_1350 image was not sent) for Craig’s new slingshot. Boy did it look cool and the finished car was a jewel. There was only one problem, these puppies don’t have to run five miles and engines don’t have to live very long so weight suddenly becomes your enemy and guess what. The swoopy bodies add weight so now you’re juggling between our friends again, drag versus weight. In the drag race world where ounces count Mr. Streamlining was a failure. Truth is that if you’ve got tons of power you can make your brick go really fast like Freddy Dannenfelzer’s record setting 366.586 mph lakester. And if he had added a body on the rear or stuck on fenders who knows how fast he would of gone. Guess what? We probably don’t have long to wait now on our speculating as Fast Fred is working on a liner as we speak that will be powered by the same Tony Waters wrenched Hemi. Do we see 400, 425, 450? Time will tell.
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Editorial:
The look and content of the newsletter is about to change a bit. That’s because the old computer died, or at least it had a stroke and is unable to continue. The motherboard probably swelled and wore out, because the nerds at Office Depot could find no viruses infecting the machine. I’m learning how to do Windows 7 instead of Windows XP and I used to have a way of running what you sent me through a filter so as to make it look the same, no matter what system you used. But that is past and if you send me something that can’t be copied and pasted, then the best that I can do is summarize it for you or delete it outright. I’m making progress but it is slow. Your editor is a troglodyte. Look it up. He’s slowly coming into the 16th century and should make it to the 20th century in a few years. In the meantime do your best to try and help him get the newsletter out. One change is that I’m doing more things in Word documents and sending them as an attachment. I hate attachments but it seems that I’ll have to work with them. Roger Rohrdanz and my brother are insisting that I reach the modern era and have set goals for me to get there. We’ll see if they are successful.
I received some interesting emails. Thomas ‘Pork Pie’ Graf wrote from Germany. He has promised us something on German land speed racing and hot rodding. Ugo Fadini needs to send us more stories on Italian racing and hot rodding. For some reason we don’t get enough readers and responders from Europe, which is the father of all land speed and road racing, or on hot rodding news. It can be argued with authority that Europe is the foundation for all land speed and road course racing and hot rodding too
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The following article came from MSN.com. Several of you have mentioned dividing up your family's treasures. Although the value may not always be great, bear in mind that given to a charity, like the car museum. A gift to a charity that brings a $10,000 tax deduction represents a $2500 tax credit on your taxes, but in an open market you might not get $10 for it. As an example, afire suit belonging to Wally Parks sold for $25,000 to John Force at an auction at the museum. That's a huge tax deduction, so keep that in mind. It’s a simple way to benefit others and yourself
What can you get for Mom's stuff? Whether you're sorting through a dear departed's things or helping an older loved one downsize, you'll need these tips for separating trash from treasure. By Liz Pulliam Weston
The dollhouse in the attic was moldy, dilapidated, falling apart. The owner was ready to toss it, but professional organizer Vickie Dellaquila thought the old plaything might have some value. How to sell on eBay, "After you've done this a while, you get a sense of these things," said Dellaquila, a former nursing-home caseworker who now helps seniors downsize to smaller quarters. "We cleaned it up a little bit and put it on eBay, and it sold for $1,600." More often, though, Dellaquila has to convince her clients of the opposite: that the couch they paid good money for 45 years ago, for example, is not going to fund their retirements. "Yes, it was a nice couch then, but people have been sitting on it for 45 years," said Dellaquila, the author of "Don't Toss My Memories in the Trash: A Step-by-step Guide to Helping Seniors Downsize, Organize, and Move." Whether you're decluttering your own house, helping someone else clear out before a move or sorting out an estate after a parent dies, it can help to know what's truly valuable and what's not. Otherwise, you can wind up dithering over every single item and never complete the chore. Or, at the other extreme, you could discard items of great monetary or sentimental value in your zeal to get the job done. I almost did the latter. In sorting through my late father's book collection, I tossed aside a small, dusty book by an author I'd never heard of. Fortunately, my sister took a second look and discovered the author had inscribed the book to our great-uncle Harry Pulliam in 1902, the same year Harry was elected commissioner of baseball's National League. We have no other mementos of our great-uncle, so to us it was a valuable find.
Most valuable commodity: Time, I wouldn't have been the first person or the last to ditch something of value, said collectibles expert Harry L. Rinker. "I hate seeing those big garbage bins outside homes," said Rinker, who was featured in HGTV's "Collector Inspector" series and wrote "Sell, Keep, or Toss? How to Downsize a Home, Settle an Estate, and Appraise Personal Property." To Rinker, those bins represent haste and waste. Common household items may not seem valuable individually, he said, but together they might fetch a few hundred bucks in a yard sale or an estate sale. Items that aren't worth taking the time to sell can be donated or recycled. And even a modest household might contain objects of unexpected value. A big problem is that people don't give themselves enough time to do the job right, Rinker said. The whole task -- from sorting through rooms, researching values and following through on sales or donations -- can take two to three months for a household that's downsizing and four to six months for an estate, he said. If you're willing to pay for help, various professionals, from appraisers to estate sale coordinators, can shorten the time involved. Before you start sorting, though, you should understand the various kinds of value objects can have. Rinker divides value into four categories: Collector value. Pieces that are in demand by collectors. Decorative value. Objects people use to decorate their homes. Reuse value. Items that could be sold, generally for five to 10 cents on the dollar of what they cost new. Family value. Articles with family memories attached that may or may not have significant financial value. Rinker recommends keeping or distributing to other family members any objects with strong memories attached, but he cautions against hanging on to anything simply because it was handed down to you or "because the kids might want it someday."
