History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Please somebody tell me the story of the ex Baney-Prudomme rail. FE power?????

 

Early Mickey Brown Quincy Automotive Oldsmobile powered FED Lion’s Dragstrip


Hello,

This is a photo of the late Mickey Brown driving the Quincy Automotive Oldsmobile powered FED in the early era of 1959. This was the beginning of the Oldsmobile powered FED. The next level was in this later photo.

The group decided that the top mounted 671 gave them a better all around power for winning.

This was the version that my brother and I saw weekly in 1959.

At Lion’s Dragstrip, the races between Mickey Brown and The Sidewinder were epic. Those were stand up photo ops if there ever was a photo op.
at :28

Mickey Brown-Quincy Automotive Oldsmobile FED

Jnaki

It was a sad memory in late 1959 for all of the racers at Lions Dragstrip and So Cal. Mickey Brown substituted for Mort Smith on a fateful Sept. 12 night in 1959 at Lions and was killed in the different dragster, when it overturned.

In the Drag News 1959 AN EXCERPT FROM MORT SMITH OF ENGLE CAMS:

"Mickey Brown"
"Born: July 26, 1937 Died: September 12, 1959 Age: 22"

"Michael Daryl Brown Lions Drag Strip, Wilmington, California Accident Date: September 12, 1959"

"Car: Scrima-Adams-Smith Olds-powered dragster"

"Biographical: Ronnie Scrima and Mort Smith were testing a new short wheelbase (93") dragster at Lions. They had dropped Gene Adams's Oldsmobile engine in the car, but were having a hard time getting it down the track. Mickey Brown had left his own Olds-powered dragster at home and he offered to see if he could drive the car."

"About 100 feet from the starting line, he lost control and flipped upside down, suffering fatal injuries because his head got outside the confines of the roll bar. He was transported to Seaside Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His wife witnessed the crash. Racers remembered him as a kind of wild, but fun-loving kid. He was the first man to go over 150 MPH in a gas dragster."
Lions Dragstrip Museum Memorial Wall: Mickey Brown 2nd from right, top row… Great artwork by Cindy Gibbs…

Later in 1959, he was testing another FED and it had handling problems even his outstanding skill could not overcome.

NOTE:
In the beginning of the 1960 year, Lion’s Dragstrip racers were feeling the loss of one of the best drivers from So Cal. Mickey Brown was just 22 years old and making a big time name for himself in drag racing. Here is an excerpt from that tragic post then at his memorial event in January of 1960, the Competition Coupe of Leffler Loukas was presented with a world record trophy.

In the 1959 year at Lions, there was a big loss for all drag racing fans and racers. A young, Mickey Brown, racing in a different FED was unlucky and lost his life at a very early age. All of the Lions Dragstrip competitors and supporters gathered together to help the family of Mickey Brown. In January of 1960, there was a benefit drag race meet held at Lions Dragstrip and the majority of the top racers in the area were signed up to compete. The list of donations from the So Cal Speed Shops and manufacturers was long and supportive.

($11000 in 1960 equals approximately $96000, today. )

 

A few from Tom Nicklin FB post.

 

65pacecar
I thought you might enjoy this one.

 

Great shot. Thank you for posting.

 

What did they do to Big Red #3? Looks like they used a 4dr front door and shortened the car to match? A different take on altered wheelbase.

 

That’s exactly what was done to it, and it was different take on AWB even though the rear axle was also moved ahead about 6 inches, if you look closely you can notice it when compared to Big Red 2 in far lane, and engine was also set back (can’t recall how much) but you can see injector stacks almost touching windshield. Both where identical ’65 Plymouth 2 door cars before the modifications to #3.

 

@tommyd is this at Beech Bend?

 

Pretty sure it is.

 

Do you have anymore from Chandler you’ve not posted?

 

Not anymore. I lost everything when I got off of facebook.

 

It's not really in motion....but I thought it just looked damn cool.

 

man, this shot just has it all, would be a cool poster.

 

I couldn't agree more!

 

Lions Drag Strip.
As seen by the packed stands, Lions was obviously the place to be in the 60's, I sure wish I had been born ten years earlier.








Man, how cool would that have been to watch Wild Willie in his Awful/Awful Fule Altered.



https://lionsautomobilia.org/portfolio-item/lions-drag-strip-1961-66/

 

I was Denny, and you are absolutely right. I wish every serious drag race fan could have been there!

 

Hello,

We were in the right place at the right time in 1960. Taking a break from our racing days, we were sitting in the stands eating lunch of the famous Lion’s Dragstrip hot dogs and Cokes. The 16mm color film camera was a point and shoot, so it was pretty simple to see who was one of our favorite racers /sponsors and entertain the fans.

The 1929 modified Ford Sedan of Dosser Motors/Reath Automotive was in the Altered Class and ran against the popular Bader and Ferriera in their bronze Crossley Sedan.

Jnaki


If my brother and I had decided to build an Altered Sedan, it would have been similar to the White/Yellow Reath Automotive special sedan. The owners list of this sedan goes back in time with the Joe Mailliard /Reath Automotive shop in 1958 and throughout the years, had different names (Koenig/Reath, etc.) to the sponsorship door.
Friday Art
In 1960, it was Dosser Motors, a Jeep dealer down the street from our old high school.


Reath vs Bader/Ferriera 1960

 

I wonder if this car survived?

 

I can’t confirm, but I had heard it and a couple of other “Lightweight” Galaxies including one that was either owned or driven by Bob Glidden, were owned by a guy somewhere around Indy. I’ll post a picture of what could be the Galaxie associated with Glidden.

 

That car was for sure. That car was an Ed Martin car that Bob Later drove. It was later owned by the guy in Madison In. , then Steve Dillman , Fred Robinson , The Shupperd family , Bill Bruce and then off to the north somewhere never to be heard from....for now anyway. As far as I know Bob never had Light Weight Galaxie. The Joe Brown T Bolt and Romey Harris Light Weight are in Indy for sure.

 

@tommyd could one of those guys have had a petroliana collection? Not like most, but I mean a ton of a collection of gas signs and pumps? Went to a guys house to buy some FE cast iron headers and and 2-4 intake and he said he had “some old Ford race cars in a building”. I just not kinda put it together?!?

I was at the Force cruise in before the Nationals once, and this older gentleman comes rolling through in a T-Bolt, restored perfectly, and this guy makes a comment to another that it had to be a clone, you wouldn’t drive that nice of an original, and he replied, that’s (I don’t remember), he has a bunch of rare stuff like that. You mentioned T-Bolt made me think of that.