Pre War Hot Rods Racing in 8mm… Revisited

Isn’t it funny how time slips away? This footage was first shared on the HAMB in 2011, which is hard to believe that was already 12 years ago! There have been quite a few people on here who have come and gone, so I figured it was worth sharing this incredible Tommy Lorbeer film uploaded by Dave Welles of Seabright Hot Rods again. Dave wrote, “My Uncle Tommy Lorbeer wasn’t really kin…. He was my dad’s best friend. Tommy raced with my dad at the lakes in the late 30s, flew a P-38 in WWII, drove a Porsche in the early 50s, and had the first VW Van in Riverside. He was alway ahead of the curve. As kids, we’d never heard a stereo system before when he flew a fighter jet from the left speaker to the right; at full volume. Man, we all hit the floor. In 1940 he bought a newfangled toy, an 8mm camera, and took it out to Harper Dry Lake. My cousin found the reel and I had it digitized. My son Connor edited it and added the sound.”

Sure enough, you’ll see the cars of Bill & Tom Spalding, Tommy Lee and Bob Rufi.