If you're trying to determine which items might be worth selling, ask yourself: Is it in fashion? Collecting and decorating trends change frequently. Rinker recommends perusing the home-decorating shelves at a bookstore to see what's currently hot. If a style or era isn't represented on those shelves, he said, there may be little demand. EBay Pulse or www.Collectors.org can tip you off to collecting trends. For example, vintage postcards and figural pins are enjoying an increase in popularity. And you can use a search engine such as Bing or Google to find out how many sites are peddling merchandise similar to yours. Talk about it now. Are there plenty of avid collectors? Today's collecting trends are driven largely by baby boomers, who are seeking out toys and other objects they remember from their youth, Rinker said. Demand for older collectibles, such as cast-iron toys and Depression-era glass, is fading and is unlikely to return as their most avid collectors die off, Rinker said. Is it scarce? The vast majority of items in most homes were mass-produced, so Rinker suggests it's better to assume an item is more common than you think.
A case in point: mass-produced "collector's edition" items, an oxymoron if there ever was one. The more limited and expensive an item was originally, though, the more value it might retain if it's in demand at all by collectors. My sister's Mrs. Beasley doll, for example, likely would be worth less than her Steiff City Mouse set specially made for FAO Schwartz. Is it in good shape? If you can hold an item at arm's length and see damage, Rinker said, the object's value is diminished. If there is major damage, it may not be salable. Is it complete? Full sets are likely to be worth more than pieces. If you have the box an item came in, you might be able to elevate it from yard-sale fare to eBay-worthy if the item is otherwise in demand. Does it have intrinsic value? Gold and sterling silver have a "melt" value, even if whatever the metals are made into isn't in demand by collectors. You do need to separate the real stuff from items that are just gold-plated or silver-plated, however. A magnet won't attract high-quality gold jewelry, for example. Sterling silver is typically stamped "sterling" or "925, " though it might be marked 800, 840 or 850. If it's a very old piece, it might have no marking at all. Rinker recommends getting an appraisal before assuming it's plated.
And now for the big pile of stuff, assuming we could find the latter, which we haven't, alas. And speaking of boxes, even an empty one can have value to collectors if it's the right packaging, such as the box for a vintage Lionel train set. Understanding how household objects are valued can help you spot the treasures among the trash, but most likely you'll be left with a huge pile of stuff with limited value. Rinker has a few rules for spotting "reusables" that might fetch good prices at an estate, yard or tag sale: Is it less than 10 years old? Is it something people use every day? If you didn't have one, needed one and could buy one for 10 cents on the dollar, would you do it? Does it look relatively new? If the possessions don't meet the above criteria, they're probably not worth the effort to sell. "You're better off donating them," Dellaquila said, "and getting the tax deduction." Here's how to get started: Give yourself enough time. It can take a full day to sort through a single room in a house -- and more if the owner is or was a pack rat. If you're sorting through an entire house, use the steps and resources outlined in "How to get rid of your folks' stuff." Bring in an expert. You don't need to pay an appraiser thousands of dollars to assign an official value to every item in your home, Rinker said. Instead, consider paying for an hour or two of an appraiser's time to walk through the house and determine whether there are any true valuables.
Rinker said that on most of his walk-throughs, he's found at least one salable item the owner was planning to discard that more than paid for his services. The appraiser also can give you some ideas about how best to sell what you've got. You can find appraisers through the American Society of Appraisers or by asking local estate attorneys. Have an "odd bits" box. Parts of sets can get scattered all over a house, so if you spot an item that might be part of a set or have a mate, put it in the box. Use price guides with caution. Price guides, available in bookstores and online, purport to track the selling prices of many antiques and collectibles. But you're unlikely to get anywhere near the retail prices listed. Rinker said to figure on netting 10% to 50% of the listed prices. If you're selling, pick the right venue. Again, an appraiser can give you advice, but generally items of significant value are best consigned to an auction house or a dealer. Get estimates from several dealers before you pick one, though, as an unethical dealer might try to lowball you. Online auctions are a good venue for post-1945 collectibles, vintage clothing, toys and memorabilia associated with movies, television and music, Rinker said. Online auctions require some effort: photographing and describing each listing, monitoring the auction and then packing and shipping each item to the winning bidder.
If you're dealing with household items of limited value, an estate sale or a yard sale is usually best, unless the item is in like-new condition. In that case, an online auction might get you the best deal. Clothing typically isn't worth the effort to sell, Dellaquila said, unless it's in-demand vintage or designer ware. Have a plan for items of sentimental value. The more nostalgic a person is, the harder it can be to let go of items that look like clutter to anyone else. If you're the sentimental one, consider having someone help you who's a little tougher-minded. Keep items only if you'll actually use them or have the space to properly display them. If they'll wind up boxed in the garage, consider giving them a better fate. Take a photo of the items and then pass them on to a relative or friend or the Goodwill. Of course, more than one person might want an item of sentimental value. Rather than indulging in a tug of war or starting a fight that might linger the rest of your lives, read "Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?" by Marlene Stum
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I'm not sure if you've heard that Mari Palash passed away July 3rd. I've seen postings on your newsletters regarding her illness but nothing recent about her death so thought I would let you know. Chris Carlton (former Mrs. Leroy Goldstein)
Chris: I had heard from Marilyn Lachman that Mary had passed away. My computer was failing and I have been unable to produce an issue of the newsletter for www.landspeedracing.com, which is my source for getting the word out to people, or receiving information. I now have a new computer and am furiously trying to learn how to use it. Today I'm sending the first newsletter in a month and I'm including a notice about Mari's passing right here in your email.
I saw Mari Palash infrequently, at races and museum events. I don't know a lot of details about her life, but what I do know is that she had a profound influence on the lives of people around her. Isn't that strange, but most of us go through life not knowing a lot of facts about people we like, but we know that our lives would be a little poorer without those special people. Mari took me under her wing so to speak because she was a natural nurturer. She had strong opinions and you always knew what she was thinking. She wasn't shy about what she felt and believed in. There was a group of strong women in NHRA; Barbara Parks, Sandy Gardner, Marilyn Lachman, Mari Palash and many others. I should add PJ Partridge, Eileen Daniels, Shirley Bunce and, well the list could go on and on. Few people know how much these ladies inspired and worked so diligently to make NHRA and drag racing well known and famous. The praise often went to the men, especially my father, but I was there from the very beginning and I watched closely as a new sport was created and I can vouch that it never would have been as successful without the likes of these wonderful ladies.
