Midget Motor Mania

"Give a boy or man a motor, and the battle of skill and daring against the power of machines brings out fast and furious action..."

Great pre-war tether car footage brought to you via Newsreel (as shown at the front of movies in the theater) from Oc... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.

 

Those things look like a blast! More great footage on the HAMB!

 

Well thanks alot. Now I have to get one of those.

 

My first time to ever see a track and them running on it. Seen a lot of the old cars before. *Thanks*

 

Cool stuff! We need to make on for the EMMR! tt

 

Ryan from Feb.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=11322

Hi Jay

 

Ever price a tether car at a swap meet? They are not cheap, but look like a blast to run.

 

That picture is of Rail Cars,not tether cars. CW's40tpu still has his dads. Maybe he'll post a pic of it...

 

What he said!

 

DOH!

You know it's bound to happen with two like-minded knuckleheads looking for car stuff to pontificate about...

 

There used to be a rail track here in KC.I met an older gentleman who has 2 that he built from scratch,even the motors.He must have been a hell of a machinist back in the day.He also gave me his collection of speed catalogs from the 40s and 50s.

 

Do any of those tracks still exist...... anywhere?

 

I wish....

 

Unfortunately not,only tether car tracks still exist.

Its true about the modern tether cars going so fast that you cant even see them,but believe me they are one of those things that you have to see (and hear) at least once in your life-awesome stuff.
Because tether car racing is such a small sport , many cars are handed down from generation to generation amongst family members ,so there is a great appreciation for the Old cars.Many racers have the old cars and still race them.Here in Australia (tether car racing hit Australia in 1940)there is also a special "Old Timers" meeting when the day is dedicated to running old cars and replicas. I am building a replica of a late forties Australian car at the moment for racing.
Like any close knit group of racers the camaraderie is very noticeable,and extends world wide.Though I love Nostalgia Dragracing this is the most affordable alternative that fills my need for speed (my kids love it too!).
The links between the early US Hot rodders and Tether car racing are interwoven as many of the early rodders built and raced tether and rail cars. Australian FED racer Ash Marshall who ran the first 200 mph run here in Aus was also an enthusiastic tether car racer.
Cheers
RM