Brooklyn, NY Infamous Street Racers Back in the Day

In a similar vein, I read years ago about a east coast circuit that motorcycles ran.A lot in Brooklyn. Two blocks was the 1/4. Vans with bikes would converge on a bar. Suddenly money was talked and everyone went out side.Doors opened and you'd see the wheelie bars come out 1st. Two cars at the end. The one on the winners side flashed his lights. Police knew it was going on. Area was pretty abandoned.

 

Hi, I own a 1963 Corvette SWC that was purchased at Kinney Motors in Brooklyn. Pretty sure Car was raced in Brooklyn area, original car color is believed to be black. Car was traded in on a GTO to a Pontiac Dealership in 64 & 2nd owner 64-71 raced the car as well. It was supposedley a class winner at the Connecticut Dragway. Car was a Cadillac Cimarron copper color in 2001 and had flares prior to being restored. Noticed all the great knoweldge and thought I would take a shot to see if any one had any information on my car? Thanks

 

This thread is just to good of a read so {{{{{{{{{{Back To The Top}}}}}}}}}}} Thank You to all contributors,,

 

I recently connected with Dan Palchanes. He is a great authority on high performance street cars and super stock/stock drag cars.

He has a collection of Brooklyn Heavy photos and will be reproducing them for me.

I can't wait to see them!

 

I would have loved to see that LO23 Dart on the street.

 

The reason alone for me getting involved in DR, I loved it going down the track in the 70´s. AND I got to crew on it once in the 90´s. Who´s the owner now?

 

I was reading the story and when I got to the part about Al Capp putting up his own money I could not believe my eyes.

I know Al well and he is in his late 60's or early 70's and lives here on the west coast of Florida but was from the New York area.

I believe he used to race a funny car for years up and down the east coast and I know he told me every once in a while they ran the funny car on the street in match races. He told me it was a pain in the ass having to pack the parachute each time he ran on the street.

It was a real crazy time back then and the I remember seeing crowds of 500 to 1,000 people lining up to bet and watch the races.

They would fill a parking lot with enclosed and open trailers and many cars had chutes on them.

Jimbo

 

the petosa brothers on staten island had at least one former sox and martin hemi roadrunner and a few other wild cars. rumor had it that they had mark oswald driving for them in some of thier high dollar street races

 

Brooklyn Heavy's Camaro back in the day was getting engines from Carmine Rotonda who built many of the real fast cars engines.

Jimbo

 

The Connecting Highway was one of the Best to be on the Week end
the Crowd of People would be about 5 deep on the Railing to watch the Races
and when the Cops Came we all would go to Laurel Hill it was Racing on the Bottom
for Slow Cars
and Upper for Fast Cars
Mostly High Dollar Money Runs where in Front of Shea Stadium
3K & up, we would Block of the Highway & the 1/4 mile was Marked off
and after the Race you would come off the Highway & your Flatbed would be there
drive it on & away you went
the Connecting was a Great place to see a lot of Freinds
I use to Bring my Race Car there Just to make Burn outs, My Car was Fully Lettered
so I didn't Race there with it otherwise the Cops would be waiting by my Speed shop
for me, but I had other Cars that would Race for Money
that was back in the late 60 & up to the mid 70's
just my 3.5 cents

 

wish I could have been there.

 

yep, need to see more of this one

 

I will try to scan the photos after they arrive from Dan Palchanes. If they are good images, I will post them

 

we already have it in white. just ready to add the stripes, lettering and decals

 

Is that the original Brooklyn Heavy Camaro?

If it is the car really looks to be in good shape after all the years of street and drag racing.

The car was famous back in the day and everyone knew about the car.

Jimbo

 

Does this Belvedere look familiar to anyone ? This was taken in Yonkers in the late seventies or early 80`s I believe........................................

 

The Ray Barton decal would date it early/mid 90s or newer when the pictures were taken.

 

Detroit used to be nothing short of awesome. From the 50s right into the early 90s it was almost fully accepted that there was street racing. I went from the insanely stupid practice of racing "from a roll" on Telegraph to where it was more organized. However one of the most exciting races I was in was indeed right on Telegraph, and in the mid afternoon of a hot summer Saturday. The SAAC convention was at the Hyatt and some legendary Ford early performance cars were everywhere. As I headed south, coming off of Ford rd was a Sunbeam Tiger. Black, gorgeous, and sounding anything but stock. We happened to be side by side and I just had to grab another gear and play. Feeling as though I had a chance we caught the 1st light south of Ford rd. A simple nod and look at the light, it was on. I was driving my 69 Boss 302, still somewhat tattered and "in process" so I'm sure I looked like easy pickins. The light changed and I feathered the clutch just a wee bit to keep traction. Shifting at 7800, by the time I hit 3rd it was clear that he was no contest...for me! Turns out his cousin is one of my dearest friends from childhood through today. 289 with Webers, a well known car, and a serious runner in his day. Mine had a 4.30 Det Locker, wide ratio trans and some prep to the original engine for autocross racing. We spoke of it decades later, that race, when he pulled into my bud's shop one day. "I don't remember that." "You mean you don't want to?" A sinister smile, and some questions about my old flame, that Boss. I miss that car...

 

cant wait to see it all done!! are you gonna run the cragar s/s wheels?

 

Just out of NYC 20 miles up to Rockland County was a great race site. Sat. night at the Shoppers Paridise store in Spring Valley NY lot was jammed in the early 70's. Races would be set up and everyone would travel to the Border of the Garden State Parkway in NJ and the begging of the New York Sate Thruway. Cars as far as the eyes could see. Traffic would actually be held up on the Thruway race, a few races and then high tail it out of there esp when the Troopers were notified ...Those were the days !

 

Very cool read. Exciting time in street racing.

 

thanks bob!

 

Great stories.

 

I think I have the right size Cragar S/S wheels in inventory to add to the look of the B/H Camaro.

nope, this is not the same car. If it was....it would not be resurrected as the B/H car, rather, it would be restored to GT IV. As it was before B/H bought it.

 

Sounds like a very cool project to take on.

I really thought it was the original car when I looked at it.

This was a very important time for many who lived through this era of drag racing.

As a teenager I remember hanging around Performance Automotive on Saturday afternoons because there was always guys showing up with cars on trailers who wanted to street race around the corner on State Street for money.

Jimbo

 

Worked at Speed Parts Center in Elmsford, NY for a while, maybe 1970 or so, was a very well respected shop, and had developed a 520 inch big block Chevy motor that held the A/A record. There was a black guy from the city who had bought one of Ronnie Dollinger's special motors for his Camaro...we got to see it when he came in for the start up. If i remember correctly it was dark green with white stripes, stripped interior. and a red Lakewood one sided roll bar...also had their towing hubs. His name ,I think was Willie, and he seemed to be quite a character, and was said to be one of the most feared street racers in the City. Any one remember that green camaro?

 

That is a bad ole Plymouth!

 

What do you figure their source of income was, considering some of those racers bought ex pro stock cars?

 

BH had a speed shop. He also went to prison for some crimes he committed.

you do the math.