History Daytona Beach - Early Land Speed & Stock Car Racing

Here's that '57 T-Bird Rick posted above in it's restored state ..........



There were 2 of these "Battlebirds", as they were known, built by Ford to race the Daytona Flying Mile. This one above ran a fuel injected McCullough supercharged 312.

 

Here's a replica of the Mercury Mermaid ............

 

The Sunbeam Silver Bullet, 1930 ....

 

Louis Ross, Stanley Steamer, 1905 ......

 

Fred Marriot took the speed record running 127.66 mph in 1906 @ Ormand beach (next door to Daytona). This was another steam powered car.









Just think, this was over 100 years ago!!!!

 

Wally Parks and Hot Rod Magazine invade Daytona....







Car was assembled in Dean Moon's shop, engine by Tony Capana....

 

In 1922, Sig Haugdahl set the land speed record of 180 mph at Daytona in his Wisconsin Special ....

 

That photo of Wally Parks is way cool. Good find, Rickster!!!

 

Giovannoni Cams was originally located in Washington D.C., but in 1958 relocated to the Daytona area .......














Right before moving operations to Daytona, Ray Giovannoni set off to Daytona Speed Week in 1956 towing is '32 3 window coupe to Daytona.



In south Georgia the right rear tire came off the coupe resulting the coupe flipping over on its top and the truck on its side. Ray managed to haul the coupe back to DC, whacked the crushed roof off and headed back to Daytona with a home made roadster.





Ray Giovannoni ended up racing Art Chrisman's #25 in the quarter mile on the beach! Needless to say, Chrisman won.

 

A really cool home movie of the beach road course from around 1947. Excellent footage! .......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCIa--b0BB4&feature=player_embedded#!

 

George Bently drove the Evan's tank (Sandster instead of Lakester?) at Daytona Beach in the early 50s.

 

The Bluebird, Daytona, 1933. I saw this car in person during the restoration. It's HUGE.

 

Neat neat thread!! Pictures of my recently completed "Battlebird" Replica. Original Hilborn Fuel Injection to go on next along with Vertex Mag. Have headers and vented T-Bird valve covers on now on "built"-running 312. Anxious to get "on-the-beach" pictures...only 150 miles from me! Lettered as when "Fireball" Roberts and Ralph Moody drove it in 1959 (after Marvin Panch and Chuck Diagh). Tom

 

Don White was the racer
Ran alot of usac in the 60s

 

Tom, that "Battlebird" is really cool. I was hopin' that this thread would bring out stuff like that. Thanks for posting.

 

Starting point at the Daytona Beach road course, 1922 ....

 

Thanks Lou. Now that I know his full name, I found a few pics on the web that I stole for everyone's enjoyment. I really dig the car hauler at Daytona beach. The before resto pic was probably taken the day that we loaded it onto the trailer. The after resto pic was at a racer reunion which Don White attended.

 

Thanks for posting that. Great history!

 

Beach Road Course - coming out of the north turn and onto Highway A1A ...............

 

Smokey Purser ..........

 

Can't mention Daytona without mentioning Fireball Roberts .........

 

North turn .....

 

some pics of the car i just finished building. may relate a bit to your thread. a recreation of frank lockharts stutz blackhawk streamliner.

 

Oh yeah! Some of us were aware of that project ... MAGNIFICENT WORK!!

Thanks for posting. I hope I get to see your handiwork in person one day.


P.S. Did you see the pics posted on page one? You were probably already aware of those images.

 

Thanks, actually i saved one one of the pics....dig the thread.