SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER - , 2009
Editor: Richard Parks [email protected]
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)

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Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
 President's Corner, Guest Editorial, EVERYONE that attended Jim's Celebration on April 19th please know that I appreciate everyone's support and love - Debbie, I believe it was in 1955 that this repartee occurred in HRM, Can you ad me to your email list, 1941 SCTA Racing Program, New reunion site drag racers and fans, Emails came from Roy Caruthers and Jerry Cornelison, emails received from Eric Studer and Dick Wells, Motorsports Education Foundation, The book "Racing Corvettes the Early Years" has been reprinted and is now available, Nita Underwood has finally created a web site for her work, Target date for the Spurgin-Giovanine Roadster "Roll Out" is still for the July Ventura Motorsports Gathering (Concours), Couple of events that you all might be interested in First one is Big Rigs 4 Kids Rolls for Thunder on the Lot and Doin' it in the Dirt Camp N' Cruize 2 dates set for June and August, Customized Gas Pumps and Globe faces are available at MiVersion, 2nd Annual Las Vegas Speed Spectacular for the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series, Petersen Automotive Museum announced legendary Grammy award-winning musician Brian Wilson and his band will perform at the annual charity Gala.

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President's Corner:  
   Last weekend was the annual S.C.T.A. inspectors meeting. About sixty people showed up, some old time inspectors and some new folks too. When you look at the current rule book and toss out all the records, ads, etc, it's still up to about 80 pages on the car regulations alone. A daunting task indeed to try and remember all the stuff you need to know. A closer look reveals that the first 40 pages are general car rules that include procedures, definitions and technical information. Fourteen pages are the techie stuff that includes and concerns safety. Fast forward to Tuesday night at the Sidewinders meeting and a little movie on a Bonneville meet. Included in the footage were some takes on crashes, fires and blood on the salt. All the stuff that always happens to other people and not you. What really hurts is when you know the parties involved. Now back to the rule book. Every rule came about because somebody wrote it because of torn flesh. So after a while you get pretty good at just looking at a car and seeing about a hundred things that can bite someone if we are not careful. With this said it's o-so-easy to miss some little thing that can cause trouble. The really fast special construction cars usually show up with half the bodies left back in the pits because it's impossible to dismantle them in the inspection area. The bottom line is we do the best we can, but it falls back on the competitor to make sure his car is as safe as it can be. And yes this is part of the problem. What one person considers safe would be considered dangerous to another. A couple of examples illustrate the problem. LSR cars like lots of weight to keep them on the ground because wings cause drag and drag is not a racers friend. Solutions on adding weight are simple, right? Wrong! 
   Consider a streamliner that was a little darty and needed some weigh in the nose. The solution. Take some shot bags lying around and put them in the nose of the car. If everything went right they probably could have got away with it, but the car ended up crashing and the bags of shot ended up spread all over the race track. Not too smart. Or how about another guy who didn't want to spend any money and used concrete for ballast. Again, if everything worked fine, no problem. Seems this car also ended up on its head and the concrete came apart and became shrapnel that rattled around inside the car until it came to a stop. I can tell you drivers don't like shrapnel. I think you get the picture. As inspectors we've got to pick on all our friends to keep their butts in one piece. If that isn't enough we're now in a bind with a manufacturer who makes fire suits. To cut a little manufacturing cost and make the assembly process easier, some insulation in the suits is not where it's supposed to be by SFI certifications. They can't be used at one of our meets. Another big problem is normal maintenance. Take your car to B-ville once and don't wash it properly and you've got rust. One look at seatbelt hardware that hasn't been cleaned right reveals rust. The only thing that keeps you in the car is now rusty and that's no good. Cables, fire bottle lines, all the little stuff that are supposed to keep you alive are now compromised.

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Editorial: The following guest editorial comes from Ken Berg in Mission Viejo, California.  
   "Following our lengthy conversation today, I have taken a leisurely 10 seconds to sort out what I heard, and I have this suggestion. Let's create a proposal for the collection, by inclusion or by reference, of ALL motorsports history and artifacts. It will contain a taxonomy of other bodies and institutions, museums, collectors, restorers, racers, manufacturers, bibliography, etc.  This would form a coalition of interested parties who will each contribute their specialized knowledge. Scan the archival material into PDF or similar so that the files can be continuously upgraded and cross-referenced to new materials. All this would operate under rigorous standards for nomenclature, style and other editorial controls. Artifacts such as machinery should be included only by reference and not sought for collection at this time. They tend to have a market value which the owner or estate can deal with separately from our interests in the archives, which should be donated, gratis, with appropriate recognition for the owner/donor. The proposal should contain an outline of the taxonomy so as to show the depth and breadth of land, sea and aviation motorsports. It should show our constituent fans, historians, participants and show those groups who will become a part of the coalition. Especially for the Society of Automotive Historians, National Association of Automotive Museums, SAE, SEMA, ACCUS, sanctioning bodies, clubs, the list is large! From this can be drawn an advisory board, an executive board, operating staff, docents, etal.
   It will be important to have government and academic sanctioning, if not their funding, their thumbprint for the serious purpose of protecting and disseminating our national automotive heritage. (Almost every American family has a photo album with pictures of family cars of the past. These pictures evoke strong, emotional connections to the cars and their passengers going back 100 years or more). The 'motorsports industry' has somehow failed to capitalize on goodwill of the 250,000,000 Americans who are not interested in motorsports! Our proposal should be designed for national appeal, for national pride! The National Libraries, Museums and Archives, and those at state and civic level can be valuable for their prestige and for their professional guidance. Funding can come from private individuals and business, and/or from foundations. It takes expert care to devise a fund-raising campaign, or the good fortune to make our pitch in exactly the right way, to exactly the right person(s). A $100,000,000 endowment should generate 3-5 million dollars per year for operations. We should aim to partner with some existing institutions such as the Petersen Automotive Museum to provide a repository having the prospects of drawing people into the museum to explore original documents behind the digitized files and attend the museum itself. Our purpose can contain elements of entertainment, education, and increase of motorsports fans and revenue. If we don't try to get this done, it won't get done. What I've suggested is merely a starting point. A full scope of work and proposal will probably cover a hundred pages or more. The key for now, I think, is to create a plan to attract allies, perfect the proposal, get funding and, get going! Who are our allies?" Respectfully submitted by Kenneth L. (Ken) Berg, Mission Viejo, California. 949-930-6888