We met Mari about the time that Harvey Palash was doing the Diamond P videos. Those were exciting days because when people buy videos and art work that tells hot rodders that they've arrived on the national stage and it's no longer just a little sport, run on the streets and detested by the public. I think Harvey introduced the NHRA people to Alan Whitman, who set up a retirement plan. Little things like that tie people together. Now my brother likes to go to the races to see the races, but I have always been fascinated with the individuals behind the racing. Mari was one of my favorite people to visit with. She always had a kind word for my family and myself. I enjoyed listening to her and what she said was what she felt; there was never any doubt about what she believed. Seeing Mari with Barbara, Marilyn and Sandy was a treat. They had no fear of anyone, though I would wager that the men would think twice before challenging them. These ladies taught me all about what real women's liberation was. They were ladies who were committed to performance and results, just like a true hot rodder. If they saw your sincerity and knew that you were willing to work hard, they supported you all the way. I hope someone sends me a biography on Mari, because I really would like to know the details of a life well lived. And I believe that others who read this newsletter would benefit from knowing more about her. She influenced my life and I am a better person for that. I will miss Mari, just as I miss Barbara. They were wonderful people and wonderful examples.
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Hall of Fame open wheel announcer Jack Miller passed away 6 August, 2010. Jack Richard Miller, of Odessa, Florida passed away Friday, 6th of August, 2010 from his battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in Danvers, Illinois on 25 October, 1935, he spent seventeen years in the USAF as a weather forecaster and trainer. He also received his BS degree while in the military. He has spent the majority of his adult life residing in Florida. For over 40 years, Jack has been the voice of sprint car racing across the nation as both a track announcer and journalist, writing for Open Wheel Magazine, and Sprint Car & Midget Magazine. Jack was inducted into three different Halls of Fame for his talents as a track announcer: the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2001; the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Belleville High Banks Hall of Fame in 2005. Jack is survived by his wife of 23 years, Thelma Louise Miller; his children Angela, and Tommy; his step-children Kathy, Mike, and Cindy; and all of his grand and great grand children. He is also survived by brothers Gus and Carl and preceded in death by a daughter Vicki Lynn and another brother Keith.
A Celebration of Life - will be held at the United Methodist Church, 16301 Racetrack Road, Odessa, FL 33556 on Saturday, August 21st at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers: GIFTS may be made to: (MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO) T. LOUISE MILLER - C/O Bank of America, 13080 Race Track Rd., Tampa, FL 33626. Account # 229033604607. (Louise is not a 501(c) (3) and Bank of America requires this on donations/contributions and memorials). From all of us in racing, Godspeed Jack Miller. Sent in by Len Ashburn
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Lee's condition did not change significantly over the weekend. He is still under sedation and intubated. The good news is that his kidney is once again functioning properly. Hospital staff believes that his MRSA infection is improving. The surgeon will look at his sternum either tomorrow or Wednesday to determine if the area can be closed. If not, the next course of action will be decided upon at that time. Resent from Betty Packard
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Ed Justice Jr wants to let everyone know that you can learn more about the new Tom Madigan book on the famed Chrisman family. You can find out more at www.thechrismanlegacy.com.
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Moldy Marvin sent along news of a car show and event scheduled for July 24. I’m sorry that we couldn’t run that but I’ve been down over a month with a bad computer.
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For all those fellow car enthusiasts that are unable to attend this year’s "Car Week" on the Monterey Peninsula. www.bench-racing.com will be posting photos every day from most events. Photos from the Pre-Reunion vintage races at Laguna Seca have already been posted. Airport Party, The Tour, The Quail, Auctions, and of course the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance are all on our schedule. Of course we will have a PORSCHE slant to our efforts so please enjoy. www.bench-racing.com/html/news.html
All the best, Charles Rollins, Editor of www.bench-racing.com
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They are in the steps of resurrecting The Alternate. They will be continuing the story I penned about the life of Ted Halibrand. Phyllis had printed two installments prior to her taking ill. Zach Suhr is planning to pick it up from the cutoff point, but I don't agree since there is a one year gap in the continuity. He tells me he plans to put a piece you crafted about Phyllis on the front page. Not to needle but when are you planning to renew publication of the land speed historians newsletter. Been trying to get Ewing to send the new SAH Director to collect a box of work product I did during my brief tenure as director but he tells me that the chapter has no director at this time. Regards, Bob Falcon
Bob: Zach informed me about The Alternate newspaper and that is good news. Phyllis Devine set the standard for this type of biographical and historical research. I copied much of her format for the Boat Racers Newsletter and the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter. As to when I'll return, that depends on how quickly I can learn Windows 7. I'm making progress but so far it has been slow. I hope the SAH gets a new Director soon. They're a fine historical society, of which I was a member once. The only problem that they have is that they are so fragmented in their interest groups that it is hard to get them to agree. But if a person loves all car and racing history, then it is a fine group for them to join and I heartily recommend the Society of Automotive Historians (SAH) to everyone.
