Vintage shots from days gone by!

Culver City track was dirt.....at least by the late 40's. The hilly terrain in the pic is another feature indicator.

 

"Those aren't cuffs, THESE are cuffs"........ -EM

 

Dude keeps his wrenches in his cuffs and smokes and a 6 pack

 

There are lots of cars on the road, but that my friend is an AUTOMOBILE!!!!!

 

Car was painted red, then a torch was lit with the oxygen set real low so it would produce soot. The torch was passed over the paint leaving soot, then it was cleared over. The principal didn't like the great balls of fire so it was painted blue, panels masked off and same soot Technic used. Car just had Garey High School on the doors then.

 

The most popular tire shop in town!!

 

George Klass is correct that the aerial view is Culver City a 1.25 board track. It was finished in 1924 and was closed and dismantled in 1927. The Beverly Hills board speedway was of course a board track of the same length. It was very opulent and they started building in in 1919 and was ready for racing early in 1920 and dismantled in 1924.

I have read that some of the wood was used in building Culver City although I have not researched that aspect. Back in the 80s I had a phone interview with a lady from Detroit who went to the opening of the Beverly Hills track in early 1920 and they took 3 race cars to the event. They came home with one and gave up auto racing to help build Downtown Detroit. One of the race cars still exists.

 

The wooden board track built in PA. I believe was one mile or more in size and each time I think about the trees and labor it must have taken to build it I am just amassed on the size of the project not to mention the money it must have cost to build something that size.
Jimbo

 

I love this newfangled wayback machine.

 

The track at Altoona was also a 1.25 mile board track. It was nestled in what some refer to as a natural amphitheater of the Allegheny mountains. The track took four million board feet of lumber and had banking in the turns of 32 degrees with 7 degrees on the straights-with the straights being 700' long. It was reported that 80 tons of spikes and nails were used. The track actually lasted from 1923 to 1931 which for a board track was a pretty decent stretch of time.

Culver City was considered to be one of the fastest board tracks and had straights that were 1028' long with banked turns of 45 degrees.

As to the Beverly Hills track it was located where the Beverly Hills Wilshire was later built. Escalating property values ended the Beverly Hills track as is to be expected. I believe this track also had 45 degree turns although I have read they were designed in a gradual manner to allow for really high speeds as well. The speeds at Beverly Hills were a bit slower than Culver City but maybe four years of engine + development may have played a role.

 

Washington, DC

 

A couple from Fort Smith, Arkansas. 1964:


1960 and today:

 

Good thing we now have places like contacts.com and don't have to look as hard for a dropped one.