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Hi everyone and EVERYONE that I do not have emails for that you know attended Jim's Celebration on Saturday, April 19th, 2009 please let them know that I appreciate everyone's support and love. What a great day and I am sure that Jim was looking down on all of us, know that we had 400 people there, more than 100 hot rods in the parking lot, besides all the daily cars, and the great music of The Answer that we all love, the great food from Concordia University (thank you Ross) and just the general atmosphere of relaxation, fun, laughter and with all of this and in lieu of flowers, everyone's donations, I sent a check off to the City of Hope for $5,075 in Jim's name to go towards the totals that Cruisin' For a Cure gives all year. Thank you all. Love you all, and you are just the best friends. Hugs. Debbie Baker
   Debbie: We all miss Jim so much. He was an inspiration to us all.

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I have been a subscriber to Hot Rod Magazine for many years. I believe it was in 1955 that this repartee occurred. HRM had run a listing of the rules and regulations to get a car timed at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The requirements included that the car must have an engine of the reciprocating internal combustion type. In the following issue someone calling himself 'RYF' of Dallas Texas wrote to the HRM Letters to the Editor, that he had been bitterly complaining that he was being discriminated against. He said that he had a car that was not powered by a regular reciprocating engine and because of this the magazine would not let him run his car at Bonneville. He claimed to have already gone 350 mph on the roads of Texas. He ended up saying, "Why won't you let me run my car at Bonneville?"  RYF, Dallas, Texas.
   Hot Rod Magazine answered RYF the following month with a one page story and cartoon drawing called, "Mothersills Special." Mothersills was a name brand for a seasick remedy. The HRM editor was a brilliant writer who told RYF of Dallas not to worry about his "strange" car, because there was a car much stranger and faster here in California. The HRM writer said that it's construction and power plant is no secret. It had a toasted marshmallow frame covered by an ectoplasm skin. It had four long playing 12" records for wheels so the driver could listen to the accelerated works of Beethoven and Charlie Parker as it sped across the salt flats. It was driven by a trained Mongoose, and powered by 10,000 CO2 cartridges fired simultaneously by someone with a 10 gauge shotgun filled with birdshot a few feet behind the car. The car went faster every time it ran because of the decrease in weight due to the holes in the car and the driver. It seems to me that the HRM listing in "Barn Finds," May 2009 issue of Nat Wheeler's Mothersills Streamliner may have arisen from the RYF letter and your 1955 writer's response. I seem to remember something about an actual car of this name being built. I don't remember it ever running. Great looking streamliner. Love to learn of any follow up. Ron Henderson
   Ron: I will send this to Ernie Nagamatsu and Jim Miller and ask them if they have ever heard of the "Mothersills Streamliner." Carl Borgh owned and ran the "Mothersills Roadster," a car that raced at the dragstrips and was in HRM. Before that it was owned by Chuck Spurgin and Bob Giovanine and won the 1948 SCTA High Points Championship. But we aren't familiar with a Mothersills Streamliner.

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Can you ad me to your email list? Are you on the new drag racing reunion site? Jack Thomas
Jack: The Gone Racin' by-line is a series of articles on racing and hot rodding. Roger Rohrdanz does the photographs and some text and I do the stories and articles that Roger doesn't do. Gone Racin' has appeared in DRIVE Magazine, Roddin' and Racin', Automotive Calendar of Events Miss Information, The Alternate and other magazines. Currently the by-line has an exclusive with www.hotrodhotline.com and www.landspeedracing.com, both sites owned by Jack and Mary Ann Lawford, from Boise, Idaho. The sites are free and all that you have to do is go to the websites and read the articles. Our newsletter, The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians is also published on the website www.landspeedracing.com. To view the articles, all that you have to do is visit the sites or log-on and an emailed notice will go out when the next newsletter is ready to be posted. What drag racing reunion site are you talking about, because there are many. If it's the Main Malt Picnic and Santa Ana Drags Reunion, then we will be assisting Leslie Long and Marie Jenks with their reunion, scheduled for sometime in September.

