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

Now that's what drag racing is all about to me. I went to the "NATIONAL CHALLENGE 72" at Tulsa Ok. I went in the restroom in the pits..and I looked around and I was standing between Dick Landy and Don Garlits...and they actually talked to me. How cool is that. Dick had that signature cigar in his mouth.

 

Ed Garlits ran a chevy on gas when nhra banned nitro.

 

Wish I had a chance to get this car back-if it even still exists.




Love the spring wind-up in the first pic.

The same car in late '64,testing the twin-turbo Hemi:

 

Drag Racing Magazine had a sister magazine called Mondern Rod which they change the name to Drag Strip which was mostly on the Funny Cars. Best 2 magazines ever printed. Of course when S/S & Drag Illustrated came out they gave them a run for their money.

Later on S/S & Drag Ill. bought back out Drag Racing magazine folded.

Plum

 

Jim Nelson was driving that day, note the Latham blower and the hand-made intake scoops that I watched Jim make at the track...Santa Ana, '58. That's me watching, standing right in back of the woody push car.

 

296 ardun,

Really a cool pic! Is that the Jim "Jazzy" Nelson? I realize there was probably more than one Jim Nelson. Was that taken at which is now John Wayne Airport?

Do you know the specs of the Flathead in Jazzy's 32 rail Fiat? I realize it was Edelbrock equipped, I was curious about the internals of the engine. Sorry about all the questions - the picture brought up some questions I have been wondering about for some time.

Thanks,
Offy 220

 

Want some oldies?

Plum

 

Nice,Plum.Like that comp car.
Neat to see Malcolm Durhams' '63 in the background.

 

Wow, how'd ya do it? You haven't aged a bit!

 

That is definitely Dode driving. I blew up the photo to make certain. Also, note the location of his hands on the steering wheel. That's Dode...
Jim and Dode switched after every pass....

 

This is Fred Zipp's, Custom Auto Fiat from PA AND the car that got me hooked on Fiat's in 1961. He raced all around the country in '62 trying to win the NHRA points championship, but came in a close second.

 

Millars car was powered by a fuel burning 289 Ford. I believe it ended up at the bottom of a Sweedish port while returning on a drag racing goodwill tour.

 

I had the DRM issue that contained the article on the McCloskey/Jordon E/FD. The car mid 9's on nitro as early as 1967. Driver Mike McCloskey was a Navy fighter pilot I believe.

 

I wonder if this was taken from the documentary film, The Wonderful World of Wheels, hosted by Lloyd Bridges. The portion dedicated to drag racing featured this very car with several cockpit mounted shots of Goob Tuller driving. A vacant Fontana served as the backdrop.

 

Rich:

That was one of my favorit cars at York.

The Nasty rear engine car was another favorite also.

Plum

 

Heres the Nasty car.

Anybody got any photos of Nasty 2. Ity was another rear engine car but a longer wheelbase & much more streamline.

Thanks,

Plum

 

Yauzer...Tony Waters very fast '23 T roadster.

 

I gotta admit that the face looks more like Dode than Jim, but I did see Jim put on the helmet and get in the car...maybe it was the run before...was about 50 years ago so maybe my brain is more addled than I realize.

 

No, different guy..."Jazzy" ran the Fiat, Jim was one-half of the Dragmaster team...understand he is not doing well health-wise....

I think that Jazzy's flathead was 296", was Edlebrock equipped, but someone else more familiar with the car may want to correct me.

 

Postcard I got from Henry's machine works about the axle's I bought. Check out the postage .09 cents airmail 5/22/71.

Pat

 

That is some great history you have there.

 

Speaking of "Jazzy" Nelson, there was a great story about him in Hot Rod Magazine back around the 1979-83 era I wanna say. I need to get downstairs and try to dig it up the exact year/month. Anyway, it talked about how amazingly fast his white Fiat Topolino was and how it it would just whip up on dragsters of the era! It was a great story that someone needs to scan and post here in a separate thread or somewhere. I'm pretty sure that he never revealed any of his speed secrets even over 20 years after the fact.
To all you other magazine collectors.........start diggin' yourselves and let's find that story!

 

Some pictures from the 63 Winternationals #6 Is Ramchargers its not in motion but in the pits at Winternats. Also the color pixs are of a Devin bodied car dated Mar 64. I believe is this is the same car in photo #3.

If the not-in-motion photos are inapropriate to the theme of thread I'll remove them.

Pat

 

Yeah, We had this Logghe chassis and body that we first ran the early model thats in our Hilton Family woody car. This was probably 4 or 5 years ago at Edgewater in Cincy at the end of the track... Made a short pass, not enuff to hang the laundry out. Goggles off at the end of the track coming to a stop. I like this picture because besides the snout bracket for an aircraft starter theres nothing to say that it couldnt be 1967. Maybe the later style enderle as opposed to the early two hole shower nozzle hat gives it away, but nevertheless...
That car is hanging in a museum of sorts now on the east side of cincinnati... Might have to resurrect it one day. Neat car.





TH

 

Thanks Rich, I wish someone would clone the Tony Waters roadster for the Cacklefest. It's always been my favorit...

 

1934 coupe, a Devin is always welcome to me.