Art & Inspiration 1950s to mid 60s era Drag Car Art... Names, Numbers, Font Style, Flags, Mascots, Lettering, ect,

I'm considering an early-mid 60s drag car. Of course, my class will be Stock/Super Stock. My car wound be Stock class.
One of the more fascinating attributes of that time period is how the cars were decorated, even in the stock class. To do a car from that period (1964) it really helps to see the real thing.

There have been many threads on the cars of this period, but I do not recall a discussion focusing on the decoration of these cars.
Here is one I enjoy.
273359118_3142612786023374_6376743631069772926_n by Travis Brown, on Flickr

There is a lot going on with this one. A lot of it is tongue in cheek. 239 CID, the thunderbolt mascot and the THUNDERBOLT name.
Also note the use of script and block letters.
It has numbers....
Please comment and share other images of these great cars.
Thanks

 

Photo from @loudbang -
Bob Lambeck E/Stock vs. another '57, a 150 with NHRA record holder lettering. I cannot make out the driver's name, John T____w. Note the window stickers, engine callouts and tall front tires. Bumpers of course in the stock classes, but check out those tow tabs!

 

I have always like the graphics in the "Old Reliable" notice all that going on....

 

Many, many pictures here; http://georgeklass.net/index.html

 

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I had to bogart this image and post. If ever there was a photo that sums up the HAMB, this is it.^^^^

 

Later I will talk on this name. I did quite a bit of research on "The Deacon" WWII fighter planes. There were several. Jack Hyles' P47s and P51s ETO and another P51 PTO (Iwo Jima). It was quite a journey researching that artwork.
How does it relate? My car may be called...." The Deacon". Like WWII aircraft, a common theme is naming the machine. Many also will be named with a mascot that has nothing to do with name....It's really fascinating. The Drag truck the XL F-100 (1963 427 F100) had a hound dog with a bone mascot.
It's neat fun stuff IMHO....

 

I too love the early Jr. Stock and Stocker's ... I also raced NHRA Stock for a short time in the '70's and mid-90's.

My contribution tonight, I love it.

 

I love it too.

 

And the crazy and funky paint ideas too ....

 

Ok let's look at this one.

Name....FARM WAGON

Mascot...The round fat cartoon bull. Take note he has 4 legs and another appendage but in a harmless clean/classy and humorous way.

Driver Name... Alex Jarrel mid-century sign script.

Sponsor or contributor... STAHL HEADERS in sign block letters with "total tuned" in sign cursive "script".

Engine... 265 CID at the lower front fender above the grill wrap around. It is in a scripted sign font.

H.P....225 H.P. in a block letter sign font in what looks like blue or silver different from the other lettering.

Number...875 in block almost military font style.

Sponsor or contributor.... COMPETITION 3 SPEEDS in sign block letters that you would expect to see in a factory manual or advertising piece.

Sponsor Mascot...The simple yet captivating "see through/ghost" 3 speed transmission.

Messages.... "Thanks to" In sign heavy cursive. With the contributors in smaller black and white sign block letters.

More Messages... N.H.R.A. RECORD HOLDER '66, '67, '68
Note, that RECORD HOLDER is slightly leaning and is in a slightly different font style than N.H.R.A.

Window Decals... In my opinion they are over done here.

There is a lot too this if you really look. This one of those things that maybe was not done quite on purpose yet was absolutely done on purpose.
This may be getting into the sign makers art.

 

This is an interesting post being a former sign painter. I always liked the Jr. Stock class especially the sedan deliveries and station wagons, the various sign painters had their own styles,especially the script and speed letters, there was a lot of individuality in the lettering on these cars. The mascots or cartoons were an added feature and are nice to see, there are a lot of good examples on the HAMB in various posts The pictures here are from the HAMB.


I liked the Psychedelic style of the name on Hydrophobia, reflective of the time, it also had a nice cartoon on the back doors that I have seen on the HAMB, anyone care to post it ?




One of my favorites the original "Tokyo Rose"


and finally Don Dennis lettering with a maul stick the "Tokyo Rose" tribute car. The build thread is on this site. A beautiful recreation.

 

Very interesting and fun thread. Really cool lettering and art work on old race cars has fascinated me ever since I was a little kid.

 

Those windows decals are NOT overdone. They were there for a PURPOSE. Contingency money was ONLY paid IF you displayed the sponsors decals. They were not for looks in JR stock classes and many others.

 

LB speaks the truth. You had to display the company's logo.

 

1964


Hello,

Atts Ono was a master craftsman. He was also a great point guard in basketball team and individual play. But, as much as the L.B. Poly H.S. coaches wanted his skills on their team, he stuck to hot rods and drag racing, while still playing on outside of the school basketball teams for fun. He was a point guard and I was the center… me a center at 5’8 inches! How quaint.

But, no one questioned his skills as a master mechanic, an avid hot rod guy and someone that could make just about everything on a hot rod/drag race build. He was instrumental in giving my brother and me help in our early 1940 Willys Coupe build. Our mom liked that he was always at our house and showered him with tons of great cooking, in between mechanical stuff in our backyard garage.


Jnaki

He went as far as doing some gold leaf lettering on his immaculate red Willys Coupe later on after our drag racing activity ended. So, not only is he a master craftsman with a lot of parts milled from aluminum pieces, but he could do his own artwork, too.

1962 TO 1970 the original build no scoop, to the various choices in injection systems until the 1970 era.

Last known photo of Atts Ono’s Willys Coupe… Hilborn two port injectors by Don Hale… 1969-71

The Willys Coupe was sold in 1971 and was loaded onto a moving van for a final trip to somewhere in the Midwest drag racing scene. There was such a commotion and lots of confusion about the sadness we all felt at the time. So, his brother told me that eventhough he was there for the final loading, he remembers very little beyond that. His brother was gone and so was the immaculate 1940 Willys Coupe.

So, where is it 51 years later? Still in the Midwest running under an assumed name? A museum or warehouse ready to be found as a barn find? Midwest guys, get a word out and start searching. History needs some closure.

 

How about the Flying Dutchman...

 

I was thinking this would be something else re: 60s drag art, but this is kool too. Real kool. It's a vibe man...