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

Great PID stuff, thanks Elco!
Careful though, keep subject matter to 65 & earlier. (as per Hamb rules)

 

Unknown roadster at Santa Ana, looks like a Dodge body.


Boudakian Brothers GMC powered 37 ford fuel coupe...they would go on to build a Desoto-powered Fiat bodied altered. Norm Grudem photo.


Sumner, Bert, and Mews, 1961...held the 1320 record for a while...photo by Bill Hewett


Unknown roadster at San Luis Obispo, photo possibly by Karen White, from the Sherm Porter collection.

Waters & Murray, first roadster that they built, sold it to Eddie Bosio (who built Vic Edelbrock's roadster into an AMBR winner). W&M then built the famous 555 blue roadster with the 330" fuel Chevy. Boyd Penington's roadster is in the background. Norm Grudem photo from Pomona, around '54.


I've posted this before, but it is worth another look...Kelly Brown in the lights in the Brisette car.


Unknown Chevy fuel coupe at Inyokern, '54.


Early run by Don Prudhomme in the Ivo single car, which he bought and later fitted Dave Zeuschel's blown Chrysler...I watched his first run at San Fernando, this could have been taken on the same day...he raced and beat Tony Nancy's gas roadster on the top eliminator run.

 

Looking for picture-Looking for shots of Doug Cooks 37 Chevrolet coupe.Thanks

 

Very cool...
Near the lights (apparently), smoken the tires, left front tire off the ground...but the injector/butterfly's are only half (or less) open..!?



Mike

 

Hey DSR,
Here is a compilation film of Doug Cook's fabulous Tahitian red 37 Chevy Coupe that ran in C/Gas. He was one of the fastest off of the line and usually won those races. He inspired us to become backyard racers with his attitude and presence. (This was long before his SWC Willys days.)

When we built our 40 Willys 671 SBC in 1960, Doug Cook was going to be our #1 competition in C/Gas. That was our big challenge. We got close to matching his numbers, but never raced against him.

It seemed like he was at Lions Dragstrip almost every time we were there (almost weekly). I filmed him on several different days from 59-60. Sorry, I do not have sound from his car during the races, but am still researching for that sound. The 37 Chevy did sound like Junior Thompson's 41 Studebaker when it left the line on any run.
ENJOY

Jnaki

Doug Cook 1959-60


Junior Thompson's 41 Studebaker sedan SOUND film:


TURN THE VOLUME UP!

I could interchange the sound from that Jr. Thompson film to any of Doug Cook's races. It would have been very similar in action for the sound of those gas coupes and sedans. If you or any of your friends have any proof of the "opponents" in these races, please let me know. I am still trying to document who was racing against these early gas coupe pioneers.

 

Just thought this was a cool shot.....

Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

It is.....

 

The Backwards Buick Dragster in competition, been a couple of pictures making the social media rounds for years. Just found this one in an old computer file I saved from somewhere years ago.

 

What fuel coupes used to look like, before the class was merged with hot roadsters to form fuel altered...this is Vancotte and McCullough at Pomona, photo by Norm Grudem.


Cover of the old "Drag Sport Illustrated," Ivo vs Malone...


Greico and Clark's gas roadster, Olds powered, Hank Clark driving, at Santa Ana


If you couldn't afford custom body work, there was always cardboard...at Pomona, another from the Norm Grudem collection


Speed Sport, with carbs...even without the blower, it had a really unique exhaust note.

 

Ex Bob Glidden 65 427. This car has gone into hiding or??????

 

Some shots I pulled from a couple magazine's that I was flipping through this morning.....

Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Wicked shot from the long gone Van Isle Dragways there!

 

This was posted on FB...Junji, could this have been the gasser you and your brother ran?

 

Hi Dave,

Thanks for thinking of our lost photos of the 671 SBC 40 Willys we built in 1960. I wish ours looked like that. (That Willys coupe in your photo looks like it had a dark paint job, ours was still in primer at the time.) We had the 2 port Hilborn Injectors on order for the following week. We also had Halibrands plus new M&H slicks ready to be picked up in Los Angeles. But, we had to cancel all orders and make returns after our accident.

