Jalopy Racing in the 50s (with color film)

Jalopy Racing in the 50s (with color film)

It the early days of post car dirt track racing, one of the cheapest ways to get out on track was in the Jalopy class. The goad was to the take a stripped down, pre-war Ford, make minor modifications and go have some fun. Here’s some original color film shot during a California Jalopy Association race at the Gardena track near LA.

Two things you’ll notice watching this great footage:

  1. It’s shocking more guys didn’t get seriously hurt. Watch a few of these tumbles and think about having only a lap belt and a hard shell helmet to protect your body from an all-steel interior!
  2. It’s even more shocking to see how many really nice ’32-’34 Ford 3 window and 5 window coupes got wiped out, let alone the Tudors!

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