LeVan Prothero '67 Camaro Landspeed car... Info/pics wanted

['Flyin' Dutchman']

Does anyone have more pics or info on this car?

It ran B'ville in the late 60's/early 70's.

Thanks...

http://img64.photobucket.com/albums/v194/75hotrodder/Landspeed_Camaro.jpg

[Jeem]

I thought that car first ran in the early fifties?!

['Flyin' Dutchman']

'67 Camaro in the early fifties..??? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Fast Elvis]

Maurice your Camaro would look kool painted up like the one in the photo bro.........have you and Bas got your wheels out on the road yet?

['Flyin' Dutchman']

Hey man! Wassup..!

Which wheels you mean..? Bas' Roadrunner?

My Triumph is getting there... Made quite some miles with it!

And the Chev... Well... Never have any problems with it! It's always runnin'!

[SamIyam]

I got an article in a "Chevrolet Yearbook" on the car... one of... if not THE favorite camaro of mine.

Refrigerator white... 427 (?)... injected... ran at Bonneville... ran over 200mph in '69!!

The guy bought it from a used car lot after seeing an add for it on TV... I don't have a scanner, but I can take pics of the mag this weekend when I'm at home...

Sam.

['Flyin' Dutchman']

Allright man!

That would be super nice!

Thanks!

[SamIyam]

Incidentally, the article was found in "The Complete Chevrolet Book"... the one with a 454 and Grumpy's Toy on the cover... put out by Petersen Publishing... look for it on e-bay.

Enjoy,
Sam.
p.s. If I ever build a Camaro... it will be a copy of this one...

[SamIyam]

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last one... hope you enjoyed!
Sam.

['Flyin' Dutchman']

Sam... You rule man! Thanks!

If I really, really can't get my Camaro sold, I'm gonna copy this one... But first I'll keep it for sale through the summer...

[Brootal]

Wow Sam! You've got way too much time on your hands. Got any articles on a '67 Rambler?? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Isn't it amazing what you can find on the HAMB!

[SaltRat]

Van's 67 Camaro started life as a rental car (Hertz or Avis) and was purchased in late 67 or early 68. As a youngster with all the HOT ROD magazines he could digest he built the car as a quarter mile car and was very successful for a time but he found the investment in time and money prohibitive and moved on to Bonneville. Van's been pretty much a loner for the past 30 years keeping the garage door locked, the secrets hidden and the technology private. He did so well by the late 70's early 80's that even Pontiac sat up and noticed and offered him a job. With lots of time invested in the railroad where he was a sheet metal fabricator he declined and kept the technology to himself. Without giving away any secrets I can say that Van spent more time with his Superflow flow bench than I've spent with my own kids over the past 25 years. Taking weeks off of work at a single time to chase an extra 5% in one single port. Van is without a doubt one of most incredible men I've ever met in my life and I find it sad that he probably wont pass on any of the 40 years knowledge gained. A gentleman named Marv I met here in Whittier just a month ago discussed Van with me and we both agreed it will be a tragic loss. Though Van's not from Whittier many old Whittier boys would rather take their knowledge with them to the grave. Big Stan Johnson and incredible differential rebuilder laughed at me when I asked a diff question and it took over 20 years for him to answer. Bonneville Salt flats has at least part of its beginnings here in Whittier as Larry Miller Sr. was one of the original founders in 1949. Nelson (Nelly) Taylor and John Ryan, the original owners of Taylor Engine Rebuilding owned for the past 30 years by Jay Steele have all been involved with Bonneville, Jay building many record breaking engines. To finish on Van let me say that in those days Vans only competition was the Lindsleys with their Superbird. They would work all year to bump one of Vans records up 1 or 2 miles an hour, and Van would roll off the trailer and push it up 10. The competition was intense for the Lindsley's but just flat fun for Van.

[SamIyam]

Wow!
Sounds like you have a lot of great experiences to share...

thanks for digging this one up!

Sam.

[SaltRat]

This is Vans Car at Bonneville, Van in the back, Joe Anderson under the hood.
6AM Record Runs, little sleep like most nights a Bonneville, Higbey on the starting line, so much noise you cant hear yourself think. Engines warm and Higbey motions the course is clear. WAIT WAIT wait for VAN to motion with his right hand, Lets Go. Ease up the push truck, start rolling, mash the gas, just dont spin the push truck tires too much. 10, 20, 30, 40 MPH, Van wing's the throttle, finds first gear and 5800 lbs. of Camaro shudders as it leaves the bumper. All of a sudden your doing 80, 90 as youve lost all that weight, angle over to the return road. Look at the Camaro (not where your going) 1st gear blubbers a little, 2nd gear cleans out, Rpm comes up, tire spin, recover, get hooked up, by 3rd gear he's so far away you hear the push truck cracking the salt not the Camaro, watch the the salt spray of the back of the Camaro. Is it high, flat, short, long? Low and long looks like a good run, 4th gear cars out of sight, turn on the CB listen for times, in the 1/4, in the mile ect., in the 5 mile 227mph. In the push truck at about 100 mph where past the 4 mile, 5 mile, 6 mile, 7 mile, where's that darn white car, hard to see in all this white salt, 8 mile there he is!! Pull up and give him the times, hoods already up, rocker covers off, running the valves while its still hot, got to get ready to do it all over again within and hour. If every thing goes right well be pulling the A motor by afternoon, putting in the B motor to qualify this afternoon for record runs tomorrow morning. And it starts all over again. Where's Larry and Jim Lindlsey!!!! P.S. Jim Lindsley passed away this last year after a life long commitment to land speed racing, and was an incredible racer and member of SCTA and BNI most of his life. He will truely be missed.

[Dreamweaver]

Salt Rat,

Thanks for sharing that moment. I could taste the salt on my sunburned lips.

I remember reading about LeVan's car in the original Hot Rod issue MANY years ago.

The ultimate sleeper Camaro! No fancy aerotricks, just good old Chevrolet horsepower!

Who says Chevrolet V8s aren't traditional?

RAT ON!