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SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 175 - September 15, 2010
Editor: Richard Parks [email protected]
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)
Photographic Editor of the Society: Roger Rohrdanz, [email protected]
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Click On All Images For Larger View
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Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
President's Corner, Editorials, Mary Davis wife of Willie Davis was taken to Clarian West hospital Sunday morning, Saturday October 2 2010 Leslie Long is organizing a Santa Ana Drags and Main Malt Shop Reunion, The movie you are looking for is “The Barefoot Contessa” with Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart around 1/1/1954, This is an excerpt from the video Howie Raz" filmed at the Racers Reunion, Looks like the weather at El Mirage will be nice this weekend, Again I enjoyed reading it I would like to see future issues Is that possible?, We were wondering if you might have any contacts for land speed archival footage, My Dad raced motorcycles in the late 1950’s and ‘60’s in Orange and Los Angeles counties, A good friend of mine (John Abbott of Colorado) just contacted me about an upcoming drag meet at or about the old Santa Ana drag stripe, World of Speed Caravan to the Salt: Tuesday morning we will meet at 8:30 am at BC Autoworks, I have had a fellow ask me about a Curtis midget called Burbank Goat that was supposedly powered by a Drake/Harley, I got an answer from Jim Miller yesterday as well on Charles Beck's record setting SCTA streamliner from 1942, The following persons have had email returned to me as invalid addresses or whose server is no longer receiving my email messages and therefore have been dropped from my records, Phil Burgess did an extensive article; first with my brother then with my hubby, Stepping back a few columns to our discussion of pins (I had shown you a photo sent by Chuck Rearick of the earliest NHRA member pin) but he's not the only one with one of them in his collection, The Brits won't be running anything for a couple of year; that is if they can raise the $35 million dollars they need to build the Bloodhound, I'm going to try to make the Santa Ana Drags Reunion, I believe you are aware that I once was a partner with Curt Hamilton when we created Cal Automotive and manufactured lots of fiberglass auto bodies and parts, Check out this site for the early days of drag racing in our area, Oilstick.com has kept a few of my old car racers newsletters, In my opinion an ejection seat system in a land speed car is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of, My capsule on Sonic Wind the ice racer is made of reinforced aluminum wrapped with ballistic fiberglass, Any one got room for a photographer and a bike to Bonneville wednesday or late tues night from the SF bay area, Charlie's car may look like a '40s rod but it’s an early 60's custom with 331 Chrysler Hemi 6 Stromberg 97 Chevy 55 interior boat steering wheel and a handmade Du Valle window etc, This is a link to the site for the Dreamliner III (built and raced by Jonas Romblad and Tomas Leijon) whom I met while doing security patrols at Black Rock Desert in 1997, I have a few glossy pics in my photo albums and scanned those
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President's Corner:
NEWS FLASH!
"Now pending before the California state legislature is a bill authorizing construction of three, and possibly four, three mile paved timing strips at a cost of $1,900,000."
For years everyone has been looking for a solution to the problem of street racing and the state of California stepped up to do something about it. If it sounds to good to be true it is, or I mean was because this statement was seen in the March 27, 1953 issue of Motor World Magazine. Even before that there was a movement to find a place to race. it was promoted in Hot Rod Magazine and they even accepted donations of a dollar a head. Going back to the late '40's there was big trouble on the streets with all the street racing and more than one group wanted to ban hot rods completely. Another group even wanted to ban from the road any modified car. All this was bad news to the car guys. At the time El Mirage and all the other lake beds in the area were being used up with events held every weekend. With WWII over all the old practice airstrips became useless for the airplane boys so it was only natural for the racers to cut some deals and start using them. They were also a lot easier to get to so it was a natural progression that "drag racing" took off. With that here's some more of the '53 story.
"The Bill provides that one strip be located near each of the following cities: Los Angeles, Fresno and Sacramento. The bill, as it is written, directs the division of highways to acquire property necessary to construct the strips. It stipulates that each strip should be approximately three miles long and not less than 90 feet wide."
Now for the fun part. "The purpose of the strips, as outlined, are for experimenting and testing the performance of all motor vehicles, as well as areas for traffic officials and student drivers. Control of the strips will be under the California Highway Patrol. No vehicle will be permitted to run until it has been inspected and approved by the CHP, or its authorized representatives, as being in safe condition mechanically for testing."
If you think this sucks check out the other requirements. “The strips may be used by authorized timing associations which may do the inspecting of vehicles to be run in their meets. However these timing associations will be required to meet certain specific conditions. One of these is payment of a rental fee for use of the strip. The bill sets the amount at $20 a day. Furthermore, the timing association must furnish evidence of financial responsibility for $100,000, Or be insured for that amount. In addition to the rental fee, those timing associations which charge admission to the public must turn over 10 per cent of the gross receipts to the division of highways. And the division may let concessions to vendors doing business at the strips.”
At the end of the story it closed with this. “If established, the strips may be a final blow to dry lakes meets, which already have lost much to the quarter mile drags. And the various drags now in existence will be deeply affected if forced to compete with a state owned strip.”
If we look at the picture today the only functioning real drag strip in our area is Pomona and they can only race a few days a year because of all the noise complaints. As for El Mirage, these days it's completely fence off and the BLM charges you to enter the lakebed. They also require the S.C.T.A to have a permit and take a percent of the gross. Looks like some things never change.
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Editorial:
The newsletter doesn’t have a policy concerning Advertising. Any Ads placed on the website or in the newsletter would have to be determined by the owner of the website, Jack and Mary Ann Lawford. Up to this point we have only run your “Requests” and relied upon the seller and the buyer to make contact and work out whatever terms that they felt beneficial. In other words we weren’t running advertisements, but we were “facilitating the transfer of collectible material from one party to another.” That money changes hands is not our concern, but making sure that collections are not lost is our concern. There may come a time when the Lawford’s may take Ads and they will set the rules for that. The website is not the exclusive arena for the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter. We represent the bulk of the website, but there are other people and other articles and stories on www.landspeedracing.com that are not part of the Society. You might say that those posting text and photographs on the website are or could be construed to be members of the Society and thus it is all one and the same. It also isn’t important that the website be just about material from the Society. The website does not belong to the Society, but to the Lawford’s and they set the rules, though they are most generous. The point is this, we sometimes err and call it “our site,” when in reality we are guests of the website as our many other people independent of the SLSRH group. We share it and that’s as it should be, for straight-line racing and hot rodding are not owned or controlled by any one group. We are delighted to have found a home at www.landspeedracing.com and we know that others will find a home there as well. If you have something to sell, or you want to find something to buy, send it to us as a “request.” I do not post prices as the SLSRH is not an auction house or a store. You must give me permission to use your email and contact information, such as a phone number or email address. I prefer to use email addresses as that is less intrusive, but you are the judge of that. I also retain the right to edit your “request” so as to make it seem like an announcement and not an Advertisement.
