Realize this thread is about B'ville Studes, but all this brings to mind the "Golden Rocket" a beast of a '53 Stude that ran the ovals in modified class here in the Southeast in the mid '50s. Painted metallic gold, hence the name. Had a Caddy engine, set way back, with a front mounted GMC blower and obviously had way more power than all the other cars but was a tough one to handle. Saw it run at Lakewood Speedway, a 1 mile dirt oval in Atlanta. Three drivers tried the car in warmups but the third and eventual starting driver was one Nero Steptoe, a part Cherokee Indian race driver from the hills of Alabama. He seemed to be the only one that could manage to get the car around the track at speed and off the walls! The car obviously had way more power than anybody else, but dirt racing isn't all just horsepower, you have to keep it headed the right way along with it. The Golden Rocket put on quite a show during the race, but eventually dropped out for mechanical problems. Helluva show while it lasted though.
I always wanted to go 200 MPH< am 71 and still not there. I built my 1988 Mustang ragtop with a 552" 460 Ford and a 4-speed , tunnel ram,aluminum heads,etc. It would go 30 MPH at 1,000 RPM. I had it up to 5,800 RPM on a highway north of town one sunday morning. Right at 175 MPH. with the top down. It had a lot more speed left in it, but I ran out of guts. Sold the Mustang, bought a 1966 Mustang fastback, 6 cylinder, top speed 85 MPH. Why build a fast car if afraid to use it? Could never afford to go to bonnevile. Love my fastback.
From MY RIDE IS ME...<<In fact, the first full-fendered stock-bodied car to break the highly coveted 200mph mark was a Studebaker coupe, in 1964. The official record was set at 201.744mph by Pisano Brothers/Jim Short in a ’53 Coupe with a 365c.i.d. Chrysler supercharged engine racing in the B/S Gas Coupe category.>> My Dad was the engine builder for all Pisano's early Hemi efforts. The Pisano Bros. Stude' ran stock headlights - making it the first true "stock-bodied" vehicle to exceed 200 mph. BTW, they set this two-way record on gasoline, not fuel.
I thought the same thing. To me it looked like it was almost showroom stock based on the magazine coverage. Does it still exist?
Thanks Nick. Nice to know it's still around. I have a '53 coupe with a 354 Hemi I am building and that car was an inspiration 50 plus years ago to build it. It is a street car though, not a race car. I did however own the '62 Plymouth the Granatelli brothers ran at Bonneville in 1962. I bought it as it was last raced and had it fully restored. It presently resides in the Garlits Museum.
The Jalopy Journal
