History 200 MPH 32 Ford roadster w/ blown hemi "video"

Wonder if Donny Hampton knew what he was doing to that blower...LOL
When the gent started it, the hemi sounded like a low compression Industrial pump engine.
I like to imagine this guy and car on the salt, in the pits next to Rich Fox.
The guy would get a 'polite education'.

 

For those HAMBers that don't like to click on links ...

Here's some of the "highlights" of the LaFerriere Classic Cars webpage (created in 2012 to sell the car):

• A March 2012 video of Tom LaFerriere driving the roadster:

This is Gear Grinder member Jack Kukura's 1932 Ford Roadster. Genuine
and documented, SCTA Dry Lakes racing history from1947 through 1960.
One owner, builder, co-driver, 1940 till his death in 2004. Current owner
purchased from Kukura family in 2005. It is fully documented through SCTA.
The driver from 1956-1959 (?), was Jim Lindsley (father of Larry Lindsley),
who is in the 200 MPH Club and was SCTA and Gear Grinder President.​

• Vintage photos of the roadster when it was flathead-powered and ran on the dry lakes:

​

• Don @Rockerhead Montgomery's (circa 2006) notes regarding the roadster's Dry Lakes history:

click thumbnails to enlarge​

• Dry Lake & Bonneville history of the roadster:

​

 

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, the current owner of the "Jack Kukura Roadster" (Roger Hoffman) is a member of the HAMB.

I see from his user profile that he (@hbuzz) joined the H.A.M.B. in January of 2008 ... and at that time, he owned a Kurtis KK500, a Cobra, and an El Camino ... and that he "Grew up in the south around early drag racers, hot rods, small sports cars."

Upon further investigation (Google is my friend), I discovered that his 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso placed first in the "L-2: Postwar Preservation" class at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance:

​

With this in mind ... I'm thinking that Mr. Hoffmann may be a bit more knowledgeable about '50s & '60s Sports Cars than he is about his 2012 purchase (a '32 Ford Roadster with some Dry Lakes / Bonneville racing history) ... and therefore, I'm willing to cut him some slack regarding the several "factually inaccurate" statements he made in the video interview ... and hope this thread can serve to educate him (& others) about the "Jack Kukura Roadster" and LSR racing.

 

what an awesome story

 

Me too! I would be proud to own it. Dont understand all the negative vibes. The car speaks for itself and the owner is just doing what we all do...make the story better than the way it actually happened. So what?

 

Hey H32.......thank you.

 

Just a bump of this old thread ... to post some vintage photos of the (Jack) Kukura ~ (Jim) Lindsley Deuce Roadster at Bonneville in 1958 [where it ran 163.93 mph (see photo of plaque below)]:

all images from the Lindsley Family Photo Collection


the plaque from the '58 B'ville Nats is still mounted in the car​

... at Jack Kukura's house in June of 1959:

both images from the Lindsley Family Photo Collection​

... and at Bonneville in 1959 (where it ran 172.41 mph):

images from the Lindsley Family Photo Collection


image from the Petersen Archives​

 

What an interesting old thread. Where is the car now?

 

I also just learned about Fromberg Rubber Rivets.

 

That car was way cleaner looking in the 50s than that latest version posted. Ended up a mishmash of eras. And the embellished story is annoying to anyone who has ever been involved in a lakes effort

 

I like your thinking Tman... the problem is in 10 years this will be considered the truth. The next owner will have a better story...

 

I hate this thread. Not because of the absolute bullcrap story. Which I also hate. But because some people here seem to believe it. How is that possible? If this means you, here is more news. There is no Easter bunny.

 

NO EASTER BUNNY???
I am crushed

 

I’m pretty sure that I saw that car at Fantasy Junction for sale and it’s been there for several months.

 

Some fact and a fair bit of fantasy I believe.
https://www.fantasyjunction.com/inventory/1932-ford-roadster/overview

 

But did you guys notice that it has the Chuck Yeager Signature Package?

 

So, at about 20 seconds into the video it shows what appears to be salt "splatter" somewhere on the car. If that's what it is.....talk about fake patina!

Impressive piece of hot rodding history, but somewhat inaccurate and embellished I'd suspect. With the bias ply tires currently on the car it would take a brave man to put it to the test if it's "set up to go 180". If I saw that guy standing next to that car with his 3-ring binder with all the background intended to impress me at a car show, I'd make a wide sweep to avoid him.

Will/could I ever own something that would compare though...well heck no.

Lynn

 

I expressed my thoughts on this one in this and the other thread on it. Let me borrow it for a day and I’d have those skinny bias ply’s in threads... even with the typewriter trans!!!