As you may have heard, Sir Richard Noble and Sir Andrew Green are attempting to put together a team and a car, called the Bloodhound, and go after a new ultimate land speed record. It is set for 2012 in South Africa. I use the terms “Sir” because both Noble and Green have been knighted for their efforts. This is the proper term although Noble and Green would probably tell you that they prefer a simple Richard and Andy as the names to be called by. They’ve earned the right to whatever name they wish to be called. I know them both. Not very well, but enough to know that they are gentlemen and that they have put up with a great deal of difficulties and unpleasantness to do what they had to do to get the job done. Both men and their large team of security people, builders, maintenance crews, men and women volunteers at all levels are quality individuals and good friends. Noble and Green never do things by halves. They are thorough and their plan of action is well thought out. Preparation is key; as they plan, build, test and then start all over again. No one can anticipate all the problems that can arise at the speeds they are running, but Noble and Green are as good as anyone will ever get when it comes to land speed racing. We expect to hear more from them in the future as their testing becomes more and more detailed and they work out the car and schedule for each phase of operation.
There is still confusion as to where to send in your photographs. Textual material comes to me at [email protected]. Photographs with captions go to our Photographic editor, Roger Rohrdanz at [email protected]. If you send them to me I will forward them on to Roger. I simply don’t have the time to process photographs for the newsletter. Roger has full editorial rights in dealing with all pictures sent in to the newsletter. He needs to have small photos in the realm of 50 kb and clear and concise captions. He may return your photographs unused or email you and ask you to provide the necessary information. Please try and make this job easier for him. Now, about making things easier, here’s a lecture, because you all need one. A member of the SLSRH has been writing a good size bio but feels like he is bragging or making it too long. Balderdash. You can’t make anything too long. Do you think I am doing this to entertain you? My goals are to write for the future and I don’t know what the future will want from us and therefore I add the kitchen sink to everything that I do. Yeah, wordy and verbose and I’m proud of it. If you enjoy the SLSRH that’s fine, but for some reason people feel that I’m spending 12 hours a day at the keyboard just for them. Get over yourself. And write your bios and send them to me. I’m not going to carry any of you. If you don’t pull your weight and save your life story then leave. Some people never write to me, I don’t have their email address, we never speak, so just what value do you give to me? Here’s another angle; who’s more important, Wally Parks or Joe Blow? Joe wrote his biography and stories and captioned his photos and my dad didn’t. I know all about Joe Blow, but dad didn’t leave much behind and all I know about him is what I observed and what his friends know about him. His friends aren’t writing their bios or stories, so when they kick the bucket, just what will I have? Not much and that’s really a shame. I rely on you and you aren’t writing your bios, stories or captioning your photographs. You’re nice people, but frankly you’re dead weight.
On another issue; from time to time I receive an email rejection. The person’s server will say something like, “We can’t deliver your short message to so-and-so, our customer, because you are a SPAM hacker with halitosis and festering zits,” or language just as insulting. Jim and I do this unpaid job because we believe in keeping our history and heritage alive and we certainly don’t appreciate being maligned by a robot. If we have to be castigated, accursed and accused then we want you to do it to our faces so we know that we are no longer your pal. We don’t have the time to go and call you and ask, “Why are you calling us a spam artist and hacker?” Oh, yeah, we know, it’s an automated system and you’re innocent. Frankly, we don’t believe that for a second. You chose the gosh-awful system and you can’t pass the buck. Personally I’m old and I’ve got only a few more years left and I don’t need to beg for friendship. Jim and I have plenty of friends. We’ll try, if we can, to call and ask, “Do you REALLY, really want us to go away?” If we don’t have your phone number, then your email address is **** canned and we’ve got to go on with our work. Maybe you’re not aware and maybe you are, but we don’t have the time or the patience to find out. And we really, really, really hate to be told off. If that’s the case, well we can be pretty, very, extremely CURT to you too. Fix your system or GO AWAY.
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Mary Davis, wife of Willie Davis, was taken to Clarian West hospital Sunday morning. She is in ICU. She has sepsis and pneumonia along with everything else she has wrong. They had to put her on a ventilator. Please put her on the prayer list of your mutual friends. Will keep you updated. Betty Packard
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Saturday, October 2, 2010 Leslie Long is organizing a Santa Ana Drags and Main Malt Shop Reunion. It is a picnic and you can bring your own food or share with others. You will find a beautiful park along Santiago Creek on the border of the cities of Orange and Santa Ana. It’s about 500 feet to the east of Main Street and Memory Lane. It starts around 10 am. It's totally free, to park and to join in. The old timers may include guys like Otto Ryssman, Isky, Gene Ellis and I talked to Al Teague, who said that he is planning on attending. Mark your calendars and come. This is one of those really special affairs and the men and women who raced at Santa Ana are some of the earliest drag racers anywhere on the planet. They are gracious and easy to talk to. Bring a video camera, note book or any collectible that you want autographed. They raced in the '50's when drag racing was just starting to figure out their rules and culture. Email me for additional information
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The movie you are looking for is “The Barefoot Contessa,” with Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart around 1/1/1954. There was a pre-world war II land speed car raced on a beach. It got on fire and was driven out into the water to put the fire out. Later in the movie, the owner/driver destroyed the car to show his love for Gardner. It's on DVD (2002). I saw it when it was new, so it’s a little fuzzy to me. The car was run off a cliff (overlooking the same beach it was raced on) and destroyed in the movie. It was a very big car and I think it had an aircraft engine in it. I think the movie was very real looking, and the car really was destroyed. Dick Elliott
Dick: Thank you for the correction. I passed right over this movie while researching it in the movie guide.
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This is an excerpt from the video Howie Raz" filmed at the Racers Reunion. There are lots more on the final DVD and we are going to see that all of you who are interested in it will get a copy. Love you all and for those of you who were there and sent me all the kind words, letters and phone calls thanking me for having it, this will be mine and "Howie's" gift back to you! You all are the best! Hila Sweet
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Well good news. The 2010 Racers Reunion DVD is finished and I will mail you a copy today. I managed to get the length to just under one hour (59:40). Let me know if there is anything that must be changed. Otherwise it’s ready for duplication. How do you like the DVD cover? I also made the YouTube version we spoke about and posted it on my speedwayzar channel. Just paste this blue link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doKbHr2L3Wk, into your browser and it will automatically take you there. I would like to do a press release about the DVD and being able to see a 12 minute version on YouTube.