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This month’s Aussie Invader 5R newsletter is now available to read online. It is quite a full newsletter and may take a few seconds to download. http://www.aussieinvader.com/newsletters/aussieinvader_aug10.pdf (736kb). To view more information about the project, please visit our website www.aussieinvader.com. Best wishes Rosco McGlashan
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From: Paul Spence [email protected], Subject: LandSpeed, Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010
My father, Doug Spence passed away last week at age 82. I ran across some personal items that I had no idea were in his possession. Apparently, he was a member of the SCTA, and was at the first annual Bonneville trials in 1949. His father, Harold Spence had an auto mechanic shop in South Pasadena called Spence & Frye, and my father used to race Hot Rods he built out in the Mojave Desert and, perhaps Bonneville. I have his 1949 Pit Pass, a program and photos he took from that year's event - and another program from 1950. I'm wondering what value they have (historically and monetarily) - and how I can honor my dad's history. Thanks, Paul Spence
Paul: I've sent this email and response along to Jim Miller, our Society's president, so that he can add his comments as well. Historically every object is important and the more details that we have the more we can determine that importance. Putting captions to your father's photographs and completing his biography gives us more knowledge as to what he did in land speed racing. Putting a monetary value to it is very difficult, and there are many people who have asked us this question. In fact, Jim Miller and I have numerous articles and we are interested too. However, we can only give you a guess. Part of the problem is that of timing. The market for collectables was hot in 2007 and ice cold today. Markets fluctuate and perhaps in another few years, maybe five or six, the market will peak again. Another unknown is how many buyers and collectors are looking for objects versus how many sellers are offering collections for sale. Right now there are numerous sellers, but I haven't heard that there are a lot of buyers. A third problem is in how well known a person is, for that affects the market value of an object. What we can do to help you is to run your email in the newsletter, and there is no charge for that. But for this to be effective, you need to send photos of the objects and a description. It also helps to send a history or biography of the person who owned the artifacts that you are seeking to donate or sell. In some cases you can donate the items to a 501-c organization such as the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and they will give you confirmation which you can use on your taxes for a deduction. Sometimes that is more valuable than cash, which has to be declared as a long term capital gain. In either case it is important to document the artifact before you donate it or sell it. I need to caution you that we rarely get requests looking for objects, but we get a lot of requests asking us to list the artifacts for sale.
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I hope this web site is still working, I'm Clyde Hess from Missouri and I'm trying to find out if a Dan Warner was a builder of racing engines. I see you wrote an article about Bonneville race cars and mentioned his name so if you can supply me with any information I would sure appreciate it. I have an engine with his name on it. Thank you, Sonny Hess
Clyde: I've sent this email along to Dan Warner. If he doesn't email you then let me know and I will look for a phone number and call him. The Dan Warner that I know is a Bonneville and SCTA official, but I didn't know that he built engines. That just goes to show that we often don't know very valuable and useful things about our friends. This is one reason why we encourage all our members to write their biographies and caption their photographs. I will publish all bios and will help those who need help in editing them. And if you have not signed up to belong to the free website, www.landspeedracing.com, then do so today.
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Some time ago I contacted you (not sure how I got to you) looking for any information about Dave Kent and his shop Kent Racing in the Los Angeles (Hawthorne) area. If you do run across anything on Dave Kent Racing I'd be thrilled if you'd pass it on. I've got a race car that he built in 1984. The engine was built by Drake Engineering, of Meyer/Drake/Offenhauser fame. Peter Cipolla
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I’m still a Gear Grinder. I work Saturdays and we're restoring a building in Winslow AZ (Winslow Motor Palace) and wrapping up a couple motorcycle projects when I'm here (Orange). We've launched a little site at www.winslowmotorpalace.com. It's vague at this point since we haven't decided if it's going to be a small business or a retirement/vacation home. We launched it so friends and family can see what we're up too without my long boring explanations. Brian Law
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The following are replies to my request for updated records to help me in transitioning to my new computer. Thanks to all that have responded. Editor
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My e-mail is correct. For notes I am Scarab race car builder, Lance Reventlow's, half brother. Built a replica of the front-engined sports car with all the then living Reventlow Automobiles men alive in 1983. Regards, Richard Reventlow
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Hi there, please keep sending. All our info is in the signature. Thanks. Gary & Ellen Wilkinson Utah Salt Flats Racing Association World of Speed, Sept. 15 - 18, 2010 www.saltflats.com
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I am Doug Robinson and am a Land Speed Motorcycle competitor and inspector at the Bonneville Salt Flats. I am NOT related to the car builder of the same name. Please leave me on your list as I do enjoy seeing what the rest of the "guys" are doing. Thanks, Doug
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The North American Eagle is still using web address www.landspeed.com. My email is the same, and our business is still land speed racing. Ed Shadle
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Dick (drag racing) and Claudia LaHaie would like to continue receiving your emails. Thanks, Claudia LaHaie
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I have been receiving your newsletters for some time now, and I do enjoy them. My late father, Lujie Lesovsky, was a roadster era Indy car builder (and bodyman, when they got bent) and a USAC official. We used to go to a lot of midget races at Gardena Stadium, Kearny Bowl in Fresno, etc. I am not a mechanic, but I do enjoy the newsletters and do go to racing events whenever I can. Please, keep it up! Wishing you the best. I don’t think Dad went to the dry lakes much, but he did do body work on the Arfons jet car and a few others. In September of 1956 he went as a USAC official to Bonneville where they did some time runs on the ‘57 Fords mainly for filming of TV commercials. We dropped him off at Bill Stroppe’s in Long Beach one night. Those were the days when everyone waited with baited breath for the day the new models would be introduced at the dealerships. Also, the Balch midget, which was built on a Kurtis frame, set some kind of dry lake records. He and Emil Deidt bought about 6 frames from Kurtis and built the midgets in 1948. One was the Gearhart midget (Vukovich) and the Quella Offy, driven mainly by Cal Niday and Andy Linden. The Balch midget was driven by several drivers, but mainly by Danny Oakes. That was when racing wasn’t a zillion dollar operation and a reasonably successful businessman could field an Indy car and everyone knew everyone else. I grew up in Westchester, near LAX and within walking distance lived Jack Beckley, Ted Halibrand, Dan Quella, and Sandy Belond. I still see Beckley’s kids and Linda Halibrand occasionally when I go to Indianapolis, which is about every three or four years. Take care, and I do appreciate the newsy items about racing. Ron Lesovsky, Huntington Beach, CA
Ron: I would like to put your comments into the newsletter at www.landspeedracing.com. Our intent is to capture as much historical facts as we can and leave them to future historians. We have biographies and personal observations from a lot of people, with a heavy emphasis on the 1940's and '50's. It isn't only hot rodding and land speed racing. We also have a lot of information collected on oval and road racing from that era. Your memories are very important to us. Michael Brennan owns the Sandy Belond roadster and he is interested in all the stories and facts about Belond and those that worked with and knew Sandy. Go to our website and check out some of the history that we have found and send us more about what you know and observed.
