Being I am always on the look for '54 Fords I ran across this video and not only does it have Fords,but Chevys ,Buicks and Studebakers, and it relates to young guys in cars clubs on a designated destination and conserving gas. Interesting that they had Ralph DePalma helping,,I'll be the first to admit it's dull but the cars are cool because most were brand new. HRP <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jYrmXSJqZ5Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Cool - Thanks for posting. Ha- a free trip to Las Vegas, bet there were a lot of volunteers for that run. wonder how many of the then "youth" are still around, and the car clubs.
Neat old coverage. I remember those Mobilgas runs , they used every trick in the book to get mileage , rock hard tires , coasting whenever , anything to keep the RPM per mile down. This was with 35 cent gas.
Nice video, thanks for posting. I grew up in Barstow, and in 1954 I was 14 years old. So, I probably was in town that day but I don't remember seeing this (probably at the movies). It was neat to see the footage of the way Barstow looked back then. Remember too, that all the footage from Cajon Pass and on into Barstow took place on the "mother road", Rt. 66. If you look carefully at the refuel footage in Barstow you can see a Rt. 66 sign. The "Barstow Bridge" as they called it was the Viaduct, it"s still there, and carried traffic across the Santa Fe yard on the way out of town towards Vegas. Of course now, the freeway bypasses Barstow altogether.
Some of the clubs were: T-Timers (Santa Monica) The Huns (Lynwood) driver John Cannon Cut Outs (Long Beach) driver Simpson Drag Wagons Car Club (Maywood) driver Danny Washburn Buccaneers Car Club (Compton) Angles Car Club Capri Car Club (Arcadia) driver Jim Hummer Peace Officers Car Club Association Rod Benders (Pasadena) Phil Shifinbacker Falcons Idlers Car Club (Bell) driver Jerry Maxwell I checked and none of these clubs are listed as current. HRP
Great video,It looks the same as when I was there in 1980. I hear it,s all new. Tnomoldw ,,,,,, ''I wanna go where the lights are low where I can go'n spend my dough an dance with the dolly with the wooden leg''
I wonder what car club in Barstow was helping at the gas station? I know ther was a Victorville chapter of T-Timers. A cool spot in the video is at 20:20 when the car club guys were walking on the strip in Las Vegas.
Sam,52-54 Fords share the same basic body style and I like them all but since I owned a '54 as a teenager and have a long history with the '54 Ranch Wagon I have recently finished plus being a moderator on the '54 Ford Club of America forum,,,"I am always on the look out for '54 Fords.." HRP
I think this is what evolved into the Mobilgas Economy Run. My uncle participated in 1958 and turned in the best miles-per-gallon average for low priced cars (20.8870 mpg) in a '58 Ford Custom 300. By 1958 the test run was up to a 1,883 mile journey from L.A. to Galveston, Texas. This was carrying a co-pilot and two USAC observers during the entire trip. He used to enjoy telling us about all of the tricks he used to gain the best mileage.....................................Don.
You are correct,,this was the 1st Annual Youth-Safety Economy Run held on May 16-17,1954 and they traveled 663 Miles. I find it interesting that all the car dealers and police departments came together with Mobilgas to make something like this happen and get involved with all the local car clubs. Don,was your uncle in one of the clubs at the time in 1958? HRP
Shame about all the 4 drs. 31.9 a gallon... kinda high....I was paying 32.9 in 1964 ten years later in Md. It was cool to see Vegas back in the day before the strip got so big. I loved all the chromed tag frames.
It was probably the T-Timers in Barstow. They were very active back in those days. I had one of their plaques that a member gave me when I was 16 and cruising my '48 Fleetline around town. But he told me not to put it on my car since I wasn't a member. Had that plaque for years but finally lost it on one of the moves we made. Wish I had it back!
.......I can't say yes or no with any certainty HRP. I was living in Tennessee at the time and only saw him once every few yrs. when he would drive across country for a visit. He worked for many yrs. on the Ford assembly line in L.A. and passed away in 1976.
Hey HRP, how about this neat 54 Vic sitting in the shed since 1966! It would look great next to your wagon.
.......I just checked with my cousin (his son) who is now in his 70's and also retired from Ford. He stated that at that time his Dad had two kids and a wife to care for and the "club scene" still had a bad rep with the authorities and general public, so no he didn't belong to any of the many car clubs in SoCal. He was a long time member of the more "respectable" Elks.
A lot of those buildings are still in Barstow. The bridge is now the 1st Street bridge. It passes by the second Del Taco.
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