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

I think that this was Dick LaHaie's roadster, before he went on to top fuel and later ace crew chief.

 

Thanks. Glad you like 'em. Will post more.

 

Thank you.

 

You're right, I thought it said "Kalivoda" on the cowl, think I need new eyes!...will correct.

 

Later Vinny Tarantola founded Vitar transmissions

 

Is this the primered version of the Davis & Ingram "Colt 45"?

 

Yes it is, I have an 8mm movie of it at McMinnville,Or. As I remember it was red Oxide.

 

Zookeeper at Fremont


Gas Ronda at Fremont...he started out in NoCal, raced an Olds and a Hudson stocker, later moved to SoCal, badly burned in a funny car fire.

 

Rich Guasco's fueler at Fremont


Fred Cerruti at Fremont, Quality Auto Parts car....built by Pete Ogden...yes, this was somewhat common for fuel altereds

 

He was the owner of Vitar Engineering when he raced this car, Powershift Hydro and Vitar Hydro where names that referred to his transmissions. After he sold this Willys he built a COPO 69 Camaro that ran SS/DA and had the more familiar Vitar Engineering circle logo on the door, that car ran a BB with a turbo 400. It is now restored and somewhere in the US.

Pat

 

A/G at Fremont


I think this is Wilson & Topping --maybe Fremont...Don Wilson and I started "Panic," then when I had to bail out Don later partnered with Tom Topping ..

 

Gaspar was originally from Fremont. CA He was a Professional Dancer and Dance Instructor. He used drag racing as a release from the stress of the many hours in the dance studio! Who would have thought? he was racing a Corvette but felt that just beating the other Chevrolet's with a Chevy wasn't that great of an accomplishment, so in 1960 he switched to a Galaxie with a 352FE motor. He started working with the legendary Ford tuner Les Ritchey to be able to run with the 409 Chevy's and in 62 Les talked him into moving to So Cal. Ford rewarded that royalty with one of the first 64 Thunderbolts and then the Mustang A/FE and Funny Cars. In '66 Ritchey was killed at a race in Fontana and it took Gas a while to get over it. After winning the Prestigious OCIR Manufacturer's Meet in 69, gas suffered a bad accident at Phoenix in early 1970 and the burns ended his career. Gas is definitely one of the Legends of the Sport!

 

Pat, thanks for the clarification. I wasn't sure about that.

Mike

 

This is why they called them "funny cars," at Fremont, racing was so good there that SoCal guys towed up to get a piece of the action


Masters and Richter, often challenged for the 1320 speed record...they started out in SoCal racing stockers and gassers, then moved north to San Leandro...Bob Haines was the regular shoe.


The train at Fremont, picture by Roger Lee, who created a perfect replica of the Masters and Richter fueler in the above picture...a master craftsman!


Even John Smyser towed to Fremont, managed to keep the "Terrifying Toronado" in one piece before putting it over the guard rail at Irwindale...Smyser used to run fuel dragsters, once partnered with Nando Haas


Mike Steinberg, came back from Vietnam around the same time I did, built several high-quality gassers, first this Willys and later an Austin....I think he was from Fremont..notice what looks like a modification of the Ford Thunderbolt hood scoop.


Ed Carter's steel-bodied funny car at Fremont...have no idea what is dumping out the back...


Fred Cerruti in the Quality Auto fuel altered at Fremont..


Conway & Hicks...classic drag roadster, steel body...

 

I'm back now that things seem to have straightened up!
Here's Kalivoda's 1969 Joker in color. All the Northwest fuelers were beauties, very pretty cars (unless wounded in action)!
Extra points if you know why the car was called The Joker!

The 1968 Joker
The 69 car is restored/ recreated, pretty as it was then!
Saw them run a bunch of times.