History Bonneville 1957-60: More Treasure

Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post:

Bonneville 1957-60: More Treasure

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You and me both!
I was in Clark Gabels 300 SL when I was 14. I worked on Saturdays at an Studebaker / Mercedes dealership and they were touring Gable's gull wing around the country. Got a cool ride. Big thrill for a 14 year old.

 

These pictures are amazing, It kind of makes sense Mercedes guys would have a Stude support car, since Studebaker imported the first Mercedes.

 

Fantastic. Looking forward to more installments, it is a deep well.

 

Just about any car looks good on the salt at Bonneville.....even those foreign jobs.

 

I love the hammered T behind the 225C '33-34...you know, about half-inch of "window"...also the "Friction Master" behind the 120DM...what is that?

 

The Friction Master that is the Bob Sorrell sports car. 120DM is Ak Miller Caballo ii also hemi powered HRM cover car April 1957 HRM

Geoff Hacker photo http://www.forgottenfiberglass.com/

 

BTW great post wait to you find early the Oakland Roadster show pics or the Track roadster photos there are many others worth spending the time looking thru an amazing resource.

 

I don't think that is a SFI 20 Firesuit?
And he forgot his HANS.
Stripped down-horsepower-flying by the seat of your pants land speed racing!
Amazing

 

In all likelihood, this is 1957, in which case, the weirdo is Albert Schmidt, went 155 in the 300sl, and 140 in the Porsche. Again, just a guess, but the stude appears to be the push car for the car directly in front of it, with the guy kneeling down and looking under it. Maybe an Austin bantam sedan??

 

I love beautiful hand-painted signage.

 

One other thing should probably mention...theres a story that in '59 Albert Schmidt came back to Bonneville with the gullwing, but by then it had a Chrysler in it. Safe to say it takes a weirdo to stuff a Chrysler in a 300sl...
If this is Albert Schmidt, its the only picture I have ever seen of his gullwing at Bonneville, what twigged me to it was that I read he had run a Porche 550 RS at the same time when he was there in '57, so odds are, this is him.

 

The streamliner beside Schmidts 300SL is Don Vesco, had a riley headed banger for power.

 

Yes, but probably would have been a new one ....not a bullet nose 50 or 51.

 

There are many connections between Studebaker and Porsche too. Some kind of distant like the Paxton.

 

Notice how white and hard the Salt is