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1941 SCTA Racing Program on E-bay. http://cgi.ebay.com/1941-SCTA-RACING-PROGRAM-ROAD-RUNNERS-WALLYPARKS_W0QQitemZ230335296205QQcategoryZ64493QQcmdZViewItem. Jerry Cornelison, Road Runners - SCTA (est. 1937) See http://www.ussarcherfish.com/roadrunners.

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My wife understands and navigates E-Bay much better than I do. I asked her to see what she could find out about the seller of this item. Here is what she was able to find: "re 1941 SCTA RACING PROGRAM ROAD RUNNERS WALLY PARKS http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230335296205. No name for seller "westestates," but the seller has been registered with eBay since September 2002, located in the United States. Item listing says seller (or item) is located in Southern California, and description includes "THANKS FOR LOOKING AND PLS SEE OUR OTHER VINTAGE RACING GOING UP ALL THIS WEEK/MONTH." Seller's previous offerings have been a variety of vintage items, mainly paper products (comics, a San Marino/Pasadena business directory, etc.) and various memorabilia (toys, slot cars, casino/hotel items, etc.). The only other recent items relating to motor sports: MOTOR MAGAZINE NOV 1936 ANNUAL SHOW EDITION (#230330283715) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230330283715. (Which seller described as "Estate Fresh" - sold on March 23 for $36). Could these and the yet-to-be-listed items have come from a recent estate?" I have a "Google Alert" set up that sends me an e-mail notice when the latest relevant (automatic) Google results search relating to "Road Runners SCTA" turns up new info found on the Internet. I usually get several "hits" a month. Jerry Cornelison
Jerry: Thank you for the information. I contacted Jack Underwood and he will do some investigation. The seller may be a totally legitimate collector and we want to encourage such sellers, because they find and make these important documents available to the public. However, the person that entered and stole Jack's collection has not been caught. There is a difference between the honest collector and those that pilfer collections by stealing them or "borrowing" them and then refusing to return the objects to the rightful owner. The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians supports honest collectors, but we also strive to find those who take what doesn't belong to them and bring them to justice.

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I read it on Hotrodhotline now, great stuff. New reunion site is www.dragracersreunion.ning.com. I'll send you an invite. Jack Thomas
Jack: Your website looks very interesting and I hope our readers will go to your site and check it out. Our Society of Land Speed Racing Historians specializes in hot rodding, land speed racing and the first decade of drag racing. We stop around 1959 because drag racing is so large and varied that we could never do a thorough enough job of research on it after the end of the '50's. There are a number of groups that keep the history and heritage of drag racing alive and we support those groups in their efforts.

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Editor's notes: The following emails came from Roy Caruthers and Jerry Cornelison.
7) To Jerry Cornelison: I am not sure if you know who Willie Davis is but he has a HUGE dry lakes and Bonneville history, not to mention being Gary Bettenhausen's car owner when he won the USAC National Sprint Car Championship. He might still be 2nd in all time Sprint Car owner wins, was Chief Mechanic on Gary B's car when he went from last to third at Indy, built the Hill-Davis (city of Burbank) Streamliner and on and on and on. Well to make a long story short I have lunch with him and A.J. Watson and a few other old timers once a week or so. I went to lunch last week with them and Willie told me to come by his shop after lunch he had something he wanted to give me. I went by and we talked for a while and Willie pulled out about 50 timing tags, Russetta and SCTA, he picked through a few of them that had special meaning to him and put them back then laid all the rest of them out on the bench and told me to pick out one that he wanted me to have one. I don't even think he has any idea how much it meant to me, he has been one of my heroes since I was 7 years old! I have attached a picture of the one I picked out, and here is a link about the Hill-Davis car when it was built, he is drawing up plans right now for a replica of it that he hopes to take to Bonneville for the 60th anniversary of when they set the record with it. See http://www.ugofadini.com/hilldavisstory.html. Let me know if the pdf file opens for you also. Roy Caruthers

