I got into cars by working as a designer, photographer, and marketer for Bob Drake Reproductions. For the last year and a half I've been making videos, a few about hot rods. Here are a couple on Bob "Li'l" Axle Stewart, son of the Ed Stewart of Stewart Speed Automotive from San Diego who made Dago axles famous in the late '40s. Li'l Axle was born into hot rodding and ran at El Mirage, other dry lakes, and Bonneville. He was a member of the Prowlers, an early '50s bunch out of San Diego. Here are two videos I've made on Bob. In the first one, he fills up at Mel Taormino's restored Texaco station in Grants Pass, Oregon. The second one tells his life story: it was part of his presentation at the Detroit Autorama in February 2012 and has lots of photos from the lakes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGr3Lf0c9aI Bob Stewart fills up his 1950 Mercury at Mel Taorminos Texaco http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7addhBQRRw Bob Lil Axle Stewart: 1950s Hot Rods, the Dry Lakes, and the Dago Axle
Hey Randy. Good to see you on here. Thanks for posting the stuff on Lil Axle - a national treasure(!) and a great man in general. We met on the first Americruise and hit it off. A few years later, he showed up at Drake's one day, when I worked there and we reconnected. Don't see him as much as I used to, but we still run into each other at shows, etc. I was lucky enough to accrue some quality seat time in the roadster before it went away. God, I miss that car... Please tell him HI for me. Lots of Bob's contemporaries on here - he'd feel right at home. See you guys soon, Scotty Gosson (AKA Jangleguy)