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Everything is still the same for Larry and I. Larry and Anne Lindsley
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I am Michael Dunn in Riverwoods, Illinois. I photographed Indy Car Racing from the mid 1980's to 1995.
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I'm Jerry Hutchcroft from Roddin' & Racin' newspaper and TV show from Arizona.
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Current address is OK. Drag racer and land speed racer (135.712 in H/Production Supercharged, June 13, 2010, El Mirage). Doug Kruse
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That's my current address. I'm Jim Kitchen, the editor of the SpeedWeek program. thanx for including me.
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Please keep me on your list. Have you ever considered using Constant Contact? They are an awesome e-mail service provider especially if you have a large list to send. Using a program like that helps to not mark you e-mails as spam. Check it out at Constant Contact. If you do use it please consider ArtMartyr as a referral. Thank you, Tony Colombini, Publisher – BlacktopMagazine.com, Marketing Director – Egge Machine and Speed Shop
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Just to let you know, your new toy works and Pork Pie still works too. I will be back at the salt for SpeedWeek, World of Speed, Shootout and World Final, can't make BUB, it will kill my bank account so or so, only to go to the salt, but why we live. Photo artist and worldwide known Historian for LSR. and I still owe you an article about an unknown LSR motorcycle, but telling you the true I have to get myself the last two week a time out to get all the pictures for my friends on the salt burned on CD, due to this I was so busy otherwise by a though private issue which start when I was coming home from World Final last year sometime life can drive you nuts. Anyway you can't believe how happy I'm that I will be back at the salt in just two weeks....woowww. All the best - also to David. Thomas "Pork Pie" Graf
Thomas: Tell us how you got the nickname Pork Pie and also what it’s like to be a hot rodder and land speed racer in Germany. My brother tells me that you were writing a book in Germany on the subject, so let us know more about German land speed racing and hot rodding.
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All is fine here. Dad (Joaquin Arnett) is still in Country Hills in El Cajon, and holding on. May have an exhibit in the San Diego Auto Museum in October; working on it. Take care, Jackie Arnett
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Irwindale Notebook article; Partridge approaching track records, in the Pasadena Star-News. John Partridge
Readers: John is the son of Bernie and PJ Partridge who worked at NHRA for many years as the Division 7 Directors. Bernie is responsible for starting a lot of programs for NHRA, including the overseas efforts to encourage drag racing. John’s son is an avid oval track racer.
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We are working towards trying to print a new issue of The Alternate. I was wondering if you would mind if I used something you wrote in December, about Phyllis. On the cover page? This is what I am thinking....
Richard Parks summed things up pretty well when he wrote…“Phyllis kept the newsletter personal and homey and warm. It was her baby, a special source of joy for herself and her readers. To receive The Alternate and to be a part of it was to be a part of a larger family. She understood her readership and what they wanted and so it stayed as it was, something very family to the 1950's, but a little outdated for the 21st century. There was no use arguing with Phyllis and besides, she almost always turned out to be right. For such a small publication with so few pages, the postage itself costing almost as much as the subscription cost of the magazine, the content limited, how could this newsletter survive as long as it did. Yes, the liabilities almost always seemed to doom The Alternate, but it survived and thrived and it was due to the lady who lovingly put it together, week after week, year after year. Phyllis was The Alternate and her passing leaves us all a little poorer.” Please let me know what you think. Thank you very much. Zach Suhr
Zach: Please feel free to use what I wrote. Editorially speaking, you can always quote small portions of an article without the author’s approval if it is to support a main argument. But it is nice of you to ask first. As researchers, and Phyllis Devine would be the first to tell us this, we have a responsibility to quote correctly and to get prior approval to publish. You are going about this in the correct way and the highest compliment that I can pay to you is that Phyllis would have agreed too. I have so much respect for the memory of Phyllis. She was a lady who dedicated herself to the preservation of car racing history and she truly cared about the racers. They could always count on her to remember them and she did. The Alternate Newspaper probably never had a circulation of more than 1000 and it is probable that it broke even at best, but it was a labor of love for Phyllis Devine and racers and readers today appreciate what she did for us.
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Great website! My dad was Nellie Taylor. I'm glad to see that the memories and history of these group of guys is well documented! The underlying tribute to these guys is that these California guys or different ages, backgrounds and such got together before and after WW2 and created a sport and business all while having fun and fraternity. Thanks again, Nelson Stuart Taylor
Nelson: Your father was instrumental in all of that. In our phone conversation you told me that your father passed away in the mid-1960’s and that’s what Johnny Ryan told me. I’ve always thought of the shop as the Taylor and Ryan Speed Shop, although Ryan never actually owned an interest in the shop and today it is simply referred to as the Taylor Speed Shop. Ryan told me that your father served in the Army and was in the Battle of the Bulge where he suffered horribly from frostbite, which caused his disability and later his death at a young age. Ak Miller was in the Battle of the Bulge and related some colorful, if sad, stories of that conflict. The Taylor Speed Shop turned out a lot of great flathead engines and probably more records were set in boat, oval and land speed racing events because of their motors than any other early day engine building shop. People have forgotten how important Nellie Taylor and Johnny Ryan were to racing back in the 1940’s and ‘50’s and probably to this very day. Please send us all the memories of that time that you can and if you can, caption your father’s photographs.
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I am featuring Ford Thunderbirds at the September 19, 2010 Capitol Concours d'Elegance in Sacramento, California. I'd like to know if you can assist me with my quest for outstanding cars and enthusiasts in the way of providing any contact details you might have for Ford and T-bird clubs. Obviously, contacts in Nor Cal, CA and the west coast would be the most practical given the event location but I am open to networking with any name you kindly provide. Thank you for any help you can lend and for your time and consideration, Cindy A. Meitle
Cindy: I will publish your request in the newsletter at www.landspeedracing.com. Check out DRIVE Magazine, So-Cal Culture, SEMA Newsletter, Automotive Calendar of Events (Miss Information) and on-line car magazines and sometimes they have car clubs listed that you can contact.