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Hila Sweet 17th Annual Racers Reunion:
Just like the 16 times before Hila did it again, the perfect event. Weather, perfect. Food, perfect. Location, perfect. Support and attendance from the racing community, perfect. Over 250 people attended. Held at the Parnelli Jones Museum in Torrance Ca the place was filled with heavy hitters from the racing fraternity past and present. Parnelli, J.C. Agajanian, Jimmy Oskie, Wally Pankratz, Tony Simon, Sunny Nutter, Ken Clapp, Ed Justice Jr, Joe Hemming, Chet Knox, Bob Falcon, Steve Howard, Dick Wallen, Harold Osmer and Dottie, Vickie and Jamie James are just some of the over fifty people RAZ interviewed that day. What can you say about the museum part. Filled with cars and memorabilia from Parnelli's career the place is spectacular. Did you know PJ raced off road? How about Drag Racing or go karts? Original garage doors from the Indy pits, a complete very large and very accurate model of the Ontario Speedway along with Parnelli' Jones own name brand tires are just a few of the items on display. (Good thing there's a bar up here this could take awhile). With offices downstairs and the museum on the second floor you have to wonder how they get this stuff up there. To view this 12 minute version of Hila Sweet’s gathering just go to my speedwayzar YouTube channel or paste http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doKbHr2L3Wk, into your browser. It’s a trip down memory lane that’s well worth taking. Indy cars, racing, jalopies, sprint cars, midgets, WRA, Ascot, USAC, NASCAR, modified, motors, dirt track. Howie Zechner
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Looks like the weather at El Mirage will be nice this weekend - mid to upper 80's in the day and low 50's at night. Winds are forecast at 9 to 11mph from the South - Southwest. Maybe, depending on course layout, we might get some El Mirage Horsepower! Hope to see lot's of you at El Mirage this weekend. Our September Road Runners meeting is on Tuesday the 14th at 7pm, Ed Martin Garage. The Agenda is attached. Secretary Road Runners - SCTA (est. 1937) http://www.ussarcherfish.com/roadrunners. Jerry Cornelison
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Again, I enjoyed reading it. I would like to see future issues. Is that possible? Jeff Garvin
Jeff: When I should have put down the SLSRH email list I hit the POBB list. I'm not supposed to mix the political lists with the car racing lists, because I have promised not to bother one group with another group's email content. But since some of the POBB readers have asked me about The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter, I will answer in a group format in the POBB. The SLSRH is a volunteer membership group, much like the POBB, dedicated to preserving and finding our straight-line racing history. Jim Miller and I founded this group as it represented our values and the values of my father, Wally Parks. Generally we are researching all land speed racing, all hot rodding and the first decade of drag racing. But we also receive, research and post other interesting auto racing stories and histories as well. It is free and joining the SLSRH is simple; just sign in to the website www.landspeedracing.com and add it to your list of favorites. Then go to it once a week and read the latest issue. It's as simple as that. You can also contribute. The readers are our members and it is an open forum. It isn't quite a blog, because as the editor I do control the content and that is to insure than it is fair, honest and positive. Blogs tend to be nasty little sites, full of scandal, libel and slander. I keep the content as the sender intended it to be while editing out things that make it sound vicious. So far I haven't had any complaints. The SLSRH is one of the more scholarly publications to make auto racing a legitimate historical subject to study.
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We were wondering if you might have any contacts for land speed archival footage. We are specifically looking for footage of Al Teague's "Spirit of '76" streamliner. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Brittany Geber
Brittany: I'm copying your email and sending it to Al Teague and to Jim Miller, the curator of the American Hot Rod Foundation. We have no film archives as what we receive we share openly and freely with the public at large. We do know of some collections and collectors and sometimes act as a go-between. Another way that we can help is by publishing your request and I will use your email or phone number if you allow me to. Also, check with the museums; Petersen Automotive Museum and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Copies of this email have been sent to Dick Messer, Greg Sharp, Jim Miller and Al Teague. Good luck in your search.
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My Dad raced motorcycles in the late 1950’s and ‘60’s in Orange and Los Angeles counties. His name is Tommy Auger and rode a Vincent Black Lightning for a guy named Bill Martz. Thom Auger
Thom: I remember your father being honored at the California Hot Rod Reunion some time back. How is he doing? Are you and your father coming to the Santa Ana Drags Reunion and Man Street Malt Shop Reunion? Do you want to do his biography? We would be glad to help you and we will post it to www.landspeedracing.com.
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A good friend of mine, John Abbott of Colorado, just contacted me about an upcoming drag meet at or about the old Santa Ana drag strip. I used to live in SoCal, and raced my '34 Ford coupe there a couple of times in the early '50s. I was in the Navy for many years, and took pictures of the strip and some cars in those early days. Don't have my original film, unfortunately, and only have prints from Drag News. Anyway, in the mid-50s I moved to Oregon (where I'm living presently) and sold a lot of pictures to Car Craft and Custom Cars magazines, and once to Hot Rod magazine (that your dad was the Editor of). In early 1959 I returned to SoCal, and freelanced for Doris Herbert (Chet's sister) when she ran Drag News newspaper. I sent John Abbot a few of the early racer's names about an hour ago. That's when John gave me your Email address. In late 1959 Dick Day hired me to work with the staff on Car Craft and CC. I spent about 16-17 years at Petersen. Your dad was there during my early years, and when NHRA started "blooming" he finally had to leave PPC and work full-time with NHRA. So we do live in a small world. I don't know if I can be of any help, what with living so far away, but if I may be of help, get in touch. Bud Lang
Bud: Glad to hear from you. I'm editing the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter which is located on www.landspeedracing.com and our goal is to find, save and research as much of the history of straight-line racing as we can. Every captioned photograph and every biography is precious to us. My father never finished his biography and so I have to rely on others to give me bits and pieces of his life's story. I help people to write their bios and Jim Miller and Roger Rohrdanz do their part to find and preserve the photographs of a by-gone era. It is a reunion that Abbott mentioned. A group of racers from the old drag strip at Santa Ana get together and hold what they call the Santa Ana Drags and Main Street Malt Shop Reunion. They have done this for half a century, first stopping off at the Malt shop on Main Street after a day's racing at Santa Ana. Now they meet just off Santiago Creek near Main Street and Memory Lane on the border of Orange and Santa Ana. I would like to hear about your story with my father, Dick Day, Pete Petersen, Doris and Chet Herbert and all the other interesting people from that early era.
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I'll go through my archives, etc., and see what I can come up with. I may have glossy photos that I can scan and send to you. Will also send what info I can put together. As I told Abbott, I have a lot of pictures from Drag News in a photo album. I still have some copies of Hot Rod, Car Craft, etc., that I used to write for. This will take some time, but since I am retired, I do have plenty of time. Hope to be of help. Bud Lang
Bud: If you scan them, please be sure to add captions to all the photographs. That is so important because without captions it takes researchers a long time to find out who, what, where, when and why. It is also important to start on your bio and if you want me to edit it and post it to our Biography section I will be glad to do that for you. This is the format that we use to do bios;
a) Where did your family come from; your parents and grandparents and what did they do for a living?
b) Where were you born and where did you grow up? What elementary, junior high and high school did you attend?
c) Did you take any shop classes, while you were in school? Name your friends, especially those interested in racing.
d) Did you join any car clubs or work on or own a car, or a race car, or work as a crewman on a race car while in school?
e) What kind of jobs did you have as a young person while growing up? What kinds of hobbies and interests did you have?
f) What did you do after graduation? Did you join the military? Were you drafted? Did you fight in the war?
g) What kind of racing did you get involved in? Did you own a racecar, drive a racecar or work as a crewman?
h) Who were some of your friends that were involved in racing with you? Name and describe them.
i) Tell us about your family, your wife and children. Were they involved in racing?
j) What kind of work did you find after you left school? Was it racing related employment?
k) Are you retired from racing? What are you doing today?
