Does anyone know anything about this car club (ie, when was it started)? Their club jacket is so cool:
I have a T-shirt that says, "Throttlers, since 1937" on it. It came from a car show they held every year at Johnny Carson park in Burbank, CA. I haven't been for a few years, but it was always held in early October.
Cool. Thanks deluxe40. Do "Throttlers" have a website? (If they do, I can't find it.) And, when do you think the jacket below (found on Bill Junge's website http://carclubplaques.pairsite.com/) is from?
I'm not sure if it is the same club? I found this on Kustomrama: http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Hollywood_Throttlers
Todd SpiegelbergValley Relics Museum 501c3 What could be more fun than a little dirt racing on a horse track. 'The Throttlers' car club gathered to enjoy an afternoon at Porter Ranch in the San Fernando Valley. 1947.
Although many old-school hot rod enthusiasts know what a DuVall V-windshield is, few know the background of the man who developed it, George H. DuVall Jr. Although the style is commonly referred to as ‘DuVall’, others manufactured similar designs during the same period. Duvall and Doty were both charter members of Hollywood’s Throttlers car club, and were present when the Southern California Timing Association (S.C.T.A.) was founded in November of 1937. Julian was also a founding member of the Sidewinders (Glendale, CA), the SCTA’s first member club. Later in life George and Julian successfully campaigned a Bug-Eye Sprite (1961 Triumph) at El Mirage Dry Lakes.
I saw this page pop up when I was looking to see if there was anything out there on my dad's old car club (sorry if this is reviving an old post, although I've gleaned a lot of information from this site over the years). Those in the Throttlers would know better (I was born in '82), but The Throttlers (SFV) was started by Sam Lorino and was based out of Sun Valley. Most members of the car club went to Francis Polytechnic High (Sam and my dad's friends graduated in '65). A lot of the members (like my dad) were later drafted in Vietnam. Jim Thomas was my dad's friend, a member of the club, and he played in a latter-day incarnation of the Surfaris; also served in Vietnam. Galen Pope, an original Throttlers member, died very young leaving a Halloween party in 1965 at the age of 17. Danny Meeks was my dad's friend and he died fairly young too (1970s?). Richard Watts sent my dad an incredible PDF scan of the Throttlers car club book from 1965 to 1967. Amazingly it survived in great shape. Lots of pictures of the club racing at the San Fernando Drag Strip, parties and some great fliers -- including a party the band hosted featuring the Novells. My dad had a two-door '57 Bel Air with a 283/Power Glide. His uncle and cousins worked at the old GM plant in Van Nuys (RIP). All these guys were from Sun Valley, Van Nuys, Panorama City. Although he hadn't driven anything HAMB friendly since the '60s, he got me into old cars. First car at 16 was a '53 Ford F-100.
Yes, the SFV Throttlers was a classic Valley Car Club. Poker Runs, cruising Van Nuys Blvd., the Teen Center on Victory.....two or more weekends of every month saw a gathering of the members. Many of the members went to Poly and graduated in the class of Summer '65. I knew 'em all, although I was a Lone Wolf, but a friend who hung around with Sam Lorino, Danny Meek, (RIP '75) Jim Thomas (who I ran in to by coincidence while he was exiting and I was boarding a helicopter in Vietnam in 1968), Kent Terry, Russ Ernst, Loren Goetz, Galen Pope (RIP '68) and more. A few of the Throttlers still meet up with other fellow classmates annually for a Bar-B-Que in Sherman Oaks at Bob Fink's house. This year, Kent Terry is throwing a Throttlers/Poly/Cinco de Mayo reunion party at his vinyard/residence near Paso Robles, CA, May 3rd -5th. It's titled: Party Because We Still CAN! Memories burn bright!
So many names that I remember from Poly. I was supposed to ride with Danny Meek that evening but my bike was on the fritz. I'm glad I didn't have to see what happened. There must have been 100 bikes at his service at Valhalla. He was a great guy an a good friend
The Jalopy Journal
