Love these old Track Roadsters and modern Track-T Street Roadsters. Back when I was a mere child in the early 50's I remember Jalopy racing on TV here in OH on Saturday PM. Black and white family 16" RCA TV. Was very intermittent. I think it was filmed in California. They were coupes and sedans. Crashes were horrific with totaled cars being lifted by a boom truck with axles and other parts dangling.
Rudy was not into jet boats, he was famous for racing Flat bottom V drive drag boats (prop driven) He was involved with Rayson Craft and their racing program, he was a genius with that drag boat stuff..... I have a Rayson craft drag boat, I like to think that Rudy had a lot to do with the success of these boats, His father started the company and the name Rayson is a form of "Ramos and son"
All bullshitting aside, as cool as old cars and hot rods are, driving a vdrive drag boat is the most fun you can have with a steering wheel in your hands
B = Bring O = On A = Another T = Thousand They are very cool, but you know the old saying, the two happiest days of boat owner ship, are the day you bought it, and the day you sold it. In Marks situation, that Rayson Craft Drag boat, highly doubtful that he will ever sell it, its a keeper.
When we were 18, my pal Jim and I were admiring older rodder Ernie Rose's candy red (brand new!) '60 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, but more so the boat on the trailer behind the Caddy. Largish flat bottom California hull, with V-drive coming out of a 430 Lincoln. Impressive...Much chrome, very sanitary. Ernie: "Hey, you guys wanna help me get it in the water? We can cruise the dam..." Hell yeah! When we got to Anderson Dam, (south of San Jose) Ernie backed down the ramp, Jim and I were on either side, "Don't scratch it!" We sat just off the ramp, Ernie stashed the Cad & trailer, then stepped aboard, and fired up that big Lincoln. We sat next each other, on a wide bench seat (white tuck & roll) we idled out into deeper water. Maybe...10, 15 MPH. Ernie said, "Tuck in, now..." and cracked the throttle. I watched his foot jam down on the Moon pedal, and that boat literally jumped out of the water! Like...Airborne. Scare plus thrill, acceleration? Waaay better than slicks. Extreme how quick we got to the middle, then toward the edge of the lake. First experience with an 'inboard', if ya wanna call it that. Zowie, I heard Jim say. I was still feeling the 'tickling' in my guts. 'Zowie' was an understatement.
So many of those original rods were street driven plus circle and straight line racing. Boats can be hot rods too. Living on the lake, yeah, I’m into boats. If you go through a stack of 1960’s Hot Rod magazines, you will find boats featured almost monthly.
I’m glad to know who built the race car I drew inspiration from when building this track nose T. I couldn’t get over the wishbones ending at the door as well as the cowl steering. I had to do the same.
Dangerous as hell but it was a golden age for these Racing Machines as they weren't rolling cages yet...Love them vintage pics....oh Yeah!!!
I love these stories about the post war hot rodding that went on. Thanks for the cool information and reports. I volunteer and work at the REVS Museum in Naples Fl. Mr. Collier the owner of the collection recently purchased the Ardent Alligator which his father and uncle Sam Collier built and raced after the war. It won Watkins Glenn in 1949. It had been vintaged raced for many years and has been modified by subsequent owners. They are restoring the car exactly as was built in 1947/1948. It is 221 C.I. flat head powered, 40 Ford rear end and three speed transmission. Airplane gauges etc. Research this car please. Will probably a yearlong project will try to update.
you would be surprised how well they stop when you let off the throttle and lower the cavitation plate
That Allison job is the duck's guts! What is that neat induction? This lil' mahogany job had one of the first 'Vette 283's seen in Australia (Sydney Harbour) sitting it it's hull. I saw it and painted this canvas at a powerboat fest in 2014. I was amazed at the originality of the dual quad 283. It hauled arse too. And yep, thanks Ryan, now to dig out that Ramos roadster..
This lil' impression is of a 20 foot Brazilian mahogany job my brother had and sold. It was the first speedboat in SE Sth. Australia. It was found at a bonfire after a farm clearing sale. They were gonna burn it on the fire. Someone saved it for the price of a box of beer. It went through a chain of sales, ever escalating in value. Complete, beautiful, it had a '41 Cadillac V8 amidships. I believe it has gone to Sydney. Would look great on the harbour.
The more things change the more they stay the same, Racers are their own worst enemies! The roadsters started out as an affordable way for the working man to race as compared to midgets/and Big Cars Sliver Crown (Indy Cars) and latter Sprint Cars. Almost instantly they became full on racecars with In/Out boxes, live axles, tubes chassis, and became as expensive as the other forms of open wheel racing!
The Jalopy Journal