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World of Speed Caravan to the Salt: Tuesday morning we will meet at 8:30 am at BC Autoworks (Bugg Craft) and leave at 9 am for Bonneville. BC Autoworks is located in Ogden, thirty-three miles north of Salt Lake City and just a 1/2 mile west off I-15 at exit # 341. Their address is 2930 Pennsylvania Avenue and phone number is 801-321 0336. Our only other stop will be at the lakeside vista pull-off on I-80 just east of Toole. We should arrive their around 10 AM. Anyone coming from the east who would like to meet up and caravan together is encouraged to join us.
Weather Forecast: As of this morning, 9/10/10, the ten day weather forecast for the Bonneville Salt Flats ( http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USUT0270 ) is clear skies and '0' percent chance of rain through Sunday the 19th. Afternoon temps will be in the high seventies and low eighties with overnight temps around 50. The desert can be cold in the evening so bring warm weather clothing and sleeping gear if camping out ! Afternoon thundershowers are also not uncommon. See you on the salt.
Whose coming to race at World of Speed (9/7/0);
1. Bill Smith from Phoenix will be running his lowlight '56 Ghia coupe with a Stone Stock 36hp engine. Bill is a Mustang restorer with a passion for, and a garage full of Karmann Ghias.
2. Craig & Rose Wilson from Groveland, Cal, located just outside Yosemite Park, will also be running a '67 Ghia coupe with Britt Grannis's Stone Stock 36 engine taken from the bug he ran last year. Ghias are supposed to be 8 miles per hour faster because of their aerodynamic efficiency. This will be a good test to see how accurate that theory is.
3. Brad Humenny is coming from the great white north with his big block VW slalom buggy converted for land speed racing on the salt. It will be the first street buggy to ever have competed at Bonneville.
4. Juan Cole, better known for his Beetle Ball adventures, is bringing Herbie to run the Stone Stock class and try and dethrone the Beaver Geezer boys.
5. Evergreen, Colorado's, David Manobla will be in his Okrasa motored Ghia coupe and will make his first pass down Bonneville’s black line this next week.
6. Kim Slaughter is building a NA36 for next year but will take his 58 Bug across the salt this year with a Stone Stock motor that has quite a few miles under its belt. No tight tolerances there.
7. John Milner is again bringing his Formula V outfitted with a big block VW and dual Webers. He even has a spare motor should the unthinkable happen. Both have been on the dyno so this should run good.
8 & 9 & 10. Dave and Molly McCoombs are coming up from Tustin in So Cal to try their hand in the Challenge. They will be running a Tom Bruch built DSS 1582cc engine that Tom will also drive once Dave has completed his runs. Both are Stage 4 cancer survivors so you could say they will be 'Running for the Cure.'
11. Britt Grannis is bringing his RED 67 Ghia coupe equipped with Richard Troy’s 1500cc Okrasa that has just been on the dyno by ACE in Salt Lake City. Hopefully this will put Britt into the "1" Club.
12. Dick Wakefield, with his daughter Kami as the pit crew is coming from Texas to try and be the first VW bug to gain entry into the 130 Mile Per Hour Club. We wish him the best of luck.
13. Richard Troy who became the fifth "1" Club member last year with his Denzel powered Ghia Coupe will return with many refinements and a solid Dyno tune by ACE to speed him along. His goal, 115 mph plus and he has a good shot at achieving those speeds.
14. Joe Morris is coming all the way from Indianapolis, Indiana, in hopes of besting the Stone Stock record of 73 mph. He has installed his motor in a slippery Super Beetle to give him that 1CD advantage in cheating the wind. 15. Matt Guzowski will be piloting his road racing Formula V, complete with a blueprinted and dyno tuned 40hp engine (now putting out 58 hp) as required for the classes he competes in at Millers Motor Sports Park and other road race venues around the west.
16. Yoncalla, Oregon’s Jerry Avis came to the salt last year with a neat looking 36hp trike. This year he returns with 'the Cheetle', a Stone Stock powered full bodied bug outfitted with numerous aerodynamic modifications just to see how fast he can make a stock motor go. He will have to run in the "1" Club because of the changes but his goal is maximum speed and nothing more or less.
17 & 18 & 19. The Blackline Boys are in reality, brothers Justin and Colton along with dad Dan and this year they may attempt record speeds in three (3) classes of 36hp bugs. Last year’s DSS record motor will run first with a highly modified 28PCI carb in SSS, then convert to a modern dual carb to compete in NA36 (it does not have to be turboed, ya know!) and if the motor is still on one piece, they will put last year’s car on and try to beat their own record. Hopefully, all three will get a go behind the wheel. They are even talking of heading southeast to Goliad, Texas next spring to see what sea level atmospheric conditions would do for their top speeds.
20. Dick Beith, 'the Speedfather of Volkswagen racing', is returning to race 36hp VW's after fifty years, with the world’s most modified land speed Volkswagen. Dick set the first two VW records in LSR in 1960 and ‘61 and then went on to race Mustangs and during the seventies owned an Indy car that raced the Indianapolis 500 as well as the regular Indy circuit.
21 & 21. Kevin Winder and his dad Jesse will bring both a diesel powered Rabbit Pick-Up and a 'dual engine' 3000cc diesel Streamliner. The streamliner which debuted last year with a new record using a single Rabbit engine is now equipped with two 1500cc Rabbit diesels and a new goal of 200 plus miles per hour. The class record is 199 so these Winder boys have their work cut out for them. Like Dick, they will be racing the long three mile track along with all of the other hot rods and streamliners.
Burly Burlile
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I have had a fellow ask me about a Curtis midget called Burbank Goat that was supposedly powered by a Drake/Harley. Do you have any sources that might know of this car? Rodger Ward Jr, G.M. Forward Electronics [email protected].
Rodger: I'll send your email on to Jim Miller and Bob Falcon and see if they know. Another good source is Zach Suhr at The Alternate Newspaper and his email address is [email protected]. In the meantime I will run this at www.landspeedracing.com to see if any of our readers can help.