Thank you,
Junji

You would think someone took photos in the pits and racing back 58 years ago. But, snap shots were not as common as they are today. Very few carried around cameras for the common folks like us. (Dean Lowe used a small Brownie for great shots back then...) My movie camera was actually not mine (my dad's) and we could not afford to develop those film rolls back then. My dad developed them, as his own movies were interspersed within our drag racing films. I edited them out, later for his own personal film reels.

Thanks again for looking and searching...I am still looking, too. Hope someone out there, their grand parents, relatives, or second cousins have some photos stashed away and stumble across the treasure.

 

Not many full-fendered deuce coupes in the altered classes...at Half Moon Bay


Bean Bandits coming to the races armed...the roadster used to belong to Paul Sheiffer --- they ran it with a flathead and then a fuel Chrysler.


Jim Agawa leads a Crosley-bodied altered through the lights, probably at Santa Maria. Jim used a carbureted Pontiac for power.


Archie Ary's fuel coupe at Inyokern. Archie, from Colton, CA, ran a Chrysler in this Crosley-bodied car, and called it "Archie's Flying Saucer,' thus the art on the door. He ran a garage in Colton, and was one of the founders of the Colton Drag strip.

Lefty Little in "Big Red" from Arizona, at Lions...Photo by don Prieto


Thurman Brothers from San Pedro, with their blown Olds altered...later they would go to a fuel Chrysler


Safeway Sandblasting competition coupe, with the Ardun they once ran in the C/GS Willys. I think that Norm Wilcox once drove for them.

 

hi are an Italian model maker passionate dragster are looking for documentation of a particular model the "don pudruhomme" as photos you can tell me later I can find photos thanks

 

The car is a 210" wheelbase Don Long chassis, one of a number that Long built in this configuration. I have a longer version of that style frame (225" w.b.) and can supply photos of the bare frame if that helps. If you are searching for photos of this car look for Wynn's Winder/Don Prudhomme.

Roo

 

AH Garlit's museum I love that place

 

A bit of history .....

 

Our family us so happy we found out my dad Gary Essman is in the NHRA Motor Sports museum for diving this bantam funny thing is he use to drive this bantam at Pamona raceway sometimes and other dragsters including his own and he spent time there watching the races later in life . I can't wait to visit and see what else I may find. It mad my Mom cry when she saw this !

 

So happy for you and your family. But for future reference it would not be considered a Bantam funny, it would be called a Bantam fuel altered.

 

Anyone I.D. this car?

 

Marvin Schwartz at Laplace, LA


Lions pits: from top: Dusty Rhodes, Bobby Langley, unknown, Garlits, Vagabond, Ed Pink's Old Master, and ??


Tom Prufer, Fremont, 1964...Tom knew how to make horsepower from 354" motors.


Shinoda and Robinson, at Pomona...it may be running as a "modified" because it lacked fenders, which were then required for fuel coupe. Don Montgomery bought this car from Larry Shinoda and put fenders on it for fuel coupe, running first a fuel GMC and later a blown Chrysler. It has been restored back to the way Shinoda and Robinson ran it, with a fuel flathead.

Dick Goss's top fuel car at San Gabriel, with Don "Cement Head" Yates driving. Lefty Mudersbach build this car for Dick.


George Klass posted this fuel Merc coupe on his site...but all I have is the names on the hood. So how many drag racers made an early Merc coupe into a fuel coupe? It was about innovation back then.

 

I think this was just a punctuation oversight. Even though it reads like...

"...my dad Gary Essman is in the NHRA Motor Sports museum for driving this bantam funny"

It needs a period stuck in it here...

"...my dad Gary Essman is in the NHRA Motor Sports museum for driving this bantam. Funny thing is he use to drive this bantam..."

Kind of like the old "Let's eat Grandpa!" as opposed to "Let's eat, Grandpa!"