To Jerry Cornelison: Man what a day! I worked all night Friday got home and got maybe an hrs sleep at the most, got up and went to IRP I got to drive Dave Weir's BEAUTIFUL Kurtis V8-60 Midget, Dave Thomas had his Edmunds Modified/Sprint Car but had a problem with it we didn't get to run it. I got to run Dave's Midget 2 times! Then I was sitting on the wall by A.J. Watsons 1949 Indy Car, actually it's a replica of the first car he ever had at Indy, and he asked me if I wanted to drive it. I only got to run a few laps in it, but it was GREAT! Then hauled ass to Cincinnati and picked up My Triumph Street Tracker that was (my brother) Jimmy Caruthers bike, that Josh Shaw painted the gas tank on for me, hauled ass back home and went RC car racing with my wonderful wife and my pals Andy Hurtubise and Rob Johnson. I'm BEAT, but man what a great day! Here is a link to some pictures from the Vintage Meet at IRP today!  Roy Caruthers
To Richard Parks: Here is the e-mail with the link to pictures of the IRP Meet that Roy Caruthers sent me. Some of first pictures are of Roy getting "back in the saddle" in a beautifully restored Kurtis Midget. I'm sure it was lots of fun for Roy to drive again since he retired from racing several years ago. As you go farther in his album, it includes some pictures of Doug Caruthers's Quarter Midgets that sons Jimmy and Danny raced at Doug's Jelly Bean Bowl track which became the parking lot at Disneyland and is now Disney's California Adventure property. The album then has pictures from 2006 & 2007 vintage race car meets at Jungle Park Speedway, Indiana. The pictures of the Merc Flathead is the engine that Roy built for the reproduction of the Caruthers's C&C Special that he is building (that is the car that later became the #25 Chrisman Dragster). Roy currently is running the engine in his '31 street roadster that is pictured on the Caruthers bio page on the Road Runners website. Jerry Cornelison, Road Runners - SCTA (est. 1937). See http://www.ussarcherfish.com/roadrunners. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/racer5c/

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Editor's notes: The following is an email that was received between two parties.
To Dick (Wells): Just picked my new issue of Drag racing Magazine just to find your smilin' face. Congrats on the well deserved Sparco High Performer Award. Wish I could have been there to help you celebrate. Hope to see you soon. Don't you owe me a couple of promised books?  Eric Studer
To Eric: Too bad nobody told me! But thanks for the congrats anyway. I've also been inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame (announcements haven't gone out). The ceremony is in the fall. Books? Who has time to write books? Or do I owe you a copy of the LA Roadsters book? Dick Wells
To Richard: I thought you'd like to see the correspondence. Also, I owe you a revised bio because I did not include the Wally Parks info---it's on my to do list. Then I will forward photos after your last review.  Eric Studer
   Eric: We have written and reported on Dick Wells on numerous occasions. His influence on motor sports, journalism, hot rodding and other aspects of the car culture is often unpublicized and unreported on, but we publish as many articles on Dick Wells as we can find. He is a quiet person and not one to toot his own horn, but his calm manner and sage advice has influenced men such as my father, the SEMA manufacturers, racing leagues and the world of automotive journalism. Without Dick Wells steady guiding hand, motorsports and especially the specialty equipment manufacturers would have evolved in a different direction. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Wells for his achievements. See the article on Wells at www.hotrodhotline.com, guest columnist, Richard Parks.