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I work with a chap by the name of Peter Evans. He was telling me of his father that (according to what his mother told him) used to 'mess around with hot rods and flat head V8s'. I asked if he ever made and marketed any speed equipment like manifolds, but he didn't know. Guess he wasn't real close to his father for some reason? Was the Evans speed equipment company located in the Santa Monica area back in the day and did the owner have a son named Peter? Do you have an interview or any other material on the Evans Company that I could share with Peter? Jim Snyder
Jim: Sorry for the delay. It's taken me a month to solve my old computer problems and to start to learn how to use this new computer. The people who could tell you about this would be Jimmy Gonzalez who bought the Evans Speed Equipment shop and Michael Brennan who is the historian for the storied speed equipment company. I'll publish this in the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter in case some of our members know more of the story. I don't have the phone number to the shop, but you should be able to get it by googling.
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The 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Aug. 15 is paying tribute to Alfa Romeo, celebrating the centennial of the Italian auto manufacturer by showcasing vehicles ranging from the 1910 A.L.F.A. 24 HP to the just-unveiled Alfa Romeo Pandion created by Bertone ... and displaying rarely seen cars from the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo (the Alfa Romeo Museum) in Arese, Italy. Please let me know if you have questions and you may find high-resolution images here: http://pebblebeachconcours.net/pages/3017/index.htm. Jeff Green/PCGCampbell
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My buddy Frank Morawski and I will be showing the Fred Carrillo '27 roadster at Pebble Beach next month. I'm sure you heard that their special class this year is for Bonneville and Dry Lakes race cars. Frank has done a fantastic job with the restoration. All done by him and a group of semi-professional car guys. There will be several ultra high dollar professionally restored cars there including Chet Herbert's Beast. Not sure if you had planned to attend, but if you're there, please swing by and introduce yourself. Rich Venza
Rich: I just got my new computer and I'm way behind on the news. I won't make it this year to Pebble Beach, but maybe you can send us some photos and a story so that we can publish it here at www.landspeedracing.com.
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LA County North Agency "Heal Our Neighborhoods" Fund Raiser Schedule 2010. Kustoms, Hot Rods and Fishin' at: "Moldy Marvin's Koncourse Da'Bich'n." Date: Saturday August 14, 2010. Time: From 3:00pm - 8:30pm. Location: Apollo Lake Community Regional Park, 4555 West Avenue G, Lancaster, CA 93534. Featuring Vehicles Shown Around the Lake in Concourse Style! Open to pre-1973, Kustoms, Classics, Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, Lowriders, Vans, VW's, Motorcycles, Trikes & whatever else you may have! No Year Restrictions on Kustom Motorcycles & Trikes. Registration $ 15.00 per Vehicle (Registration Opens at 2:00pm). Spectators Free! Picnic! Bring Yer Own Eats! Please note: The hours will be 3:00pm - Dusk! (approx 8:30-9:00pm). Live Entertainment, Family Games, Vendor Booths and More! Live Entertainment By: The Bloozamps. Casual Fishing for Catfish & Perch with Valid California Fishing License. Directions: Off the 14 go West on G. Turn into Fox Field Entrance at 50th West and G. Follow the road until you run into Apollo Park! Parts Swap Booth Space $ 20.00 10'x 10.' Commercial Vendor Booth Space $ 40.00 10' x 10.' Moldy Marvin
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I attended the Bent Axels Car Show in Santa Maria July 17th and Sam Flowers was there. I did not get a chance to meet him but the interesting thing about it was the BB-Q was held in a park that is right where the finish line of the drag strip was. The return road is still there. I had a nostalgic trip back in time looking over the whole scene. There were a couple of the Original Santa Maria Dragons club members there also including the one that was very involved in running the drag strip. We had some great conversation. Bill LaPolla
Bill: You mean the road that leads into the old Santa Maria Airport? Don Edwards showed me the drag strip several years ago. It was lined with trees just as it was in the early days. I wish someone, maybe Edwards, would write a story on the old drag strip. That was Jack Mendenhall's home drag strip and he raced there a lot with the "Andersen's Pea Soup Special."
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The oldest Mercedes still on the road today is being driven 1,500 miles to compete in the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours. The 1902 Mercedes Simplex will be part of the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, a nine-day trip from Seattle to Pebble Beach beginning August 3. Not bad for a 108-year-old. Images that highlight this story are available at http://pebblebeachconcours.net/pages/3017/index.htm. Jeff Green
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Do you have any shots on Chris Carr and Dennis Manning? Martin Two Feathers
Martin: Mary Ann Lawford sent your email to me, since I edit the newsletter. We don’t have very much on Chris Carr and Dennis Manning. We need biographies or photographs on them. Give us what background information that you have on Carr and Manning and we'll publish it here in the newsletter to see what our readers can add.
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Put in (Dennis Manning fastest motorcycle in the world). You/tube has all the info http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfw6EIFxFI4, this should do it. Martin Two Feathers
Martin: Thank you for the link and for the photographs.
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Editor’s notes: The following was sent in by David Walker. We hope to learn more about the rebuild of the Schiefer roadster.
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Don Kallos; Do you have any kinked struts you can't use that you'd be willing to cut up and sell? I need to make cross members for this chassis on the Schiefer roadster, and I'm sure there'd be enough straight real estate on a bent strut to make them. David Walker
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David; We do have some bent struts. What kind of lengths do you need? We can come up with a fare price, say double the scrap value, you pay shipping? Don Kallos, Executive Officer, Lake Superior Squadron, Commemorative Air Force, Duluth MN
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Don, Sounds good to me! I need;
- Two lengths of 45 inches
- Two lengths of 27 inches
The frame on the Schiefer roadster (according to my modeling) was narrower than a Model T in the front, but about the same width as a Model A in the rear. These dimensions provide ample wiggle room, so if you have a hard time finding a kinkless 45 inches, let me know what is available. I still might be able to use it. David Walker
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Check out this Garlits video. Did you see this video clip from the cacklefest: http://tv.fooyoh.com/fooyohtv_videos_viral/6791705. Some sweet early model hemi's in the bunch. From Rick Raffanti and resent by Marshall Robilio.