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We're doing a live Internet interview tonight around 6:40 pm MST. Racin' & Rockin' with Draglist.com. Fridays, 8-10 PM EST (7-9 Central, 6-8 Mountain, 5-7 Pacific). Listen on the net: http://dragracersreunion.ning.com/. (click the Racers Reunion Radio box). Toll free call in: 1-877-500-9387. Listen by phone; 1-347-884-9756, or join our live chat during the show. John Abbott
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I got an answer from Jim Miller yesterday as well on Charles Beck's record setting SCTA streamliner from 1942. Not much of the original Bob Rufi car seems to be left. I really hope he will be able to collect enough parts to recreate the streamliner. I've been discussing the possibility to find and restore one of the historic classic streamliners with my friend Charlie Swordson for some time. Charlie is one of Sweden's most well-known Hot Rod & Custom builders. He has built many award winning cars over the years, of which "Solid Gold" is still considered one of Sweden's finest Hot Rods ever. He shipped it to California and drove it to Bonneville the same year it was finished. But this was twenty years ago. Today I'm visualizing Charlie's different projects and we are currently working on a "Big Car" and a Mercury '49. I'm glad to hear Jim is restoring/recreating Rufi's streamliner. I hope we also will be able to find one of the classics, so we can restore it and race it at the Salt Flats. So, if you know or hear of any other interesting streamliner-restoration-project I would really appreciate if you send me a tip!
Hans Lundholm, Sweden
Hans: I like Charlie's car. The gold paint is rather unique. You don't see that very often on hot rods from the 1940's. Henry Ford made them black and according to some accounts he did that to save money or because black gives the impression of greater speed. Ak Miller, the prototypical hot rodder, told me that the color black will add a little speed to your runs. He believed that the black created more heat and that made the air currents flow around the car, creating a tiny bit of aerodynamical advantage. Whether that is true or not, most of the hot rodders believed it, or they didn't have the money for parts and paint and chose the parts. Black and red predominate among hot rodders and they can be cruel towards those who use any other paint scheme. My uncle Kenny Parks painted his cars pink and told us that if he crashed on the oval tracks, people would know right away that it was him. He took a lot of ribbing. Ralph Foster chose cream yellow for his race cars and told me that it was a better color to see and thus be avoided by other drivers. His cars were cream yellow and his house, clothes and sweaters. Every once in a while you will see blue and gold cars, but green seems to be taboo and goes back to the very earliest days of the automobile. Why drivers thought green was unlucky and prone to accidents is one of those myths that we believe and pass down. I'm glad to see that Charlie stepped out of the stereotypical black paint and used that outstanding gold. Jim Miller has been planning and working on the Rufi/Beck car for some time. It is extremely costly to rebuild those old cars to exact specifications as they were in their hey-day. Finding original cars or semi-original LSR and drag cars is very hard. They were pretty much thrashed and tossed out for trash. The drag and circle boats were even harder to save. Some of the first to begin to find and save our racing heritage was Don Garlits and Bruce Meyer. They didn't find and restore them all, but they did a great deal and we are thankful to them for their efforts. If you read the newsletter here at www.landspeedracing.com you will notice that Dave Crouse and Mark Brinker are finding and restoring vintage cars. Another is Dr Ernie Nagamatsu. There are many more as well. Many of these dedicated men hire car finders to search out any old cars left around and then they do the research to see if it has a provenance or history behind the vehicle. It is expensive, but very effective. Once one of these men restores a car and exhibits it the word gets out and others who have potential historic vehicles approach them because they know that they have the resources to buy the car and restore it. The search for historic vehicles is intense and there are many builders and restorers who are out scouring the barns and backyards of America for such cars. Once they find them they have a list of people who wish to fund the restoration projects and exhibit them at car shows. My suggestion is that you find a niche market, like Scandinavia or Europe and put out the word that you are looking for historic vehicles, but beware of fakes and do your homework. Another way to go about this is to make a clone. The frame, engine, body and parts may be vintage and the design exactly like the original, but it is a copy. Suddenly, the car that my father raced on Daytona Beach is a copy of the original, which was probably destroyed for scrap iron. There are two Bugs, one in Don Garlits Museum in Florida and another which is in the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California. The provenance on the Bug was difficult, but we consider the car in the Garlits museum to be the original car and the one in the Pomona museum to be the copy. Dick Kraft used so many interchangeable parts that it is likely that 3 or more Bugs could be built from all the loose parts that he accumulated over the racing span of the "first true dragster." I think you might find it more productive to find and restore some of the European cars. On another point, we have very little history on the straight-line racing history of Europe. We stress in the SLSRH newsletter that LSR and drag racing isn't only an American sport. Europe has its place too and we try and encourage land speed racers and fans in Europe to tell us their story
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The following persons have had email returned to me as invalid addresses or whose server is no longer receiving my email messages and therefore have been dropped from my records; Lou Hart, Roy Creel and Leon Kaplan. The reason that I am telling you this is that my email records are not there to harass you but to act as a resource for others to find people. Jim and I do research and when you are missing from our records we can’t communicate with you and thus find out more about our history. Some servers, such as AOL.com and CS.com are notorious for stopping our messages even if they are short and concise. In such cases I can’t even say, “Hi Jack, this is Richard, have a happy birthday, G’bye, Richard.”
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Phil Burgess did an extensive article; first with my brother then with my hubby. If you have the April 16, 2010 National Dragster or go to NHRA.com. Della Wood Della: I checked Phil's column for that date and couldn't find it. Perhaps you could send me a link so that I can go right to the article in question. Or I could give you some guidelines and you can send me a short response to the questionnaire and I will edit it for you. I like to do original bios if I can, because copying other writers can cause problems.
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Stepping back a few columns to our discussion of pins, I had shown you a photo sent by Chuck Rearick of the earliest NHRA member pin, but he's not the only one with one of them in his collection. My favorite sign man, Dan Delaney, and collectible connoisseur Mike Goyda each dropped me some photos and info on their collections. According to Goyda, "In late 1951, the NHRA decided to produce a first-year pin for its members. These were not given to members; rather, they had to be purchased for $1. In 1952, they produced a second-year pin that was identical to the first-year pin except for the number 2. The NHRA then produced a pin each year through 1959, so there were a total of nine pins. Beginning with No. 3, the design changed and was different each year after that. In order to have received all nine pins, a person would have to have belonged to NHRA for the first nine years of its existence. The reason for this is that if, for instance, you belonged for the first three years and then allowed your membership to lapse, if you rejoined, you were considered a first-year member again. Aside from being advised of this by an old-timer who was involved with NHRA, it is further evidenced by a pamphlet I have in my possession that was issued by NHRA in 1955. It pictures the first five pins and states, 'Indicates the year of membership you're on; first year for those who have just joined; second year for those just completing their first year, etc. You may be entitled to a later pin than you think; when did YOU join?' Clearly, the NHRA kept track. Consequently, obtaining a complete set of these pins is difficult at best. "Ironically, it took me exactly nine years to complete my set and several more to upgrade them. Mine are further distinguished by each retaining its original card. These were advertised occasionally in Tie Rod, the NHRA publication that predates National DRAGSTER. I have no indication that they were offered after 1960. "The Nos. 1 and 2 pins are the most common as there would have been many first- and second-year members during the nine-year period that these were available. The scarcity varies directly with the number on the pin. You will notice that the first four pins were produced by Kaag Trophies of Los Angeles. The No. 5 pin was produced by the O.C. Tanner Co. of Salt Lake City, and then the last four pins were again made by Kaag. I assume that for that one year, the Tanner Co. offered the NHRA a better price." Goyda, whose goyda.com site hosts a treasure trove of hot-rod memorabilia for sale, acknowledged the "invaluable help" of Greg Xakellis, Dale Ham, and the late Bob Daniels to piece together this information. Delaney has the first- and second-year pins, which he keeps in the trophy case at his shop. "I've had these pins about 25 years," he said. "They were a gift from 'Corky' Hibbard.’Cork' was an unbelievable left-handed pinstriper who used to work in my shop for many years and had quite the pin collection. He collected car salesman's pins, and then in the '80s, I got him into the racing end of collecting pins; he even had his own pin made of this logo that was his name with a pinstriping brush through it; that's how he signed his work. Sadly, 'Cork' passed away a couple years ago, and I do not have one of his pins. He had these for a number of years and thought I should have them. They are very cherished." Phil Burgess in NHRA.com. For photos of the pins go to the April 21, 2010 issue on-line. Sent in by Della Wood
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The Brits won't be running anything for a couple of years; that is if they can raise the $35 million dollars they need to build the Bloodhound. I believe that is going to be hard to do because $35M is a good price for a fighter jet prototype but a high price tag for a single race car. You need fighter jets to protect your nation but you don't need land speed race cars for anything but technology demonstrators or advertising. I tried to sell the Brits parachutes for their car one time at a cost of 1/30th of what it will cost them to build and perfect their own and they said that I was asking too much and they couldn't afford them. This seemed strange as they claimed that they spend $170,000 a month just designing the car. I question that they would build a full scale model of the car for display purposes instead of building say the chassis. Real hardware is what counts, not models, no matter how big they are. I notice that their latest promotional video is done in very good CG that gives the impression that they have already exceeded 1,000 miles per hour as the video is done like a news flash.
