anyone heard of this guy got any stories

ok i met some girl online i chat with turns out her grandad owns a company and drags vw's anyone heard of them got some stories heres the info i got
Dean Lowry
Deano Dynosoars was his company
ran out of Tuscon AZ

 

I used to race against Marla around 1980....her bug broke every weekend....

 

Hell Yeah!! He ruled the vw gasser scene in the 60's and 70's His speed equipment that he made still goes for big money if you can find it.

 

I don't have any stories, but I remember at least one of Dean Lowry's cars (I think it was a VW powered dragster) being featured in Hot VW's in the late 80's early 90's. I don't think I have any of the old mags anymore.

 

wow this is awsome guys i told her this she said her mommentioned u before jim

 

Her grandfather owned Deano Dyno saurs or DDS for short. They were famous for the color purpple on many ofhteir parts. It was a play on the "think pink" and " keith black" pink and black = purple. The DDS car was on the cover of Popular Hot Rodding launching a nice wheelie at OCIR in 71. Gene held several records in rhe NHRA Gas classes as well as a record at Bonneville in his Terrasoar salt flat car. It started in Orange County among many other VW great likes Gene Berg, EMPI, and of course DDS. Her Mom was a serious racer in her day and her Dad used to drive a 9 second drag bug on the street a few yaers ago. Dean was VW performance royalty and his contributions to VW's in drag racing are still being used over 40 years from his creations. RIP Deano

 

No way that could be that long ago, seems like just a few years ago.

 

wow she couldnt beleive it guys when i showed here this link already she never thought him to be famus apparently buncha stuf was stolen from marlas car all the goodies and all thats left from the purple car is the shifter to bad

 

I guess it ran all night that time

 

Hey guys this is Deanos grandaughter, Colleen Reilly, This is amazing I found you guys from the OP of this thread and its just amazing to hear that people know of my grandpa Dean and my dad Mark Reilly and my mom Marla Lowry is just AMAZING! In fact we are currently living in Mississippi and I cant wait to get ahold of my mom and tell her about some of yall Im sure as you know both my grandpa and my father passed away so they wont be able to chat, but im here and i would love to hear some things about them Thanks

 

LMAO hahahaha. I remember my dad told me that she put her car in reverse and took off and he was talkin crap in the stands lol. but she beat alot of people I believe..?

 

Go to Cal-Look.com and click on the nostalgia page. Way more pictures and stories about him

 

Oh yea see all that is soo familiar to me. I have many many pictures of all that! Gene burg worked hand in hand with dean didnt he? I know my mom had tons of my grandfathers stuff and when he died, most of the family took stuff, but what she did have she kept.. When She took her car into the shop she actually had someone steal quite a few things off her car and replace it with stock parts. The only thing i belive she has (and is still driving a bug till this day) is a deano shifter

 

Marla's bug ran 14s, which was reasonably quick at the time for a daily driver street car owned by a teenager...my big block powered pickup was running about the same ETs.

Say Hi to her for me please?

 

I have "inch Pincher" photos, of course my moms orange "flaunt it" car I dont know im going to have to ask her if she has any parts cuz i could tell ya.. I crashed her car (eek i know) a really nice street car that she had, and now shes cruising around in a '73 beetle thats beat to all hell.. I mean this car is going to fall apart.. Man what i would do to get her another nice little 70 bug.

 

This is so cool. I enjoy watching as the internet brings people together. It's happened many times here.

 

colleen so glad you signed up becasue i am glad i was able to show u the magnificent man they were.at maybe bring some of the pople who knew him and ur dad and mom all back together through you

 

I remember that Bug very well. There was a series of pic's in one of the HotVW mags,with that purple Bug rolling at the top end.

 

He is to drag VW's what Big Daddy is to fuelers. I got hooked on bugs years ago because of that guy. Very cool indeed!

 

Oh I will for sure. I dont have a phone right now, but on the 7th, I will.. So I will call her and tell her all about this.. Im sure she will have me type yall something Shes gunna love to hear from you guys..

Your name sounds familiar, I have heard it before in convo maybe my dad or my mom not sure but i know ive heard it.

