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

Hello,

In 1959, I took this short film of one of the brightest Competition Coupes at Lions. If there was a panorama shot of the pits area, this coupe would stick out just because of the bright color. But, it was a Comp Coupe, it sounded fast, and did well at Lions.

But, after the filming,viewing as a 16mm color film was a process at home. It got so much of a hassle setting up the editor, the projector, and the roll up screen that we just stopped watching them. They were stored and left to gather dust. The time period was waiting all of these years until digitizing the films in 2015. Something popped up in the frame by frame digtitized movie that left us with no explanation. A Go Pro camera mounted to the top of the carburetor cover?

Jnaki

It has stumped me and other old drag racing guys from back then. Does anyone know who owned and built this yellow Comp Coupe? What is that thing mounted to the carb shield?

My wife said it is probably an 8mm or 16mm camera bolted down to the carb shield facing forward. (staging was not a long warm up, so it could have been turned on and after the run, would be turned off on the return road…) Another neighbor said it was an outside mounted tach. Why? There was plenty of room inside of the modified coupe, so why outside?

“Only the Shadow knows…”

yellow comp coupe Lions with early version of a Go Pro, attached?

 

It looks vintage but it is actually a New Zealand racer who goes by the name of "Pins" at Eagle Field in 2017

Roo

 

Competition eliminator at the US Nationals. Russ Eggers out of Michigan with his Logghe built Fiat with injected 392 Hemi power and a 2 speed trans. The right lane appears to be the Lawce Brothers and Gunn car out of Azusa, CA. Owned by Bill and Buck Lawce and Sherm Gunn (he drove) and built by Gunn's M & S Welding. An Earle Wade built big block Chevy that would have been on gas here but also ran on alky in later years in the days of Pro Comp. This was the first AA/A to make a seven second run (on gas).

Roo

 

How about a few altereds from down under.

First up is the Dragaway built Creedence with Aussie six cylinder Holden (GM) power. Most likely about 190 cubic inches in this era. Front and rear wheels are also Dragaway (now Dragway) products.


Next we have the car later in life as Jeff During's Animal with an injected slant six Mopar and some changes to the front end configuration to lower the car.


And finally the car with a blown upright Aussie Chrysler six that was most likely 265 cubic inches. Not that although the front axle appears to have survived over the years the frame configuration has changed again and the wheelbase has been stretched.


This is John Carter's Morris Minor with four cylinder BMC (Austin/Morris) power at Riverside Raceway in downtown Melbourne, Victoria. Don't worry about the class designation as this was in the very early days of Aussie drag racing and a national rules package with logical class call outs was not yet in place.


Early days at the Castlereagh strip that was west of Sydney. Roger Hoare's Undertaker Model a faces off against Graeme Cowin's Phycho (note the incorrect spelling) Fiat. Cowin went on to field fuel altereds, funny cars and finally top fuel dragsters and was the first outside of North America to make a four second run. He currently runs a fleet of fuel altereds and funny cars (and a wheelstander) providing a complete show to promoters in Australia. Check them out here: https://www.outlawnitrofunnycars.com.au/


Another couple from Castlereagh. First up is Tony Andrews' Rent-a-Beast Chevy. A noted custom car builder, Tony also owned the Mag Wheel Center and used this car to promote the business.

Bob Dunn ran this steel bodied big block Ford powered Fiat before moving on to a series of T bodied altereds and finally raced funny cars with the purchase of an ex Gene Snow Charger

Back in my home state of South Australia we have two versions of a T that had a long career there. Initially built and raced by the Wilmer/Bradshaw team as Marauder ll and driven by Aussie drag racing pioneer Don Bradshaw with Y block Ford power the car was later campaigned with small block Chevy motivation by Barry Whitford as the Viking.
The Fiat Topolino in the far lane in the first shot is Brian Hutchesson who founded the Outlaw speed shop with Phil Taylor, a business that exists to this day.


Roo

 

Joel Johansen post

 

Joel Johansen post. Bad Habit.

 

Joel Johansen post.

 

A coupla scary cars in rooman's post above (58342).

And the Animal car in the same post, seems that they finally figured out things when the put the blower on the car. In the previous shot, the wheel rims are REALLY narrow for the tire size. No sidewall support...
And I hope that they...upgraded the shoulder bar in the chassis with the addition of the blower..!

Interesting shots anyway.

Mike

 

Prudhomme with Zeuschel's Hemi in the former Ivo car

Roo

 

Bruce Sizemore. THAT Bruce Sizemore. Off topic car for reference.

 

?????.....

 

Nando Haase at Bakersfield, 1966.

 

Far lane looks like Maynard Rupp.

 

These cars ran in the B/FD class during their inception/welcoming into NHRA Drag Racing.

Mike

 

I thought that as well but could not find a shot of his car that matched that one.

Roo

 

Bruce is a great guy I met in Florida.
Funny part Bruce said to me I know you from somewhere else.
The more we talked he remember me from when we both lived in Connecticut year ago.

I have not seen him many years but every once in a while our paths cross again.

The Preparation H car was the baddest 6 cylinder in the land back in the early 70's when he was running in Modified Production and running 11.20's and putting many small block Chevrolets back on their trailers.

Jim Hill

 

Cook & Bedwell at Half Moon Bay, possibly Rudy Perez photo?


Jim Cassidy at Santa Ana, Chrysler-powered street roadster, LaSalle transmission


From the Bernie Couch collection, sometimes early drag cars were crude, but performance counted more than looks...this is at Santa Ana.


When things go badly, Lions.


Roadster clears the Santa Ana lights, another from the Bernie Couch collection.


This is what you raced for, trophies...there was almost never any money, though sometimes top eliminator got a $25 savings bond. Trophies...and bragging rights.


The former SoCal coupe, here owned by John Moxley...Norm Grudem photo taken in the Pomona pits.


The Arfons Green Monster came west for some exhibition runs, and was very popular...but it was heavy and did not e.t. well. Here Bobby Tapia in the Tapia, Beardon, and Hoffman Chassis Reseach Chevy car beats Arfons at Lions. Scotty Fenn of Chassis Research took advantage of Tapia's win in the next issue of Drag News with pictures of this race.

 

I am pretty sure that this is Bob Brooks, later would get a front-mounted blower.

 

Hey Dave,
Thanks for the old photo. You are right, as usual. I did not think of that connection. Those old drag racing cars had lots of different combinations in those early days. (a nose, no nose cone, injection, blower, etc.) There is a definite comparison and Bob Brooks was a well known Bixby Knolls local.

Since I have been doing some further research, there was an old Reath Automotive connection and Bob Brooks was part of that sponsorship. His Bixby Knolls group (Tom Mc Ewen, Bud Rasner, etc. ) was just ahead of my brother's class and had connections to that group. Reath Automotive did sponsor a lot of local Long Beach people, as they had some cool hot rod/drag racing machines.

Jnaki
I also read that he worked at Mickey Thompson's shop on the Westside of Long Beach, near our old house. Maybe we knew/met him there. and... my brother may have told me to take a movie of that Comp Coupe, because it was Bob Brooks' build. But, that was a long time ago. Thanks for the help.