I consider the Bloodhound land speed car (which was named after their famous MoD surface to air national defense missile) a government project because they received their engine as a gift from the Ministry of Defense which is their Air Force. I wonder what would happen if I approached our Air Force for our latest fighter jet engine for use in a new LSR car. I know what I would get; Laughed at and then escorted off the base! I am sure the Brits will eventually build the car and it will have a top speed of about 1,300 miles per hour as a cushion speed. It is always better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it. Rosco McGlashan of Australia will do exactly the same if he ever gets any rocket engines. He is tough and resilient so I am confident he will complete his project. My original hope was for the North American Eagle team to bring the record back to North America and then Rosco to take it because the Aussies have been after it for nearly a hundred years and have never been able to get it.
Lastly, I wanted Sonic Wind LSRV to go toe to toe with the Bloodhound. I expect Sonic Wind LSRV and myself to bat clean up as my rocket engine can develop a million horsepower and their power plant is more of a hobbyist's rocket engine. Whereas their turbofan, the spread four wheel stance and the fuels and turbo pump set-up for their rocket engine seem too complex to me and will give them a lot of headaches. I could be wrong of course but that is my take on the whole thing. If I find completion money through a sponsor, I can have Sonic Wind LSRV on her wheels in 18 months with a turn key reliable rocket system. If not it may take me another five to six years to complete her. I plan to run her at Bonneville as the salt is the best place to go fast. If the track gets any shorter though I may have to dance with the State Department and go down to Salar de Ya Yuni in Bolivia. I don't care much for dirt tracks as they are too unforgiving and grab at the car too much. Dirt also abrades worse than moist salt does. Of course salt is more corrosive but I don't mind washing down my hardware.
After that I planned on finding a gutsy female US Naval Aviator to pilot Sonic Wind LSRV to a new LSR and then retire Sonic Wind LSRV to the Smithsonian where it will sit on display until a new international contender takes the record. At that time Sonic Wind LSRV can be licensed from the Smithsonian to go after the LSR by whoever is qualified and financially capable to insure her in case they wreck her. I may be even long gone by the time that happens. As for Mach 2 and Mach 3 etcetera, all those are simply gimmick terms created by the Air Force to sell fast aircraft to the public as there is nothing special that happens at twice the speed of sound or even three times the speed of sound. Once a vehicle is totally supersonic all the shockwaves are still in the same place and only the air wind ram and surface heating are greater but there is no real difference. You only need more power to move the vehicle through the air. I have designs on paper for bigger tanks so that Mach 3 would probably be achievable with my car, but that is another story. Can it be done? Well, rocket sleds have gone Mach 9 on the ground on the rocket sled test track at Alamogordo, New Mexico. The last of which were set up by Sandia labs. So of course it can be done. Waldo Stakes
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I'm going to try to make the Santa Ana Drags Reunion. Of course, I'm only 55; I was just a tyke when they raced at Santa Ana. However I am an airplane nut, and I know that strip was the taxiway for the long gone runway 21 (heading 210) at the long gone original location of the Santa Ana Airport. I have pictures to prove it. I bought Don's videos. Also a sticker, "Drag Racing every Sunday at Santa Ana Airport," which I proudly display on the pass side wind wing of my '55 Chevy. I talked to Tuttle every month. Great Guy. VBW. Dan MacPherson
Dan: If you could bring your photos of the airport and share with Jim Miller, our main researcher, that would give us something to go on with future maps of the area. Those kinds of old aerial photos and other landmarks are very important in understanding the layout of the old drag strip. I hope to see you there. You aren't too old; in fact you're just right. The sport needs younger people because we are dying out at an alarming rate and need replacements to keep the sport of straight-line racing alive and well. Someday soon I'll need a replacement for me or the SLSRH newsletter will close. You are never too young to start writing your biography, stories and captioning your photographs for the next generation and for your family. Start on it today and add a little more each year as you remember things about the racers in your life. You will pass on a very valuable history to your children and to the rest of us someday.
