I met Rolla Vollstedt yesterday

I stumbled into his shop while I was at work. I didn't know it was a shop!!
He saw me looking at all the old b&w Indy photos on the wall, and asked me if I would like a copy of his book. At this point I didn't know who he was. He told me his name, and it all came to me! He autographed one of his books for me, then let me see the cars in his shop. For those who don't know who he is, he started designing T-bodied track cars right after WW2, which led up to Indy cars. His first car was designed and built in 1947. He continued to be involved with building Indy cars until the 1980s. He's 89 now. History in a nutshell....he's credited for designing, and hand building, the first American built rear engined Offy speedway car just in time for the 1963 speed trials. It ran 152.9mph. The next car he designed and built, was ran a four-cam Ford V8 for 1965, and so on until the 1980's. His cars where driven by Mario Andretti, Len Sutton, Carl Yaraborough, Arnie Knepper, Tom Bigelow, Janet Guthrie, Billy Foster,Dick Simon, and Emmerson Fittipaldi. He also served in the Army in WW2, and landed at Normandy. He got shot by a German machine gun, and was sent home.

He told me that he initially went to college for Pre-med, then changed it to physics. He applied the pysics knowledge to his engine building. Obviously it worked!! Rolla showed me the 1925 T-bodied track roadster in his shop. It's running a 350ci carbed engine, Rodex heads, a 3-speed tranny, and he said it's rated for 600hp. Told me that it'd do 200mph in the straight away. I only had my crappy cell phone camera, and I was only able to take one crappy picture, but here it is with him sitting next to the roadster. It was a real honor to meet him, and at 89 he's still building engines and cars.

 

That is too cool! I wonder if he drove the little roadster to 200 so that's how he knows how fast it is on the straight and narrow? You never know!?

 

if he says it will go 200 it will go 200,

 

I met him at a SCCA meeting when I was about 12-13. He was a car Icon in Portland at the time (early 50s) and everywhere I guess.............OLDBEET

 

I've met him several times.Cool old dude.A little cranky?

Once at a swap meet he was wearing a jacket from the 1965 Indy 500.
I friend said to him,"nice jacket"
He said"You like it? it only cost me a million dollars"



I then sucker punched him in the back of the head and stole the jacket.

 

One of his cars..

 

And built with the V monogram on the nerf bar So So So fuckin KooooL!!!................

 

Hahaha!! That was funny!!

Not cranky at all. I think he was just happy to be talking cars. He had a another engine he was building that he said would rate 700hp. There were several engines in the shop in various stages. Also another track car that I didn't ask about. Somehow I don't think there are many 89 year olds out there still at work building cars and engines.

Actually I lied, I had two crappy cell phone pictures. Here's the other one.

 

Last one looks like the older Super Modifieds I grew up with in the Northeast.
Cool story.

 

If you look in the background, he sure hasn't slowed down much !!

 

I think that yellow supermodified was pictured in an article about northwest oval track racing in Hot Rod magazine.

A LONG time ago.

 

I have been fortunate enough to have met him on many occasions over the years, mainly at Indy where he was still part of the tech crew. Always had great stories to tell and was a wealth of knowledge.

 

I went to high school about a mile form his old shop on taylors ferry rd in southwest portland in the early 70s,I had a job there sweeping floors etc.one summer then got a better job at the texaco next door....was I dumb for not hanging out more,he was building Indy cars then.but whata great guy! as a matter of fact the indy rain tires on the back of my model A ( see avator) were a gift from Rolla