Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

Wally M. spins up the Travelon Spl.

 

Another still surviving oldtimer is Bob Harkey. This shot shows him saddled up and ready to roll off in his first Champ car start at Langhorne in the Fike car 1963.

 

Hi Rootie:
Is that a Vanwall that Troy is racing? Thanks for all the great history and info! TEB

 

Maserati. Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby were also driving Maserati's then and I suspect they may have some influence in getting him the ride.

 

Bobby U. in the ECCA machine dicing with the Roosevelt Dairy car (with a L/R wire wheel)-Phoenix mile 1961.

 

Dan Gurney fixing to take his rookie test in the Zink roadster 1962.

 

That's local man Don Barnes in his last ride in the Roosevelt Dairy car. Together with Russ Long and Dee Jones they amassed enough points to win the CRA car owners championship that year for Russ Chase of Mesa, following the triumph of the ECCA car for Kirk Purvis of Eloy the year before. Combined with the 1958 title for the Fike Plumbing car and Harlan Fike of Phoenix, that makes three years out of four with Arizona cars dominating the California Racing Association - and the one win for a California car in 1959 was the Morales/Offy, built by Roger McCluskey and Hank Arnold in Tucson, with Fike and Purvis second and third! After that, however, it was solid California Gold in the CRA.

 

Had the distinct privilege of driving the "Ecca" car at PPIR during on of our CVOR vintage exhibitions. Wayne Miller was the owner at the time, and later sold the car to Al Unser (one of the original drivers). The car is now in the Unser museum in it's #92 livery.

 

Johnny Capels wheeling the former ECCA car for, then, owner Big Al, in late 60s.

 

Thanks Rootie for keeping this rolling!

 

Thanks Rootie, Pictures are great.

 

Rootie, thanks from here also.

 

Good to see there's still some interest in this thread, thought I would try to kick start it again.
Here's todays offering:
Back in 1954/55 Dizz Wilson teamed up with the Martin Bros. out of PA. to wrench this odd looking slope tail upright champ car. All my sources list it as Silnes but I recall reading somewhere that it was actually built by right coast Frank Curtis with Silnes bodywork (?) Finished 19th at Indy in 54 with Frank Armi up but came back in 55 to finish a great 7th with Al Herman up and was ROY. Painted a pinkish color, I suspect if Dizz had his way he would have popped the lid on a can of his school bus yellow and change that.

 

WOW Thanks again Rootie! Gary

 

Thank you Rootie and everyone posting these great photos. Please keep them coming!!

 

Thanks Rootie! I wish I had more to add. The MOVRCC guys are running with the Silver Crown cars this Thur at IRP.

 

( MOVRCC ) FYI. That's the Midwest Oldtimers Vintage Race Car Club.

 

Rootie - Thanks for posting this. Glad to see that the car had the right number. There was only one of Dizz, for better or worse.

Anyone know why his cars were always yellow or that hideous orange?

 

Being a notorious tightwad I suspect he probably found a close out or going out of business type deal on a large quantity of industrial paint and got it dirt cheap.

 

Mid 60s Trenton: Bud Tinglestad in the 5 Jud Larson in the 10 1965. Sammy Sessions in the 22 1966.

 

The eagle-eyed will have noticed... #10 and #22 are one and the same car, the 1964 Federal Engineering Meskowski. Tingelstad drives the 1961 Kuzma-built Meskowski copy for Lindsey Hopkins.

 

It was yellow school bus paint which Dizz got by the drum for next to nothing. His hometown of Mitchell, IN was also the home of the Carpenter School Bus Company. I don't for sure for how long but I've heard that Wilson worked there himself at one point. Maybe he just mixed in a little red to get the orange color later but the yellow was bus paint.

 

Now that you mentioned it I think I read something to that effect in a Open Wheel mag. feature on Dizz.
Reminds me of when I was a kid, my best friends dad raced modifieds at the local track. His day job was as the supervisor at the main mantainance/repair facility for the So. Dak. State Highway Dept. Not surprisingly, the color of his modified was uncannily the same as a So. Dak. State highway truck.

 

I don`t know where you got your information about the Hopkins dirt car but you are dead wrong. It was built for Jack Beckly by Meskowski in 60/61 and Kuzma did the body only. Don Brown actually did the work. It is not a copy of anything.

 

The story I heard about the orange school bus paint was the it was used primarily in the South because it made the buses stand out better against the color of the road dust down there.

 

3 virtually new Halibrand "smoothie" Indy car wheels. 16"x 5" for Rudge spline hubs.

 

Gary B. first hit the Champ Car trail in 1966 driving for Don Mcmanus. Though he was entered in most of the races he had a tough time of it only starting one race, the last race of the season.

 

Rootie, Thanks for the great photos

 

I thought I would post pictures of the car I recently picked up in Muncie Indiana and see if anyone recognizes the car/chassis. I was told that it might have been built by Lloyd Shores in the early 60's but any info would be appreciated.

 

Happy to stand corrected, thanks.