 

Grew up in Phoenix and was in the VW scene, Gene Berg and Dean Lowry were THE names in fast VWs then, Phoenix Bug-o-Ramas and Bug-Ins...

 

did dean or any of them every race a bug called early looker cause if so i think i found it

 

Hey Colleen Your grandfather was a good friend and major mentor of mine. I also know your mom Marla and your uncle Larry. I use to build & race vw powered sand dragsters and bought alot of parts over the years from him. Dean had this old super light sand dragster in his shop that he wanted to race one day again. I donot rember the exact year but it was the year he built the first 102mm bore ARPM motor. My friend Allen and I talked him into putting it into that old purpple sand dragster. We took Deans dragster with ours to the sand drags just out of old Vagas for Dean. Dean drove his old fadded yellow bug and meet us at the drags the next day. Dean finally stages his dragester but with this big inch motor he decides to comes off the line a little soft and stalls it. Next round he comes off a little harder but it boggs and pops the air cleaners off. We are now giving him some major shit as we help him get ready for another pass. This time I swear he launched it at 9k. No bogg at all front wheels way up in the air full track and took out the timing lights. The next day we added alot of weight to the front of his dragster. This time he blow all the teeth off the ring & pinon so he had to pack it up. I still have a complete 3.6 liter motor with the early arpm case and the very first Dinosar dropped cam case but it has a few battel scars. Hope your mother and uncle larry are doing well.

 

Collen I was out in So Cal when your dad was driving Deans old pro stock car on the street in the early 2000's. Your parents also brought out the old purple super beetle salt racer for the Gene Berg rally at Knollwoods off Sand Canyon and the 405. I forgot about your fathers passing and am sorry for your loss. It is also a shame to hear about what was done to all of your families things. The VW scene is pretty tight knit but there are some a-holes out there and DDS parts are very desirable , especially in Europe where they pay big money for anything nostalgic in the VW world

 

there is a member here on the HAMB, I dont know his screen name but he goes by the name Frenchy - lives in the Phoenix area, he is HUGE into vws and has alot of deanos stuff in his personal vw collection and if i remember correctly and I might be wrong but i think he even has one of the powered by deano decklids hanging in his garage. I had the chance to visit his house during a phoenix bug-o-rama and take it all in

 

Frenchy Dehoux is his name. He is also building a very nice Lincoln V-12 powered Model A. He does have alot of DDS stuff and is realy into the Cal-Look VW scene and was a friend of Deans.

 

What cool stuff, I remember features in old mags about these folks. To cool to have Colleen among our family, ah yes, I had a beautiful red-head girlfriend named Colleen when I was in autobody school, still have very pleasant memories of her. Ooops a little off topic. Great info gang!! ~Sololobo~

 

hahaha thats a good story Thats amazing you still have his stuff, and that its worth so much to people too! Its interesting how what one person does can influence so many people.

My mom is doing okay. I mean, shes living alone 3 hours away from me in Mississippi and just tryin to make ends meet really. it would help if she had a better car like I have said before I crashed hers.. I found a picture..


my goal is to get her a nice little karmen ghia or VW in the near future...

My uncle Larry, um Im gong to be dead honest, I don't think Ive ever met him before, and if I did, I was very young and don't remember.. I dont believe my mom or any of the girls speak to him.. I will have to find out though.

 

Well then you probably met my brother back then in 2000 also, I believe they would go to DQ meets right? My dad actually drove that car all the way from Menifee to whereever those meets were. Oh yea that purple beetle I remember that! Ive seen so many pictures and heard some stories..

Yea there are very many janky people out there nowadays.. Like you said the VW scene was very tight knit, I think thats why my mom didnt think about taking it into that VW shop because she just knew that nobody would try and steal her stuff. Of course they denied it :/ But ya know, shitty as that is, you can't do anything about it.

I am going to have to call my mom on Thursday and ask her what all she has.. She would know more than I would. I do know when we moved form California to Mississippi, alot of stuff got lost, including 3 full photobooks. I just looked at my photos yesterday and found 2 of my mom next to the flaunt it car, dean next to an orange car of his I believe, and a picture of my mom and dean together. Im going to try to get them up on here.