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THE MOTORSPORTS EDUCATION FOUNDATION is a non-profit society, located in Mission Viejo, California, by Kenneth L. Berg-archivist. Biographer of Smoky Joe Wood, Leo Goossen, Dale Drake, John Drake, Lou Meyer and other notables.
This is a log of cassette tape recordings from 1993 to 1997. Some were transcribed from mini tapes; some were taped directly to cassettes. Some have been transcribed to hand written notes, and some are keyed into my computer and have been printed out as a mock-up of the book.
Notebook #2, Aug 1992-Sept 1993
2 tapes  23 April 1993 Race for Quality for Life, Lou Meyer at Searchlight
          May Jim Chapman (PPG), Old-timers at Indy
1       16 May, 1993 Emil Andres, Johnny Pawl, Frank Durany (sic) Indy Old-timers Club #1
        17 May, 1993 Jim Wright, Coldwater, Michigan
        18 May, 1993 Nancy Martin, Jeff Sylvester, Detroit (Diesel)
        19 May, 1993 Ross Bentley, Gasoline Alley                               #2
1       19 May, 1993 Ross Bentley, Martin, David, Gasoline Alley                    #3
1 mini      May, 1993 Bud Wheeler, Allison re-builder, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
        24 May, 1993 Dale Coyne
1         May, 1993 Dale Coyne, Chuck Sprague, Nick Goozee, Gasoline Alley        #4
                   Loretta Cory, Lexington                                   
1         May, 1993 Loretta Cory, Chickamauga, Jack Daniels                     #5
1       30 May, 1993 Texarkana Blue Grass (and Indy race)                       
1         May, 1993 Lynn Fenwick, Bluegrass, Minot Piper                        #6
1         May, 1993 Minot Piper, David Bentler, Alan Coconni                     #7
1              1993 Marty Fiolka, Jon Beekhuis, Laguna Seca                     #8 
                   Jim Janicek, EPRI, Palo Alto
                   Ken Syzmanski, also (Goodyear guy), Portland Raceway
1      Aug/Sept, 1993 Dick Perry, Rob White, Andrea Montermini, Vancouver          #9
                        Steve Olvey, Vancouver
                        BC Tel (QA)
Notebook #3, June 1993-April 1994
1 mini      Feb, 1994 Margaret Sims and Margaret Atwood, at Aldergrove
1 mini      Feb, 1994 Lou Meyer, Searchlight
           March at PIR, Bob Stempel
Notebook #4, May 1994-March 1995
           May at Indy, no tapes? Dick Profio, Bud Wheeler, Dale Coyne, Kirk Russell, Smokey Yunick, Jim Crawford, Jim Wright, Bill Dwight, Minot Piper
         4 June, Lou Meyer, Jim Young Edwards AFB, Dwight Thorn 
           July, Richard Freshman, Ward Popenoe
           Sept, Tex Johnson
1 mini     3 Sept, 1994 Alan Mertens 
1 mini    17 Sept, 1994 Lou Meyer, Searchlight
1 mini     2 Nov, 1994 Lou Meyer, Searchlight    
        21 Nov, 1994 Tom Sneva, Phoenix     
1 min    29 Nov, 1994, Gordon Schroeder, Los Angeles
1 mini     5 Dec, 1994 Lou Meyer, Searchlight
2      11/12 Jan 1995 Tony Brown, Shay Campbell, Dave Moore at Galmer Shops, Bicester, England
1          Feb, 1995 Ross Bentley
2       1 March, 1995 Lou Meyer, Searchlight, Nevada
5    March/April, 1995 Bob Stempel, Dan Parmelee, Jamey Wetmore, David Swan, Bill Berry, Louise Moskowitz, Mark Kopec,
                  Lois Wright, Dennis Madden
Notebook # 5, March 1995-November 1995
2      20 March, 1995 George Bignotti, Las Vegas
1      21 March, 1995 Gloria Madsen, Sun City West re Fred Offenhauser
1      22 March, 1995 Kay Bignotti/Meyer, Las Vegas
       24 March, 1995 Lou Meyer, Searchlight
1      24 March, 1995 Lou Meyer, Searchlight
1      25 March, 1995 Lou Meyer, Fran Parsons, Searchlight, re-recording of Santee party songs
1      30 March, 1995 Al Unser Jr,
       31 March, 1995 Alan Mertens, PIR
1        1 April, 1995 Rick Galles, Barry Green, PIR
1       23 April, 1995 Lou Meyer, Searchlight
2                   Sonny Meyer, Searchlight
1                   Sonny Meyer, Lou Meyer, Searchlight
1        17 June, 1995 Yvonne Meyer, Phoenix
         23 June, 1995 John Drake, Los Angeles
1        24 June, 1995 Gary Gordon, (Lou's nephew), Los Angeles
         25 June, 1995 Lou Meyer, Searchlight
1        25 June, 1995 Lou Meyer, Searchlight
1        26 June, 1995 Dan, Mojave Airport
         27 June, 1995 Bill Kerchenfault, San Jose
1         1 Sept, 1995 Don Hayward (Ford), Vancouver
1        12 Oct, 1995 Fred Gerhardt, Fresno
1        29 Oct, 1995 Doug Clem, Reno
1         7 Nov, 1995 Pat Patrick, Phoenix
          9 Nov, 1995 Yvonne Stephen/Meyer, Phoenix
1        18 Nov, 1995 Jim Lattin, Los Angeles
                    Don Weber, Los Angeles
1        19 Nov, 1995 John Drake, Los Angeles
                    Stewart Van Dyne, Los Angeles
2        19 Nov, 1995 Harry Meyer, Los Angeles
1        20 Nov, 1995 Dick Jones, Los Angeles
2         1 Dec, 1995 George Parker and Steele Therkleson, Los Angeles
Notebook # 6, November 1995 ...
1       3 March, 1996 Jamey Wetmore, Phoenix Firebird Raceway
1        1 Sept, 1996 Paul Metzger, Vancouver Indy
1 min    26 Sept, 1996 Jim Toensing, Brookings, Oregon
1 mini    27 Sept, 1996 Don Steele, Seattle and maunderings
               1997 Bud Melby
Undated mini tapes
Gordon Schroeder, Dwight Thorn, Fuller
Ed Rannberg, Popenoes,
June Renwick
Meyer, Indy (en route in '93?)
Alec Giaimo, Redwood City, (and P&H?)
Lou Meyer
Ben Hamlin, first interview, Seattle
Tex Johnston, Everett, Ben Hamlin, Seattle
Tex Johnston, Jim Brucker, Santa Paula, (1994 en route to Lou's 90th) Bud Meyer, (Los Angeles?)
2 minis Richard Freshman, Los Angeles
Match notebooks to tapes to find dates and locations, and see if the (dated and undated) minis have been transcribed to writing, or have been transferred to cassettes
  Attached: Handwritten indexes of notebooks #1 to #6. Outline and chapters index for book: Louie, a Reunion of American Racers. Sample 'thumbnails' of photos etc. Network. December 1996 SAE paper. Allies. October 1997 proposal to motorsports.
  A 1938 Mercedes racing car ... this car is being driven by Mercede's engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut in test on the Nurburgring. Educated in England he was an excellent driver and could lap the track, in this case the Nurburgring, as fast as the team drivers Caracciola, Seaman, von Brauchitsch, and Lang et al. Watercolor by Ken Berg.
  A racing car with the #6 on its side ... this is Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari driving an Auto Union rear-engined car in a race at Berne. Nuvolari is ranked as one of the top drivers of all time. The car was built to compete with the Mercedes racing cars and there was some subsidy given to both manufacturers, presumably because the Nazi government was pursuing technological advances that might help in building up their war-machine in the 1930s. Watercolor by Ken Berg.
  A 1934 Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Bugatti at Dieppe ... this was the start of Grand Prix racing. In the next few years Auto-Union and Mercedes would make these small, usually Italian, cars obsolete. In the hands of the master, Nuvolari, they could be competitive, but even 'Nuvo' wound up driving for Auto-Union. Watercolor by Ken Berg
  A racing car with the number 36 on its side ... Louie Meyer and riding mechanic Lawson Harris won the 1933 Indianapolis 500 mile race in this car. It was painted by my nephew Peter Berg.
080717 INVENTORY Books, Pictures, Plaques, Maps, Charts etc                          
  GRAND PRIX and SPORTS CARS; Caracciola, by Foulis. Motor Racing with M-B, by Monkhouse. M-B & the Mille Miglia, by Curami. Grand Prix, by Spurring. Motor Racing's Golden Age, by Tennant. The Book of Donington, by Boddy. Nuvolari, by Lurani. M-B 300SL, by Adler. Motor Racing, by Evans. Classic Racing Cars, by Hamlyn. Le Mans '55, by Hilton. The Star and the Laurel, by Kimes. The M-B Racing Car, by Ludvigsen. M-B 100 Years of Excellence, by Adler. Mille Miglia, by Pritchard. Racing With Mercedes, by Fitch (autographed) hold for Berg family. Racing With Mercedes 2nd Edition, by Fitch (autographed) hold for Berg family. M-B 300SL, by Ludvigsen. M-B 300SLR, by Ludvigsen. Targa Florio, by Owen. Road Race, by Jones. Racing Sports Cars, by Evans (autographed by many top drivers at John's 90th birthday party at Evans'). Book of Automobiles, by Purdy (soft cover). Against Death and Time, by Yates. Tribute Project, by Watson.
  INDY; Indy, by Rich Taylor. The Watson Years, by Gary Wayne. Miller, by Borgeson. Indy Car 1992 Media Guide. Indy Car 1994 Media Guide. Novi V8, by Ludvigsen. Kurtis. The Buick, by Dunham & Gustin (autographed). The Miller Dynasty, by Dees (autographed).
Offenhauser, by White (autographed). The Golden Age of the American Racing Car, by Borgeson. Monterey program (Miller). Indy's Wildest Decade, by Gabbard. Allison 75 year Anniversary book. Against Death and Time, by Yates. Cassettes; Oral history interviews with various racing notables
  MISCELLANI; Hydroplane Racing in Seattle. American Steam Car Pioneers, by Bacon (autographed Roper no relation). The Glory of Their Times, by Ritter. Harley Davidson.
  AVIATION; Aircraft Anatomy WWII, by Amber. Spitfire II The Canadians. Avro Lancaster, by Holmes. Lancaster to Berlin, by Thompson (autographed). Oral history cassette, by Walter Thompson. Merlin con rod and piston. Supersonic Symposium, by Young. Meeting the Challenge of Supersonic Flight, by Young. B24, by MacPhail. Reno Air Racing Unlimited, by Moll. A Battle for the Truth, by Chadderton.
Bader, Johnson, Deere biographies and other Battle of Britain books.
  MILITARY; Patton's Vanguard, by Fox (autographed Jimmie Leach). Gasoline to Patton, by Irzyk (autographed). Men Against Fire, by Marshall (autographed John Westover). Blitzkrieg, by Marshall. On War, by Clausewitz. Up Front, by Mauldin. Blitzkrieg, by Deighton. War As I Knew it, by Patton. Decision at St Vith. Battle of the Bulge, by Merriam. Last Days of Patton, by Farago. Memoirs, by John Westover. Oral history cassette, by John Westover.
  HOT RODS; Jenkins, by White. Ford, by Levine. Bonneville 2005 program. HopUp. The Birthplace of Hot Rodding, by Genat. Hot Rod Magazine First 12 Issues (bound). Fifties Flashback, by Drake. Edelbrock. Hot Rod Milestones, by Gross & Genat (autographed pg 133). Salt of the Earth, by Jenkins.
  DOCUMENTS AND CORRESPONDENCE; Berman stats for John's career. Rose-Hulman safety/education project. SAE paper 2006.
SAE paper 2007. Supporting notes to the papers from: MB, Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Simanaitis, Sarthe government departments (transcript of testimony concerning 55 Le Mans crash) … et al. John Fitch poster … generously inscribed to KB. Carrera pic with Neubauer … inscribed.
MB correspondence regarding promotion of RWM. Misc Fitch documents, letters, brochures etc.