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I believe you are aware that I once was a partner with Curt Hamilton, when we created Cal Automotive, and manufactured lots of fiberglass auto bodies and parts. While I was with Petersen, we gave a fiberglass '27 T roadster body to the guys down at the beach, Dragmasters, who built wild dragsters for customers. They built a custom roadster chassis and car, and placed our body on same. Then, when your dad left Petersen Publishing, to go full-time with NHRA, they showed up at the Petersen building on Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, and made the presentation. I believe Pete paid for the car. I bring this up to learn if you know if your dad kept that car, and perhaps you inherited same? I am not sure if Wally kept it or not. Hope you have it. I believe he married his secretary at Petersen, but am not sure. I also believe she left with Wally when he left Petersen. This was a long time ago. Is she your mom? I have scanned more family photos. Would you like them? And, how may I view web sites or material you are putting together on me, and/or other car "nuts"? Bud Lang
Bud: All that you have to do is go to www.landspeedracing.com and sign in, then add the website to your list of favorites. Signing in is optional, but it tells us how many "members" we have. There is no charge, fees or duties to being a member, it's all free. Then go to www.hotrodhotline.com and sign in there and add that site to your list of favorites. Both sites are owned by the Lawford's of Boise, Idaho and they are tremendous hot rodders and supporters of our efforts to save our hot rodding heritage. As to the car, we don't have it as far as my brother and I know and it may have been donated to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California. If anyone knows who is the current owner we will publish that information because it is important to keep tabs on where our racing heritage is located. I faintly remember the car, but that is a long time ago. He did indeed marry his secretary, Barbara Livingston Parks and they were married for 46 years until her passing. Barbara was my stepmother. A few magazine articles refer to her, but not enough. She was a very important person in the rise of drag racing and if not for her the NHRA might not be what it is today. As a team, Wally and Barbara Parks created the NHRA, although most people did not see her contributions and attribute the creation and health of this sanctioning body to my father alone. In addition there were thousands of people who worked hard in order to keep this company alive and well into the 21st century. We hope to bring you their stories in future issues of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter (SLSRH). My mother's name was Mary Parks and she passed away in April, 2010. She wasn't involved in the NHRA, but she aided and assisted my father while he was a member of the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association), especially during the late 1940's. Without the experience of the SCTA there wouldn't have been a Hot Rod magazine or an NHRA. Wally and Barbara Parks left Petersen Publishing Company in the very early 1960's. Photographs are welcomed at the SLSRH and may be sent to our photographic editor Roger Rohrdanz at [email protected]
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Check out this site http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=448621, for the early days of drag racing in our area. Marshall Robilio
Marshall: It looks great. Sure wish we could find that Dave Marquez 880 roadster though. Many of the old cars from that era have been found and restored, but the two time NHRA Nationals winning roadster is still unaccounted for.
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Oilstick.com has kept a few of my old car racers newsletters at http://oilstick.com/rparks/index.html. Search among these back issues for information on straight-line racing history. I never thought to keep the copies, but Evelyn Roth did.
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In my opinion an ejection seat system in a land speed car is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. Craig Breedlove and I discussed that about thirty years ago when he proposed using a blast away capsule on his rocket car design of 1976 vintage and I asked him what he was thinking. We both laughed and he said, "I don't know." You see a LSR crash happens so fast that a driver wouldn't even have time to pull an ejection curtain or reach for a switch as the vehicle might be upside down while he was ejecting. Which would have him blasting into the ground. In a land speed car you don't have the benefit of the distance of altitude as you do in an aircraft. Even in a zero/zero seat ejection from an aircraft, the aircraft is usually upright and at a relatively slow speed of movement.
Both with my vehicles, Sonic Wind the ice rocket and the automobile Sonic Wind LSRV have blast proof capsules that are permanently mounted to a shear point which when exceed by a predetermined amount of stress will tear loose and toss the capsules which are equipped with their own stabilizing fins and parachutes. In Sonic Wind LSRV I will be strapped into a Kevlar hammock to isolate me from shock. Breedlove's last jet car went with the same idea of a blast proof capsule (the cockpit area) which was made of carbon fiber and built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites Company. It was supposed to tear away from the car in a worst case scenario. Waldo Stakes
Waldo: The problem that I see with a capsule is that if it hits any object at great speed, only in a minor way, the impact tends to jar the head and cause internal skull bleeding. That's what killed Dale Earnhardt. Supposedly he didn't have a mark on him, but he hemorrhaged to death. Something similar happened to Sonny Arnett in the Bean Bandit streamliner. Its speed at crash was only 250 mph, and I was told that he didn't have a mark on him, but internally he hemorrhaged to death. For a capsule to work it would seem that it would have to be built somewhat like the Martian probe landers and they were heavily encased and had parachutes. How do you envision that safety equipment to look like? Secondarily, even if the driver survives such a crash the program is beyond salvaging. Even if the car or capsule did not crash, but simply skidded to an eventual stopping point, the heat from friction would ignite the materials into a ball of flame, metal and all.
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My capsule on Sonic Wind the ice racer is made of reinforced aluminum wrapped with ballistic fiberglass. The type of material that is used on armored cars, bomb baskets and body armor. It is shaped overall kind of like an elongated football with rounded ends. The parachute deploys and keeps the capsule in a controlled slide. Now remember this is for a rocket powered ice racer so it is sliding on a frozen lake surface. Of course hard impacts cannot be controlled. The body is a fragile thing and the main reason I use capsules is because of the chance of explosion as my vehicles are powered by real bipropellant rockets and any rocket can turn into a bomb at anytime. Not even NASA can change that. So what I am trying to do foremost is to isolate the driver from the rest of the car.
I see in the other unlimited LSR cars being developed around the world that the driver is simply in a roll cage just set into the vehicle like any other type of race car. If there is an explosion (and they all have rocket engines on them so that danger is always present) the drivers will simply have no chance of survival. My Sonic Wind LSRV has a capsule shaped similar to Sonic Wind the ice racer but it is made out of stretched and heat treated marigin steel. It will also be wrapped externally in composite material and I am leaning towards fiberglass again because of all the composite materials it is the most resistant to abrasion. Yes, carbon fiber is stronger but it degrades quickly in an abrasive environment. I will only run my car on a salt lake because the crash dangers are minimized on salt as opposed to dirt lakes. Also a salt bed can be groomed whereas a dirt playa cannot.
The driver in the capsule of Sonic Wind LSRV is strapped to a seat made of Kevlar webbing and woven into a sort of hammock. This isolates the driver from vibration and also and gives some more protection for him. The capsule also has a layer of inject a foam around it to cushion impacts but of course if the chute doesn't deploy and the capsule tumbles the driver probably won't survive. But that is the best I can come up with today’s technology. Inflatables work well but only for low to medium velocity. I don't think they would work well at 1,000 miles per hour. You can slide something at great speed on salt as it is sort of moist all the time. Dirt playas on the other hand can grind down even the toughest steels. If anyone has any better ideas...I am all ears. Waldo Stakes
Waldo: So far the conventional wisdom is that any crash at speeds in excess of 400 mph are almost always fatal. Perhaps that started when Donald Campbell and Lee Taylor died in the boats while going for the water speed record. But I'm not sure that we have adequately tested this theory to any degree. How would we test a crash in a land speed car at speed? What do we have to gain from it since accidents never appear to be similar. Each accident has an unique fingerprint all of its own. It's also very expensive to crash these cars to generate data from them that will lead to better safety equipment. There is testing going on, if we look at government and car company testing. There is also testing being done in NASCAR and NHRA. Yes, the speeds are slower, probably only 200 mph on the oval tracks and 330 mph with the drag cars, but data is data. My fear is universal and shared by others; fatal accidents risk having the sport of land speed racing banned. It was a fear as far back as the late 1930's and it almost came to pass that our sport was nearly outlawed. Once the speeds get up to a certain level the operation of the car becomes difficult to predict and external conditions even harder to control. We've been very lucky with these runs over 400 mph. Maybe there has been a lot of skill and great engineering, but once the speeds go up the unpredictability factor begins to play a bigger and bigger role. It becomes almost mandatory that someone does testing and develops improved safety equipment before the situation becomes so dire that the fans and supporters of LSR begin a campaign to control which teams are allowed to race. That is, if the danger causes the public to waver in their support, will land speed racers and fans rise up to try and stop LSR attempts that are inherently foolish and ill-advised? I would like to see all hot rodders enter the fray and attempt to set records, but as the speeds rise it causes a separation from the well-prepared teams and the seat of the pants, hell bent for glory, but ill-prepared teams. Safety, besides being a no-brainer, is coming back to play a greater role as it has in the past. Speed alone cannot be the determining factor any longer. Power, aerodynamics, speed and safety have to work in tandem. And we can't forget marketing, sponsorship and public relations either.