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I'd like to start planning interviews. I want to interview you while walking down the 1/4 mile strip at Pomona talking about your father an all that he did for the racing world. I have a call into Tony Thacker - and he is getting me some phone numbers too. It would be a fairly small crew 5 people max, no trucks or light set-ups, and I don’t even want to run a car down the track - just a nice slow walking 1/4 mile. All in all I figure we'll need about 3 hours from handshake to wave goodbye. I think sometime in September would be a good time. I'll be doing various interviews on site to avoid the 'talking head' syndrome:
Harold Osmer driving the streets that make made up the Santa Monica Road Race
Danny Thompson at the former site of Lions
Chris Agajanian at Ascot
???? Gilmore - any ideas who to interview? Any racers still around?
???? Paramount Ranch - ideas? Jack Nethercutt? I know he raced there.
Jay Leno at Jay's Garage - to talk about the Hollywood/Car Culture connection ... and so on.
Harry Pallenberg, Where They Raced, www.wheretheyraced.com
Harry: Here are some suggestions-
Don Weaver and JC Agajanian Jr for Ascot.
John Lucero for Legion Ascot.
Steve Gibbs and Stan Adams for all drag racing. They will tell you who else to call.
Jack Underwood for El Mirage and Muroc.
Johnny McDonald for all racing in San Diego.
Al Ocampo and Don Weaver for contacts on other oval tracks in Southern California.
Art Evans, Ginny and John Dixon on Road Racing courses in California.
And of course, Harold Osmer for the various tracks. He's the expert there. I can't tell you much about Pomona, nor can my brother, but I will talk to you and if you think that I can help you I will be glad to be interviewed. My brother also. But we would have to go through a trial test first to get comfortable with the process and make sure that we are accurately portraying the past. Readers: Do you have any ideas for Harry to use or people to interview?
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Road Runners meeting, Tuesday, 13 July 2010, 7pm, Ed Martin Garage, Riverside, California. President Jack Masson called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Guests: Bill Clabaugh – Claybaugh Race Team (guest), Jeff Clauson – Ferguson & Martin Race Team (guest), Eddie Jones – Friend of Charles Shimko (guest), Ron Kuns – Prospective out of area member (first meeting). Minutes of the June meeting read. Minutes approved as read. Treasurer’s Report was given by Bill Harris, Treasurer. Balance: $3776.70. It was noted that new members Bill Woodcock and Justin Gray included a $128.00 contribution to the Road Runners general fund with their membership fees. Thank you gentlemen. Club Rep Jerry Cornelison gave the SCTA Board & Reps minutes report for the June 18th meeting. Discussion about new MC tire rules. Presidents Comments: President Masson proposed we donated $100 to Friends of El Mirage. Motion, discussion, second, passed. Discussion about El Mirage Women’s Aux. Motion by Pat Riley to make donation. Second by Bill Harris. Discussion. Motion tabled to research mission of Auxiliary. Pat Riley will report back at September meeting. Timing tags for May distributed. Old Business: Discussion about our August meeting: Regular meeting for August suspended, per our practice, and Dinner meeting to wish Bonneville participants bon voyage and good luck will be held at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Riverside (3191 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA 92507, P:951.784.4417 ) on August 10 at 7pm. If you have not confirmed attendance with Jack Masson, please give him a call at 951-737-9449.
New Business: Ron Kuns, prospective out of area member submitted his application for membership. Ron will be racing a Honda CX500. He also has a ’33 Ford Victoria Convertible street rod. His background is El Mirage, Bonneville and drag racing. Ron knew some of the early Road Runners, including the Miller Brothers. He has wanted to be a Road Runner for 55 years. Motion for membership by Mark Cavender, second by Willie Martin, membership passed. President Masson asked those present, who will be going to Bonneville: Reece (Adams and Winters), Bill Harris (Harris and Wester), Jim Kitchen (San Berdoo Roadsters), Bill Anderson ('Screwball' Motorcycle Sidecar). Spectating: Charles Shimko (MC Inspector), Pat Riley (Car Inspector), Gary McGavin, John Julis and his son. Duties for September El Mirage meet covered: Am Patrol - Mike Retzlaff, PM Patrol Jerry Cornelison. Course Walk - Robert Miller, Pat McSwain, Bill Carling, Jim Clabaugh, Chad Clabaugh, Steve Clabaugh & Mark Sotelo. Member Items and Open Discussion: Jim Lattin asked Mike Ferguson is our Club would be interested in having metal logo signs made. Discussion. Jack Masson will ask Jim Lattin for more information and report back at September meeting. Meeting adjourned at 8:03PM. Submitted 8/2/10 – Secretary, Jerry Cornelison
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"Road Runners At Bonneville Speed Week 2010 - Racing: Reese Adams / Helen Winters - Adams & Winters Camaro; Bill Harris / Dale Wester / Richard Ross - Harris & Wester Camaro; Bill Anderson - Anderson's Screwball MC Sidecar; Ron Kuns - Maggot Racing Honda CRX; Jim Kitchen - San Berdoo Roadsters Street Roadster; Casey Campbell / Tim Campbell / Kris Lewis - Campbell Racing Pickup; Dave Consalvo - Flying Consalvo's Hayabusa. Tech Inspectors: Pat Riley - cars and Charles Shimko - motorcycles. Spectating: Mark Winters, John Julis, Gary McGavin (If I missed anyone, please let me know) (posted Aug 3, 2010)" Jerry Cornelison
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Dave Bennett is busy working on his Henry J Build. He recently sent me some pictures that I have posted on his build page: http://www.ussarcherfish.com/roadrunners/builds/Henry%20J/Henry%20J.htm
Looking good Dave! Reminded to you other Road Runners, if you want me to post pictures of your build or your Street Rod or Motorcycle, send the pictures to me and I will get them posted to our Cars and Bikes page. The gallery is starting to look pretty good: http://www.ussarcherfish.com/roadrunners/cars.htm. Jerry Cornelison