 

1960 (12th Annual Bonneville National Speed Trials)



#10 - South Gate Auto & Muffler Center
Bell, Calif.
A Gas Roadster
452ci Blown Chrysler
​

 

Rich -

I don't believe in the Easter bunny ... but the photos of the roadster (being pushed off by Jim Lindsley's '57 300C) at the 1960 B'ville Nats lead me to believe that it is at least plausible that Jack Kukura spun the car at ~200mph.

That stated, I don't think anyone here (on the HAMB) believes the "Jack kept his foot in it until it ran out of fuel" part of Roger (@hbuzz) Hoffman's "version" of the the story.

- Todd

 

To me, the bullshit story takes away from the great history of this car. We had an old hot rodder here in town that used to do the same thing to the point of even trying to erase others history with certain cars saying he built them.

 

Here's the most egregious parts of Roger (@hbuzz) Hoffman's "version" of the story:

• Jack Kukura ran the roadster at BONNEVILLE in 1946, 1947, & 1948 [it was actually run at El Mirage in ‘47 & ‘48].

• "... the way they taught the drivers back then {in 1960}, when you started to spin, you don't panic ... you floor it and let it run out of fuel ... because they ran on nitro-methane on very small tanks ... not gasoline" [NOTE: The roadster ran in the A Gas Roadster class in 1960].

• "... because if you let your foot off the gas, on a surface like that, then you'd roll ... so he {Jack Kukura} spun this thing until it {the spin} basically died out at 200 miles per hour"

• "the way it is right now ... it's still set up to run 180 ... 200 miles per hour on a flat surface"

 

who was that?

 

You have to ask?

Sent from my SM-J337V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I guess I am dumber than I look. I sold my roadster last year for about 1/4 of their asking price. It didn't have a blown Chrysler in it. It did spin at 200 once at Bonneville and about 170 at El Mirage. It was street licensed in California. It had run the drags, lakes and Bonneville dating back to the late 40s. We set 7 Bonneville and El Mirage records up to 210 MPH with it since 2002. It still holds the El Mirage C/Street Roadster record at 193. Unfortunately, it does have a small block Chevy with no supercharger and we ran just gasoline. And we didn't have any front brakes. And we never ran out of gas. And to think I spent my career in advertising for car dealers. What was I thinking?

 

So, How many times did you go around before




you ran out of gas? Did you spin all the way out the back end? What did Lee say?

 

I reread the posting. It appeared to always run on gasoline. I’m sure the first Chrysler was a 354 not a 454 as stated in the mid 50’s but with Jim Lindsley it would have had one of his 400+ inch engines in it.
As for spinning and flipping I go along with Rich and Kitchen in this as roadsters spin but rarely flip it’s why we race them instead of laketer, liners, and coupes. They flat spin.
If I get a chance I’ll look at the late 50’s early 60’s results and see the top speeds. With those 2 names it will be easy.
There is no doubt the car is real and has a history which can be supported. Does not appear to be a record setter or holder but maybe the results will show different. I don’t think Jim would have ever turned down a backup qualifing run. In the 60’s it took 3 passes.....he was too much of a competitor to do that unless the engine was hurt. JD
PS: Sounds like my controversial roadster is worth a lot.... to bad I’ll be dead and will have cut it up before I die to ever find out....

 

Spun at the "notch". Next two runs – record, record. Never thought of just driving it 'til it stopped, although I've never been in Salt Lake City.

 

From the "BONNEVILLE NATIONAL ENTRIES" lists in my '58, '59, & '60 B'ville Nats Souvenir Programs:

• 1958: #24 "Lindsley & Kukura" D (400ci Chrysler) / Gas Roadster
• 1959: #21 "Lindsley~Kukura" B (454.9ci Chrysler HEMI) / Gas Roadster
• 1960: #10 "South Gate Auto & Muffler Center" A (452ci Blown Chrysler) / Gas Roadster

It never set any Bonneville records ... from my (November) '58, '59, & '60 HOT ROD Magazines:

• 1958: #24 "Lindsley & Kukura" D/GR ... ran 163.93mph [2nd in class ... the "Colvin, Gillespie, & Green" entry ran 168.53mph]
• 1959: #21 "Lindsley~Kukura" B/GR ... ran 172.41mph [3rd in class ... the "Hales~Cagle" entry set a new class record at 178.837mph]
• 1960: #10 "South Gate Auto & Muffler Center" A/GR ... no mention of a run [but rumor has it that it spun @ ~200mph ]