I cant believe the amount of time and effort you put into your articles ,and it shows ! Nice work yet again!
Knocked it outta the park once again! Now when someone starts the stupid help me pick a club name thread we can add 'The crotch cannibals'. Ahahaha
Michelle........I finally got around to reading this wonderful set of articles......I think there's a future in this for you!! I want you to know that I passed the link on to Bud Meyer and I am sure he'll remember John Wolf....... Thank you again for your wonderful effort........it was very enlightening for me as I wasn't very familiar with these fellows, or Virginia..........and I loved that final photo of John and Virginia from 2008!! She really meant it when she said *Yours forever* on her school portrait! CB
great read....."we got engaged - he didn't have to give me a ring - when he left and gave me the keys to the 1940 Cpe - I knew he loved me.."....where can I find a girl like that...?
Hi Michelley - As usual, your "Wolf Pack" chronicle is another first-rate journalism piece. I really enjoyed this read, and applaud your continuing efforts to provide such historically significant information. Thank you. Warm regards, G.B.
Great article Michelle! Thanks for your time and effort to record this very special and unique time in our American history.
Part 4 Some other folks I met at the Wolf's house in Sherman Oaks, CA: Photos © Michelley / Timechanic™ For more material on John Wolf, Ray Brown, and the 1936 Ford roadster, refer to my H.A.M.B. article: Definitive Carson Top 36 Ford Roadster http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=600051
Another amazing article Michelle . It took quite some time to read it but I found this to be fascinating and extremely thorough . Folks, The amount of time and dedication it takes to research and document these historically significant stories and photo's - well, most of us probably can't even imagine . What an asset you are to the Hamb !
Part 5 by Michelle M. Yiatras Timechanic™ This is a successful journey: from kissing Virginia in the moonlight on the El Mirage dry lake in 1949, to receiving his Sidewinders Car Club Lifetime Member jacket from Ron Main, President, and Ken Walkey, M.C., in 2007; & the vessels that carried him, to Korea, 1952, U.S.S. General A. E. Anderson, and to Salton Sea, CA, 2008, for the APBA/UIM International cracker box speed record, 107.290 mph/172.670 kmh, Mr. Magoo (previous owner couldnt see the clock), the vintage 40 yr old wooden Patterson hull outfitted with Johns 302 Ford engine he built, pictured with the owners-racers Dwight Moody Sr & Jr. All photos from the private collection of John & Virginia Wolf, used by permission of John & Virginia Wolf.
I've read this story again and again, every time I get to the part where Virginia rides in John's trunk to find a rattle. I bust out laughing......Thank You so much Michelle. Rich
Wow Michelley, That was an incredible amount of work. Thanks for sharing with us all !!! Say hi to your hubby for me.
This fantastic story reads like a who's who of '50's Hot Rodding in So Cal. I dig all of the peripheral details and the great pics. Great read, thanks.
WHO'S AFRAID?...NOT VIRGINIA WOLF! What a beautiful piece about the American Hot Rod Lifestyle from it's conception to it's global appeal today. Including the woman's perspective elevates things to romantic levels. ( "We got engaged when I was 18, the ring didn’t mean as much, when he left me with the car then I knew he loved me.”. Reminds me of one of those factual John Wayne WWII movies with a sweetheart. Why would I like that?......Look at my avitar. Fantastic job Michelley!!! Chuck
John's diversion from auto to boat racing is not all that uncommon to someone who's wild spirited enough to strap on all things fast. Here's a clip from that era, once again, a totally American derived pastime. Note the sportsmanship. No crowding the other guy out. Just let the machines and driver skills do the talking.....without seat belts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFPOQUlQXt0&feature=related Chuck
You can't read this too many times, guys... I recommend several times to get all you can out of this account of "back in the days". Its exciting to read and to think about being there and doing all that John Wolf did. Alex Xydias gives similar accounts of moving from El Mirage when the surface there went away and taking up the quest for speed at Bonneville via the S.C.T.A.. Can you imagine hanging with these guys and living the way that they did? The need for speed took John Wolf far. Through it, even though it must have been hard at times, Virginia stood by John with her unwavering support. The courage it took to sit in those streamliners, not to mention the boats. And the innovation... pure genius based on their resources and theories. I was intrigued with them using compressed air regulated to super charger P.S.I.. Are you kidding me? We who came later have much to learn from these gutsy pioneers. And what is it about the Sherman Oaks area? I wonder if the Wolfs are friends with the Fullers too? Thank you John and Virginia, and thank you Michelley for this great read. I am sure that I will look at it many more times!
I worked with Bob Bowen at Lockheed VAB, Is he still around? he was a memorable guy. William Gilliland
I worked with Bob at VAFB, at the time he was busy building his house, by himself of course. He drove 100 miles one way to work. One day he was stopped 3 times for driving "above the limit", somehow managed to talk his way out of it 3 times. On another day his mount was a VW Sirocco, though its rider. Bob was standing on the main line out to south base trying to flag down a ride. When I stopped and picked him up he was having a few words to say about those that we worked with that had ignored him on the road side. Did I mention that Bob was a Curmudgeon? Continuing on we were in a long line of traffic doing about 60 when a co-worker that was always late passed us and the long line of others. Bob snarled, “Pass that @#$%&!” So I took my hotrod VW up to 90+ and passed him at Surf Beach in time to make the curve onto the base. A few minutes later I was being congratulated by a Bird Col. Will.<O</O Thank You, Will for this jake anecdote! Yes, I know firsthand Bob is a curmudgeon. I learned not to take it personally, he had a tough upbringing. A good and brave heart, though! ~M
I attended Robert Fulton Jr. High from 69-72? with Bob's son, Bob jr. A friendly sort. I remember him as just a tad pudgy with brown curly hair. We used to sneak cigarettes in between classes there. He always told me his Dad worked at Ed Pink which was just a few blocks north and east? of the school on Raymer Street. I kept asking him for THINK PINK T-shirts, but they never materialized. It never crossed my mind to actually BUY one. Even though I was a totally crazed drag racing fan, Bob never told me what a real heavyweight his Dad was. At least not in a way that stands out. I guess to Bob, he was just Dad.
PM~ You have the story on the wife: You have photos of her standing by the 40 coupe and it is written below it that it is a 36. It could be a 38 or 9 model but I think it is a 40. Joe (autoworldcorp2000) is so right, indeed these pics of Virginia are with John's '40 Ford Deluxe. Two of the captions have a typo ('36's on my mind). We've owned both '40 Standards and Deluxes, so this is a very familiar car to me. ~M
This is one of those threads that would make a great foundation for some talented writer to do a book on...ahem!.. Michelley<label for="rb_iconid_5"></label>
The Jalopy Journal
