History Earliest Willys Racecars

Another from Cordova - sure it looks familiar to Jedd's dad.

 

This car was from the Twin Cities Minnesota area. Belonged to Al Tshida

 

Palmer Lazrus at Cordova.

 

https://doverdragstrip.com

The Outlaw Competition-Plus Speed Shop

 

Don't know this one but the cars in the background are 50's

 

The one posted above might be Elverne Pheifer from Kenosha, Wisconsin and now owned by Opposing Cylinders. Here are some pictures of it.

 

This was shared elsewhere by Bones Balogh and said early 1960

 

I found this information elsewhere. The caption said.
Photo taken in 1961 at Flightland Dragway, Omaha, Nebraska. The car is still owned by the same person. I have no idea of who owns it but I wish that I did.

 

This one was built by Rolla Vollstedt around 1957, first with a GMC six, and then a Desoto Hemi. He sold it to Art Pollard (shown) who installed the Chevy. Both men became Indy Legends.

 

@Marty Strode, that is a very early one that I have never seen before and it has some interesting history. Do you think that it still exists?

 

I bet that was fun!

 

It's sad what evolution did to most old race cars. This is what Art did with it, to remain competitive. Only the roof section and a small piece of the tail was transferred to the new car.

 

Here is another one from Portland in the 50's. Art Watts was the owner/driver. Note the Studebaker engine and right front tire. Bob Greg, a Superstar in Modifieds said," there isn't a handling problem that can't be fixed with a big right front" !

 

There was a time when a Willys Coupe was a cheap used car that nobody wanted. My dad bought a complete 41 coupe in the 60s for $50 and passed on another one for way cheaper that had a damaged roof due to a tree or tree limb falling on it. He said that the dent in the roof wasn’t that bad and he later saw it racing on the street with a 283 in it. The dent was beat out the best that they could and filled with bondo.

 

You can hardly tell that it was a Willys after the modifications. Why do you think that they used Willys to make these modifieds ?

 

This picture and history is curtesy of my friend @jnaki, thanks

this is another picture of the Joe Itow Coupe that he found.



He said,
I was researching some altered fuel coupes and sedans. I came across this unusual photo. I had never seen a Willys Coupe with Itow's Automotive and Evans Speed Shop on the door panel. I thought you might like it for your collection of early Willys coupes. The location looks like very early Lions Dragstrip, circa 1957-58.

With the telephone poles lining the edges and the high tension wires in the far background, it looks like the pits at Lions. Also, I think I see Ed Losinski's Hemi FED with an aluminum body sitting in the far right.

 

I believe that these are both the same car and this is a very early one.

 

Who is "Jedd's dad"...?

 

I have no idea

 

Here is more information on it.

 

Looks like a wild ride......

 

Here's a another photo of the same car in Texas from '60.

 

Cool pics.

 

Not 100% on the age of this one looks like a 63 Plymouth in the background.

Sprinter I

 

Got to be early 60's with the 4 slot Halibrands on the rear. That car has the exact same wheels I ran on my RPU, and we bought them in 1961.

 

Look like romeo palamides

 

View attachment 4578894 View attachment 4578894

The 33 was wrecked at a track in Texas and totaled in the early 60's

 

It was totaled in Texas....

 

As Dean said, definitely Halibrand’s. The early Romeo wheels have four bigger slots: