Very few names can truly be called "iconic" in the world of hot rodding, but I can safely say that Mickey Thompson is one of them: A legend in racing, a pioneer of speed, and an all around good guy by everyone's account. Challenger 1 was the radical ... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
I can't imagine sitting that far back looking down the snout of the monster known as Challenger 1......and doing it at 400+ mph. Absolute Legend. Side note, trailer that transported the streamliner was pretty damn cool itself!
Mickey was an absolute legend and his developments in the field of racing continue to this day. I think Icon certainly fits!
One of the best and most inspiring books hot rod wise that I have ever read was his book Challenger. He told of his early days of racing using used parts and of scrounging parts in the junk bins behind shops in the evenings. His wife bought him a boring bar so he could fit the pistons he found to the blocks he had. That book is very collectable and expensive now but well worth reading if a guy can get his hands on a copy.
I got my copy of "Challenger" at a garage sale for .50 cents. One of my prized books. I love how he made a killing at the gambling tables in Vegas, (or Reno?) one night and used that money to start his business. I've read that he said he had U-joint problems, and couldn't make a back up run to his 406.6 run, keeping him out of the record books, but it was actually engine problems. He didn't want to lose his Pontiac sponsorship.
it was a controversial run, and if you ask people that knew Mickey in regular racing they have some crazy shit to say , but would never speak on record about it .... My friend did a documentary on the whole deal , never aired on tv but is amazing ! its a whole nother story that was never told in the media of the day ... too kool.
I've been learning more and more about MT recently. As a kid I knew about him as a Baja racer and seller of race equipment, and I knew he had an auto racing career. Anything tubbed with fat MT tires was super cool to me. The more I learn, the more incredible his story is. It's a damn shame how his iconic life came to an untimely end. It's also too bad that much of his "icon status" has been recognized postumously. He must have been an amazing person to be around.
Mickey Thompson (in my opinion) is probably the most innovative, influential hotrodder in history. In the 50s, 60, and 70s, Mickey had his hand in nearly everything. He raced cars, he built parts, he sold parts, he promoted events. The guy was everywhere, and successful in nearly everything he ever did. Smokey Yunick said, "Mickey had balls the size of an elephant". Smokey thought very highly of Mickey, and Smokey didn't like too many people. That's enough for me.
Thanks for the article. I'm a huge Mickey Thompson fan...not just because he was a fellow Pontiac guy, but because he was a thinker AND a do-er. Mickey was about the best example of Great American Spirit you will ever find. By the way...those big blown Ponchos sounded pretty damn bad ass flying through the traps. -Abone.
Mickey Thompson was indeed a smart man with the drive to succeed. Not to take ANYTHING away from his accomplishments, but I understand he was a shrewd business man. The SCORE deal left hard feelings with his ex-partner who was at some point a 'person of interest' after MTs death.
A little more than that, I'd say. "On January 4, 2007 a jury found Michael Goodwin guilty of two counts of murder in the death of Mickey Thompson and his wife. Goodwin was sentenced to two consecutive life-without-parole terms for the murders of Thompson and his wife. The judge also denied Goodwin's motion for a new trial."
The Mickster was a certifiable mechanical genius! His usual modus operandi was building several cars at once (for different styles of racing), and operating on about 4 hours of sleep a day. If he had only lived there's no telling what heights he would have climbed in the automotive arena. He was one awesome possum, for sure!
By the way...those big blown Ponchos sounded pretty damn bad ass flying through the traps. -Abone.[/QUOTE Between that and the 60 Bonneville Special station wagon push car is almost enough to get me to switch back to Pontiacs. Damn that sounded awesome!
Goodwin used to live up the street from my grand dad. He always bugged him about going into business together and what not. Gramps saw right through the guy and never gave him the time of day. Lucky for him.
i read the book about his life, the fast life and tragic death. the man was a geinus and i wish i could have met him once. i would have worked for him for free back in the day when he was running lions if i was around.
Mickey was one of the people I would have liked to meet also. I always had to wait to get the newest issue of Hot Rod Magazine back in the 60's to see what his latest accomplisment was. Thanks for the reminder about his book also. I bought the book ''Challenger'' at a flea market a few years back for $1.00 and never did get around to reading it. That's going to change tonight.
Sure wish I could have been there..... 4 Ponchos pulling hard must have been a sight to see..... and hear.