I'm on the road today and didn't have time for much writing this morning. So instead of spouting hot rod history out my waazoo, I thought I would take a knee and let the Surfites teach us a thing or two about drag racing. Pay special attention around... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Dang......I had a special treat in Austin last week, Von Franco wailing surf tunes on his Strat..........love that crazy beat!
Absolutely! I'm wondering if he checks in here from time to time. I think he visits the Yahoo Nailhead group every once in a while. If you ever meet him, check out his ring.
FAR OUT MAN!!THANKS RYAN!! that made my friday morning here at work drove the old heap to work can't wait to fire it up an hit the cruise spot to-nite.
Anyone notice what appears to be a turbocharged Allison dragster in the background right before the Ivo shot. I wonder how long it's been since one of them actually ran in competition. Larry T
Really hard to beat that... If that dont make ya wanna have some fun....well damit...Im callin ya a KOOK. IVO does just give off a killer vibe...
Other than the R.F. cartoon characters, one of the funniest drag racing things of the day shows up on the third car, at 0:34, below the caption "Thou Shalt Drag" -- the push bar with the blade to make it look like a toy car wind up key. I remember seeing that in Hot Rod Magazine and being stunned. Bless the video producer who did not obscure that icon.
Anybody else notice the dragster in the left hand lane at about the 1:45 mark? It looks like the rail goes sideways and yet the driver does not let up! May have just been the camera angle, I am not sure. Thanks for the great video.
Ah yes the sound of reverb echoing threw my brain, the sound of burning rubber and the roar of a nitro burning motor ,what a way to start the day thanks Ryan.........
great shots looked pro.looked around 62 or 63. i have some 30 min 8mm from j.l. payne coll. in my mac now. j.l. was there driving vance hunts car and slingout the howard rod out there. so he and his wife flimed the race from diffant areas. most from the finish line. thanks charles
Nice piece Ryan. I was walking along the shutoff area of the Indy track on my way to the spectator area on the east side of the strip at the Nationals in the mid-60's. I heard the announcer saying that Ivo was making a qualifying run. At that time I was about at the finish line and stopped to watch. At about the two-thirds mark, an explosion cut the car in half, the front half crumpling like tinker toys (no nose piece) off to the side and Tommy, the roll cage and two slicks rolling over and over toward the finish line where he stopped upright about a hundred feet in front of me. He just unbuckled and climbed out as though nothing had happened, waved and waited for the tow car. Very cool indeed.
hey ryan.. what's up with those b/w pics? they look like george's photos. not busting your chops.. just checking... cool video and music...
Say what you like about the Beach Boys (I love 'em, though I know they're not popular around here), but surf music and cars are just a great combination. -Dave
Now you know why us old farts hate today's drag racing! We were lucky to live & race during the "Golden Age"............thank God for the nostalgia movement and the hot rod reunions in Bakersfield & Bowling Green!......Thanks, for the video Ryan
I had posted that a year or so ago along with this bit of inspiration... <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OaaNDn4n6JY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OaaNDn4n6JY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Very cool. Im going next month to see The Ventures with my dad, Ive been a huge Ventures/surf music fan for as long as I can remember. The weired thing is, when I was young (15 16ish) and listening to them my dad walked in and asked "are you listening to The Ventures?" ....turns out, when he was a teenager he was in a band that played surf music. This was a new side for me, that Ive never looked or imagined that my dad was ever like me at that age. surf music brings back that thought every time. thanks kevin
You couldn't bust my chops. Promise. Those photos aren't George's as far as I know. In any case, they were published in '60 and are now public domain.