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The book, Racing Corvettes, the Early Years, has been reprinted and copies are now available. The price is $29.95, s&h = $5.95. To order an autographed copy, mail me a check for $35.80. Please let me know what you would like me to inscribe or do you just want a signature. For an unsigned copy, call 800-289-3504 or go on line to www.enthusiastbooks.com. Or go to or call one of the dealers listed below. I will be doing two book signings on Saturday May 2, both in the San Fernando Valley area. All of my books now in print will be available including Racing Corvettes and Shelby, the Race Driver. To see a list with descriptions, open the PDF attachment. I will be at Autobooks/Aerobooks from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. The address is 3524 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank. Or call for information at 818-845-8963. I will also be at World Class Motoring from 2:30 p.m. till 5:30 p.m. The address is 5076 Chesebro Road, Agoura Hills. Or call for information at 818-706-9999. Art Evans (author) 800 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Phone 310-489-5330, Fax 310-373-5988.
Art: I tried to copy and paste your pdf file and add it to my newsletter, but you are using a recent version and it caused my newsletter to truncate in half, so I couldn't use your file. If any of our readers are interested in road course racing, they can see your contact information and call or email you for more information. Whenever you have a news release, please send it along, but if it's in the 2007 Word format, I can't use it because it is not compatible with my 1997 Word formatting.