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By the way here is where my current land speed car the Sonic Wind LSRV is in construction. I keep a low profile on the car but will soon start to promote it now that it is about 40% complete. it will be capable of exceeding Mach 2 and possibly mach 3 on the ground.....Waldo
CLICK FOR EACH VIEW: VIEW 1, VIEW 2, VIEW 3
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Any one got room for a photographer and a bike to Bonneville wednesday or late tues night from the SF bay area? can share in gas money! KO
KO: I read some of the postings that you left on some blogs at different internet sites. I'm going to respond to your question on several levels. The first is that this newsletter won't go onto the net until the end of this week or early next week, so I won't be able to help you with your request. You have afforded me the opportunity to raise and answer some questions for our general readership and for that I thank you. If the 700 members of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians will notify me during the year so that I can post their emails, then I will be glad to have emails on the site requesting rides or offering to share their vehicles on the way to Bonneville. Besides Bonneville there are the LSR meets in Texas, Maine, North Carolina, Mojave Mile and other events. Sharing rides is more than just saving money on transportation; it is also about sharing the experience and bringing younger people into the sport of land speed racing, which could use more young people and young ideas.
Secondly, the idea that solar paneled cars could set records is intriguing. We can't be sure how long the power plants of today will be around and evolution in racing is an idea that we rarely discuss and should. The point in land speed racing is to see how fast that man and machine can go. It is simply a test of ourselves against the forces of nature itself. Where is it written that it has to be with a conventional piston powered engine? One person has suggested a prop propelled vehicle, while others favor non-wheel driven jet and rocket powered propulsion.
I'm sorry that we can't help you with your ride due to the short notice of your email, but you have given us some ideas to think about, so your email has done some good.
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Charlie's car may look like a '40s rod but it’s an early 60's custom with 331 Chrysler Hemi, 6 Stromberg 97, Chevy 55 interior, boat steering wheel and a handmade Du Valle window etc. Actually almost the whole car is handmade, as you can see in the attached detailed pictures. So the gold flake paint is 60's accurate. If he had built a true '40s rod he had probably just used a classic 1930's Ford India enamel. It's interesting that you mention the paint though. I did some paint-research a couple of years ago, for "Svedinos" -Sweden’s oldest car museum (http://www.svedinos.se). They needed original paint recipes for a Daimler 1908 and a Puch from 1912. I started talking to Pekka Mannermaa (my old pinstripe-teacher) and his friend Alan Johnsson about original India enamels recipes. I then talked to Du Pont colours and a lot of different classic manufacturers. But the best help I got from Kerstin Lyckman, who restores paintings and work as a "colour archeologist" http://www.fargarkeologen.se. She is now one of my customers and I help her with marketing her linseed-products.
The colour schemes for Henry Ford’s early cars is a result of production and sales. Linseed-based oil paint (India enamels) takes a very long time to dry. When Henry introduced the assembly line at Ford it was important to keep up the speed. While coal based oil paint (black) would dry in a week other earth-based enamels (green, red, brown) would take 3-4 weeks it's easy to understand why he preferred black. So the expression, "Any colour, as long as it's black," comes from production efficiency. You write that green was considered an unlucky colour by the hot rodders. That seems a bit odd since green was one of Ford's base earth colours. In Europe "British racing-green" is one of the most classic racing colours along with French blue, Italian red and German silver (still the same today in Formula 1). I can understand that from US perspective the European interest in early American hot rodding and land speed racing my seem a bit strange as the European racing history is even older, and goes back 1898. In Europe there were many sports car brands in the '20s and '30s and it's fun to see that the young hot rodders sometimes got inspiration from Bugattis and Alfa Romeos when customizing the A-Fords into sport cars. http://simonwrightphotos.com/2008-08-03_vscc_prescott.htm.
Most Europeans who's interested in classic cars and veteran racing focus on European racing history. As seen on great events like Goodwood festival of speed: http://www.goodwood.co.uk/festival-of-speed/welcome.aspx. Restoring race car classics is very expensive, although you can easily find a car at for example: http://www.prewarcar.com. The reason people like Charlie and myself focus on early hot rodding is that it's home built and start of custom history. I find that much more exiting and creative than restoring a Bugatti from 1937; although I would love it if I could afford it. So we will keep looking for a streamliner -objects or parts to recreate/restore a classic and return to race at the Salt Flats, just like Charlie did twenty years ago. Today we are active in classic motorcycle/Hot Rod drag racing and Hill Climb in Sweden, but going to Bonneville or El Mirage with a streamliner would be magic. Best regards, Hans Lundholm
Hans: Thank you for a most informative letter, the type of contact that we need from Europe, otherwise our view of land speed racing and hot rodding because stale and regionalized. I didn’t know about the drying time for different color paints. The reason, as I have been told, that green is an unlucky color and shunned goes back to early oval track racing in America. From what I can recall listening to drivers who raced in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, there was a superstition that painting your car green would bring you bad luck. I would like to know how far back in time that superstition began and who started it. I’m hoping that Bob Falcon or one of the Indy racers can tell me. As for the Europeans, I have never heard any of them mention green as being unlucky, though I will wager that they too have their superstitions and beliefs. It isn’t always incorrect, for sometimes these myths have some facts that back them up. Keep writing and tell us what’s happening in European hot rodding and straight-line racing and come to Bonneville as soon as you can. I met two Swedes at Black Rock in 1997; Tomas Leijon and Jonas Romblad. I think they sold T-shirts to help them pay their way over here.
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This is a link to the site for the Dreamliner III, built and raced by Jonas Romblad and Tomas Leijon, whom I met while doing security patrols at Black Rock Desert in 1997. -Editor.
http://inter.action.free.fr/images/aerodynamique/aero-vr/vph+streamlined/dreamliner-3-aiaa99_3155.pdf
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I have a few glossy pics in my photo albums, and scanned those. Many of the pics, which you many not wish to use, were printed in magazines or Drag News newspaper. All of those have captions attached. Some of the glossy photos I scanned also have captions attached. Right now I will send the pictures I've scanned as attachments to a few Emails. Get back to me and let me know if these are okay. I haven't any of my film (from 35-50 years ago, so can't do any better. All the stuff I shot when I was with the magazines belonged to the publishers. Bud
Click Images Below For Larger View and Descriptions
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