History Drag Roadsters............picture thread

Cool looking roadster......

 

This sure does look like Englishtown Raceway Park (RIP) when it opened around 1965. The place actually had tree's and shade.

Pat

Born Runin

 

If I posted those in the wrong thread, I'll change it later..... Got a wedding to go too....

 

Deuces after the wedding would you tell us more. Those are recent picture's I didn't know that car was still around. I wish people would take cars like this so the public (mainly those of us that are interested) can see them or at least know that they are still around. Really cool!

Pat

 

Dale Lambrose (sp??), who ran as a teammate to Ike Iacono, also ran a GMC. This shot is from a recently posted photo thread on the Bakersfield Smoker's website.


Ruddy & Weinstein roadster, from the same site. This car usually ran at Bonneville, and for years got its driver into the 200mph club with the closest time to 200, as he shut off at the 4-mile marker. Paint and bodywork done by Chuck Porter's Hollywood body shop. This car's Ardun would later go into a Bantam-bodied roadster. Jim Busby has perfectly restored this car.


Tony Waters famous roadster when it still ran a GMC on fuel. After Tony dropped a blown Desoto in it, it reached the final round of top eliminator at the '59 Smokers meet.


Waters and Murray, first posted at the beginning of this thread in 2009. Highly innovative, this car featured torsion bar rear suspension and a '56 Chevy engine that had been bored and stroked into something like 330" It later went to Texas, where Don Morgan raced it, and later the rusted remains were perfectly restored.




I don't know who ran this roadster in '55, with a flathead, but it would up with Don Wilson twelve years later, and I got to drive it, behind a 365" Chrysler...this is me at Irwindale in May 1967...notice that the Mobil Flying Horse decal on the side behind the steering arm is still there

 

Matching T bucket push car

 

Pat,
it looks as if those photos were taken at Garlits' museum where the restored car resides. I was talking to Walt Stevens (who drove the car) at Bowling Green a couple of weeks ago and he told me that it weighed all of 1500 lbs--with him in the seat!

Roo

 

"Matching T bucket push car"


To be totally correct it is a Dodge body on the push car. San Diego fireman Joe Pirrenello built the bucket and co owned the race car with partner Mike Shales. Joe's bucket made the cover of Car Craft in December when it was still painted the original bright red but by the time this photo was taken it was candy purple to match the race car. The hot rod also featured in the movie "The Lively Set" (along with the former Eddie Dye roadster) where it was driven by Doug McClure. The Fiat bodied version of the race car has also featured in the "Competition Coupes" thread here on the HAMB

Roo

 

Roy Rastetter, last posted here (and captioned) last October.

Roo

 

Re: The AMT Piranha

How fast did it ultimately run?

 

According to Walt his best was an 8.08 at 193 and after his contract was up Don Cook and Connie Swingle evidently ran the car in an attempt to be the first "funny car" over 200 mph but came up short at 197mph at Lions.

Roo

 

The Dick Burly roadster pickup is still in the family. Now has a blown Chrysler. I believe it ran near 160 mph in the 1/4. Dick passed away a couple of years ago.

 

Holly Hedrich- had a long history in hot rodding. Was at the very first drag race at Santa Ana, at Bonneville in 1949, a member of the 200 mph club and also at one time the editor of Hot Rod Magazine.

Roo

 

Ike Iacono's GMC powered "A".

Roo

 

My Hedrich story: When I was a development engineer working on the modular engine at FoMoCo the race group put together a gold Lincoln Mark VIII with a 32-valve Modular V8. They tricked up the air bag suspension ride control so after it reached a set speed the air bags would dump the car on the ground. They ran it at Bonneville with Holly Hedrich at the wheel. He was quite elderly at the time - 1990s.
Set a class record at 180+.

 

Yet he never could make that roadster go straight.

 

It may have suffered from the same malady as most of the early RE Dragster attempts - too quick of a steering ratio. Garlits is credited with being the first to realize this and get a rear engined car to handle.

 

Garlits takes the credit, but it was actually his best friend, TC Lemons who figured it out.

 

Old Piranha

 

This are wonderful, Lonny Denison was my dad. These photos take my breathe away!