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I have finally created a web site. Please visit and enjoy. Thank you. See http://www.nitaunderwoodartist.com. Some have emailed back that they cannot bring the site up when they click on it. If that happens to you and you want to see it, please go to the internet and type in the "address" part the above. For some reason it won't come up if you just Google it. Talking to my web builder to iron out some issues. Thanks again for looking. Nita Underwood
Nita: You're right, one has to use the link. I tried Nita Underwood and www.nitaunderwoodartist.com and other variations and it wouldn't come up on Google. I'm sure that you will correct the glitch soon. I was surprised by how many Nita Underwood's there are in this country. One website looked promising, but it was completely blank. By using the link that you provided I was able to access your site and it looks very nice. It will do credit to your work and maybe you will scan and post the paintings that I have bought from you and list me as a satisfied customer.
Readers: Nita Underwood is the wife of Jack Underwood, a member of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians and an Honoree of the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame, located in Buellton, California at the Mendenhall Gas Pump Museum. Nita does a beautiful pen and ink, plus color drawing of Jack's roadster for their Christmas cards and it is a real honor to be on their mailing list and to receive a specially made card each year. Nita's specialty is animals and in my opinion, she has few equals. Her water colors are in the first rank. Her plein air oils are highly sought after and I own about 6 of her works of art. Her son is a glass maker and blower and makes some of the most beautiful glass objects that I've seen, through a gallery in Laguna Beach. The Underwood's are a very talented family and I have been trying to get Nita to do more land speed and dry lakes paintings of the 1930's through the '60's.

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I had a long talk with Ron Henderson last night. He lives on First Street in Santa Ana and I also lived on that street and a country block from CJ Pappy Hart. I always saw a Hot Rod in the front yard as a kid. I did not have any history of the Streamliner. We are coming along nicely with the Spurgin-Giovanine Roadster and our target date for the "Roll Out" is still for the July Ventura Motorsports Gathering (Concours) and we are looking forward to having all of the families involved with the S-G Roadster attend the Concours.  Ernie Nagamatsu
   Ernie: The story of the roadster has been published, but the prospects that somebody built a streamliner with the Mothersills name is a mystery that we find very interesting. Perhaps Nat Wheeler will contact us with photographs and some background on the car. Give us more details about the Ventura event so that our readers can attend and see the car. Also, have you contacted the Petersen and Parks museums to see if they will give you a two or three month exhibition at their places? It's vital that restored and rebuilt cars be showcased at various museums for several reasons; one, the museums need rotating displays, two the public needs to know of the restorations and history of the cars and three, it adds to the history and value of these cars to be shown. What can you tell us about CJ 'Pappy' Hart and his place in Santa Ana? Finally, we need your biography to add to our collection. Below is the question and answer guideline that we use. Thanks for all that you do, Ernie.
  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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I have a couple of events that you all might be interested in. The First one is Big Rigs 4 Kids Rolls for Thunder on the Lot. The event will be held June 13th and 14th 2009 at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster, California. As most of you know "Big Rigs 4 Kids" has always been a drag race for Big Rigs that we would hold at L.A.C.R. but ever since the drag strip closed in 2007 we haven't had a venue to produce the show. Well this year we have decided to team up with "Thunder On The Lot," and produce a show and shine for Big Rigs as an addition to the event. "Thunder on the Lot" is in its 15th year and includes a Car Show & Bike Show along with lots of entertainment for the whole family. This years concert will feature "Eric Burdon & The Animals." It should be an amazing event and all of the proceeds that are raise from entries and admission goes to the "Children's Charities in the Antelope Valley." For More Information Please Visit www.bigrigs4kids.org, or www.thunderonthelot.com. And For you Folk's that are wondering about our Progress with finding a new place to build a new Drag Strip please visit www.Save.LACR.org for updates. Now for information on my events. Moldy Marvin's "Doin' it in the Dirt Camp N' Cruize." This year I'm putting on Two Events. The First Show will be held on June 27-28, 2009.
The second on August 8-9, 2009. Both of these shows are Free, Free, Free, to participants and Spectators alike! Show Hours from 3-10pm. I've got some really great entertainment along with fun and games lined up for the show this year to include our Sunday Cruize. The Car show is open to pre-73 Classics, Kustoms, Hot Rods, Motorcycles, Trikes and what ever else ya might want to show. For over night camping you can bring a Motor Home, Trailer, Tent or even Camp under the Stars. This event is in its Third season and it is getting bigger and better all the time, something you will not want to miss. For More Information Please Visit: www.MoldyShows.com, or you can contact me by replying to this e-mail [email protected]. Location: At The Outpost, 34141 116th St. East, Pearblossom, California 93543. On the corner of Hwy 138 and 116th East. I'm currently looking for Vendors, so if you know of any one ya might want to pass this information on for me. Seeing how this is a free show I'm looking for Sponsor to help defray the cost of running it. If you are a business owner, you might be interested on purchasing a Banner add to display on our web pages or even donate one of your products or services for our raffle. For Details on Sponsoring these events you can respond to this e-mail or give me a buzz at 800-880-6567 or 661-944-2299.
"O.K. that's kewl Moldy, but what is happening with the Rat Fink Party this year?" Hmmm. I thought you might ask about that. Once again I got no Drag Strip this year so I'm currently working on moving the event back down to the San Fernando Valley, this may mean that the date will be pushed forward for later on in the season. If I'm able to find a venue then this will be the 10 annual show which should be way off the hook. I'll keep ya all posted and you will be the very first to know. For more events in Southern California please visit my events page at
www.AeClassic.com/events. If there is an event that you would like to see posted on my pages please feel free to send me the information and I will be happy to post it for you. Speaking of www.AeClassic.com, I currently have a very diversified list of Cars up For sale on the site. It's really something you should check out, there are some absolutely beautiful, Classics, Kustoms and Hot Rods listed for your viewing and
purchasing pleasure. If you have a car that you would like to list just let me know and I'll give you the details. For some of you folks that own British classic cars, I found a web site that is very interesting and we at AeClassic are proud to introduce those of you who own British Classic Cars to DVLA Number Plates. The history of the British number plate system has been embraced by the British since 1903! Now you can become part of the legacy with your personal number plate and join the community of dynamic custom plate owners. Moldy www.RatFink.org