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Everyone's 36hp and big block air cooled VW projects are coming along well. A head count this past week indicated we can expect in the area of twenty (yes, I said 20) VW land speed racer entries, possibly even more as there are about six (6) unconfirmed racers I have been unable to contact. The mix indicates we should expect as many as 12 36hp powered cars, 7 big block VWs and a few water-cooled VW's not counting those VW folks I have no contact with and as I hear from the USFRA officials on other VW entries. This list will probably change as more information arrives but it appears we can expect the largest gathering of land speed racing Volkswagens (o\!/o) 'ever' ! A lot of VW folks have also expressed interest in just coming out to watch and support the racers on the spectacular Bonneville Salt Flats and I re-emphasize that everyone is welcome. As recently as yesterday, racers have found rooms at the Motel 6 and elsewhere so non-campers can still find accommodations. Again, I have attached above two lists, one of motel phone numbers and one a list of items to bring with you to be prepared so your experience is positive. In addition, here is the USFRA contact information with links that will keep you updated on what is happening at the World of Speed. Go to www.saltflats.com for current information. Finally, for those folks with 36hp based entries that exceed 100 miles per hour and gain entry into the exclusive 36hp Challenge "1" Club, a surprise will await you. To date there are just five drivers who have experienced a 36hp-engined car at speeds above the magic one hundred mile per hour barrier in over five decades of trying. From the above entries, this list could grow during World of Speed and I hope you will be there as witnesses or participants to celebrate with all of us in their achievements. If you should have any questions regarding the coming event, please email me and I will try to answer them as quickly as possible. Burly Burlile
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This engine was sold out of the Crawford Collection last fall at the Hershey auction. I had been told that the Miller family purchased it. Michael Kacsala
From the Miller/Offy Historical Society. Excerpt from the article: This Miller engine has an amazing story. Originally owned by the Mike Boyle racing team, Boyle driver, Fred Comer, constructed a unique and unusual intercooler of 72 half-inch copper tubes, each approximately nine inches long, for the engine. It was given to Mr. Crawford in the 1930’s at which time it was obsolete for racing, save for the fact that it could have been cut in two and used as the basis for a four cylinder midget race car engine. Fortunately, Mr. Crawford kept it looking like it could have been pulled out of a race car and saved it for future museum display. It was prominently displayed at the Thompson Auto Album from the late 1940’s through early 1960’s before gifted to the Western Reserve Historical Society by Mr. Crawford in 1964. It has now been part of the collection for over 70 years. While the exact history of this particular engine has not been previously researched, it can be stated with certainty that the unique intercooler is the one Fred Comer designed, built and installed on the Mike Boyle owned front drive he drove in 1928. The 91 front drive engine underwent numerous design and engineering changes by Miller during the five years it was built. See http://www.milleroffy.com/Feature%20Story.htm#Current_feature.
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Hello, I am Carlo Berardini, son of the late Tony Berardini and nephew of Pat. I always enjoy reading about the days of my dad racing. Thank you for the interest you have in the sport. I still race a 1967 Impala that runs 10.55 @ 127 mph. It’s a blast. Sincerely, Carl James Berardini
Carl: Greetings. I want you to know that I admire the Berardini family. Pat and Tony are pioneers in the field of drag racing, but more than that they are gentlemen of the highest caliber. The Berardini, Chrisman, Arnett, Mendenhall, Marquez and other early day pioneers created the sport of drag racing that millions of people today enjoy and participate in. Often they are forgotten, for 6 decades have passed since they raced. I'm glad that you are continuing along in the tradition that your father and uncle helped to create. I want you to keep that rich heritage alive for your family and your cousins by recording and saving every story, photograph and artifact that you can that relates to the Berardinis and their friends who drag raced. We can use more biographies from your family and more individual stories. I can help you with text, but the photographs that you have sent are too large for my system to handle. Send them instead to www.landspeedracing.com, courtesy of Anita at [email protected] and she will post them to the website. Please include the captions along with the name of the photographs. We will post photos of your car and your uncle's and father's racing history. It's a pleasure to meet you and I hope to receive more of your family's racing history for our newsletter.
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Land Speed Racing Websites:
www.hotrodhotline.com, www.landspeedracing.com
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Members:
Jonathan Amo, Brett Arena, Henry Astor, Gale Banks, Glen Barrett, Mike Bastian, Lee Blaisdell, Jim Bremner, Warren Bullis, Burly Burlile, George Callaway, Gary Carmichael, John Backus, John Chambard, Jerry Cornelison, G. Thatcher Darwin, Jack Dolan, Ugo Fadini, Bob Falcon, Rich Fox, Glenn Freudenberger, Don Garlits, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, Andy Granatelli, Walt James, Wendy Jeffries, Ken Kelley, Mike Kelly, Bret Kepner, Kay Kimes, Jim Lattin, Mary Ann and Jack Lawford, Fred Lobello, Eric Loe, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Don McMeekin, Bob McMillian, Tom Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Bob Morton, Mark Morton, Paula Murphy, Landspeed Louise Ann Noeth, Frank Oddo, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks (in memoriam), Eric Rickman, Willard Ritchie, Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Ed Safarik, Frank Salzberg, Dave Seely, Charles Shaffer, Mike Stanton, David Steele, Doug Stokes, Bob Storck, Zach Suhr, Maggie Summers, Gary Svoboda, Pat Swanson, Al Teague, JD Tone, Jim Travis, Randy Travis, Jack Underwood and Tina Van Curen, Richard Venza.
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