Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: The Brits Thought We Were Daft... Continue reading the Original Blog Post
I kind of like the Plymouth that's been made into a El Camino/Ranchero. Would that be a Plamino or a Planchero?
That was a rather strange collection of cars, not your typical day at the drags. Rear engines, blown 4 bangers, Corvair engines, Buick straight 8's. And I never saw a "motorcycle dragster" like that before.
British Pathe produced Pathe News for regular screening in cinemas prior to the feature film. I think they were trying to convey the variety that was drag racing to an audience that up until then rarely knew what it was. The visiting US Commandos team shown here did much to publicise and kick start drag racing in the UK. The 'motorcycle dragster' was Clive Waye's VW powered Drag Waye, quite a feature on the scene in the mid-late 60s.
The starter for the 1st drag race in England was Calvin Wells. He was in the service of the U.S.A. stationed in England at the time. I think the Rat Fink hat was probably his. Calvin was from Erie, Pa.
The first British Drag Festival Included: (1964) Fuel Dragsters: Don Garlits Tommy Ivo Gas Dragsters: Tony Nancy Bob Keith-Dos Palmas Machine Gassers: K.S. Pittman S & S Racing Team "Ohio" George Montgomery Factory Experimental: Ronnie Sox Sox and Martin Dave Strickler-Bill Jenkins
I remember reading about it in Hot Rod when I was in high school. It was quite and experience for the guys who went over there too. I'm thinking that the writers in a couple of elitist sports car magazines at the time didn't think it would take hold though.
Here's the first 21 pages of the 1st British International Drag Festival event program (err, I mean "programme"):
... the last 15 page of the 1st British International Drag Festival event programme: ... the supplemental pages: ... and the ticket:
I posted this on the Drag cars in motion thread a few months back. It seems worthy of reposting here. Based on the 67 barracuda at the starting line this was a few years after the first tour. This is another real cool email to my dad from Phil Mc keg. As a side note, the last picture is in this groop is the Barnes and Gladstone Michigander! It's my favorite survivor and is still around. Here are 2 photos I got from my old friend who I hadn't seen in about 35 years. ( did see him the day after Thanksgiving for the first time) My brother, Dave and his partner, Ron Jelinek, took the racecar to England in about 1964 or '65 on a goodwill tour along with some other midwest drag racers. It was an expenses paid trip and they had a great time. I wish I had more pictures but I have to say the one shot is killer. talk to ya soon, Phil PS there are 3 other pix from England that my nephew found among his father's things after his dad passed away. The rear engine thing looks pretty scary, don't you think. Hope it didn't go faster than about 40 or 50.
The "Modern Specialist" X class (Porsche-powered) Dragster shown in this British Pathe "Drag Car Racing (1964)" video clip was built by Long Beach, California VW-Porsche specialists Bob Cowen, Phil Tenwick, Bob Haislett, & (driver) Doug Church ... and was featured in the September 1964 issue of Hot Rod Magazine: In 1966, the dragster was sold to Joe Vittone (EMPI) and campaigned as the "EMPI dragster" ... with Lee Leighton driving ... and Dean Lowry building the VW engines. The "EMPI dragster" was restored ... and currently resides in Tokyo, Japan (as part of the FLAT4 collection):
Back when I had my FED, spectators in the pits were always saying something about where I sat relative to the rear end; gonads snugly resting against the rear end, and what would happened if it blew up. But that "motorcycle" the one fella is driving, where his nads are right there with the rear tire; and that it does't look too sturdy in any way. OUCH!!! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
1968. I was a soldier in Germany and attended drag races held by the GI's. at a air force strip. The Germans were totally enthralled! My buddy and I put together '61 Austin Healy roadster with a 348/3 speed from a 59 Chevy found in a Nuremburg junkyard but it wouldn't have passed tech...too cobbled. One of the guys on our post took his 64 GTO with lace paint and straight axle...American 5 spokes. The one that stole the show was a brand new '68 Nova with big block/4 speed. When he came off the line in that car with the mono leaf springs in the back. it would squat really low and I swear the front wheels came off the ground an inch or so...a hot rod 67 GTX with 440 was strong too. Wish I'd taken some photos. My own personal car was this little 57 Opel Kadette. I was going for the gasser look.
Rocky, I remember a red 66 GTO cruising around Munich. Like the Opel, didn't we all have them and Renaults.
Someone conveyed a story to me about this event. It was said that Ivo fired up the fueler and with the erratic idle, excessive fumes etc, the folks gathered scoffed and generally thought a collective "WTF". When he rapped it up they all ran in fear. I can see this in my mind happening to a crowd previously unblessed by nitromethane. In fact got to witness it though much less dramatic at Amelia Island a couple years ago. Any truth to that story? Can anyone confirm? Gonna try to ad a short vid from Amelia Island: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu_Xs7LhEpH/?igshid=yq6xmn8wtypb
That Drag Waye bike looks flat scary. If it lost a chain the driver's family jewels were going with it!
I've heard the same story about TV Tommy scaring hell out of the locals on the first throttle hit. Being used to those little sewing machine motors they were running the Brits probably thought it was going to explode. First time I watched a fueler fired in the pits I kinda thought the same thing. Took my buddy and his grandson to a top fuel show at Mid-Mich. This was just before they banned fuelers because of the damn Meyer Nature trail they ran across the big end of the track. The boy was about 10 y/o and we sat right on the starting line. I made sure he had good earmuffs but when the first pair left his eyes got huge and he said "I don't think I want to be here anymore." We convinced him he would be OK and he got into it as the show progressed. My buddy was a retired development engineer for Oldsmobile, raced late models, midgets, and sprints but he'd never been to a top fuel event. When we were leaving he said "I've never been in the middle of a tornado but now I know what it sounds like."
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