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Customized Gas Pumps and Globe faces are available at MiVersion. See http://www.oldgaspumpdisplays.com/. Call 877-887-8188, 866-320-6644 or Email: [email protected]. John Asterino

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The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will present the 2nd Annual Las Vegas Speed Spectacular for the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series, May 15-17, 2009. There will be nostalgia drag racing, vintage car show and rockabilly music. See www.nhrahotrodheritage.com. John Bisci

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The Petersen Automotive Museum announced today that legendary Grammy award-winning musician, Brian Wilson and his band, will perform at the Museum's annual charity Gala on May 7. The Museum will celebrate its 15th Anniversary this year during the "California Dreaming" themed event that will honor Thomas V. McKernan, Chief Executive Officer of the Automobile Club of Southern California, with the 2009 Petersen Automotive Museum Icon Award. Brian Wilson's performance will include a live show featuring some of his most well known hits including "Little Deuce Coupe," "409," and "Fun Fun Fun." As a founding member of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson's music evokes memories for classic Americana and a simpler more fun-loving time. His numerous hits embody the California dreaming lifestyle of cruising and surfing, reflected in the theme of this year's Gala. Wilson's musical talent and passion for the popular Southern California culture make him the perfect addition to this year's celebrity-filled Gala. The Museum will honor Mr. McKernan because of his many contributions and dedication to the automotive industry throughout his forty years of service. Tom has played a key role in guiding the organization's growth, and his commitment to promoting safer roads, vehicles and drivers appeal to the very spirit of the Petersen Museum. Today, the Auto Club insures over 2.5 million vehicles.
McKernan is also a devoted car hobbyist and avid car collector. He has a number of vehicles in his personal collection representative of the hot rod and muscle car eras. "As we celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Petersen Automotive Museum this year, it is with a sense of pride for the unique cultural traditions of California," says Dick Messer, Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. "Through his work with the Auto Club, Tom McKernan represents the same dedication to Southern California and American values that the Petersen Museum strives to uphold." Legendary racing commentator, David McClelland, will serve of master of ceremonies and all proceeds raised from the evening will fund the Museum's world class exhibits, educational programs and efforts to preserve rare and historic automobiles. The annual Gala is the Museum's biggest fundraiser of the year, promising an exciting night for all, including VIPs from the automotive world, entertainment industry, politics and business. Stars of movies, television and sports also attend each year. This year's signature event will include a cocktail reception, a silent and live auction, and an elegantly catered dinner.
The Museum welcomes additional charity auction donations - from auto memorabilia and artwork to cars and collectibles. Individual tickets and reserved tables for the 2009 "California Dreaming" Gala are available in advance. For additional information on the Gala and charity auction, please call the Gala Hotline at (323) 964-6366. The Petersen Automotive Museum, founded in 1994, in one of Southern California's most treasured cultural institutions. As part of this year's Gala, race cars and vintage auto club cars will be on display for attendees. Serving as an educational and historic home for the conservation of numerous extraordinary vehicles, the Petersen Museum is a forum for adults and children to learn about the rare and remarkable vehicles it houses. Presently, the museum is featuring a 1932 Ford "AAA" tow truck on display for all visitors. For general Museum information, call (323) 930-CARS or visit the Museum's website at www.petersen.org. Sanaz Bakhtiari, JMPR Inc 818-992-4353

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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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