Help me ID this ex Fiat drag car body I found

For such a popular and beautiful drag car, to wind up that way, is just disheartening.
Any new, news? Thread's kinda fizzled out. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Found another circa 1964 photo:

image from the Pete Jensen archives​

 

I have an old magazine around somewhere that shows this car with the Mustang body on it.

 

Not much help but in the '60s there was an A1 Plating in San Francisco in the industrial area at the bottom of Texas on Potrero Hill.

 

I didn't dredge it up. Guess I am going to have to go back to checking dates, we must have a bunch of new members again.
Sorry guys.

 

See posts #86, #106, & #157

 

Something tells me this amazing Fiat has disappeared back into the abyss. Anyone know where it went and what's happening to it?

 

Where is this thing now? Lippy

 

Nope ... the body (and chassis) for sale on ☮craigslist is the old Martin Bros COLT .45 1969 Mustang Fastback Funny Car which was driven by Ezra Boggs:

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... NOT the Joe Davis COLT .45 1965 Mustang AWB car:

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... that Joe sold to Frank Reinauer in Oklahoma.

Reinauer match raced the 1965 Mustang with a BBC (vice the SBC) and had extended the chassis by 2 feet. The car was ill-handling, so he ditched the modified chassis (originally under the Davis & Ingram Fiat Topo) in favor of a 2"x4" square tubing "funny car chassis" ... and he also ditched the 1965 COLT .45 Mustang body in favor of fiberglass 1969 Mustang Fastback funny car body.

Reinauer didn't feel comfortable driving the "new" COLT .45 '69 Mustang Fastback funny car, so he sold it to brothers, Don and Jack Martin ... and asked Ezra Boggs to drive it.

In 1970, Boggs piloted the Martin Bros. COLT .45 '69 Mustang Fastback funny car to a best ET of 7.70 at 198 MPH.

 

Anyone know what happened to the fiat body? Lippy

 

I assume it's still in @Sparky13's Santa Rosa, CA barn (ses posts #166 & #173)

Let's hope it survived the wild fires of 2017 & 2019.

 

Well ... you know what "they" say about "ASS-U-MEing"

I just discovered that @Sparky13 moved to Kentucky in August of 2019 ... so maybe it's no longer in the Santa Rosa barn ... or perhaps he found a buyer for it ... or maybe took it with him when he left California ... ???

 

We need closure

 

Found a circa 1963 photo shot at Half Moon Bay Dragstrip:

image by Dick Wells from the Petersen Digital Archive
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Found these circa 1964 photos shot at Half Moon Bay Dragstrip:

images by Pat Brollier from the Petersen Digital Archive​

 

Can't believe I missed this one from way back. One of my favorites and I have posted a BUNCH of shots of it in the Altered thread. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-altered-thread.1010937/

Here is a search of the thread there are more in there without the name being posted.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...s+ingram&t=post&o=relevance&c[thread]=1010937

What's ironic is that I chose the name last Ingram for my undercover last name while in intelligence, had a legit drivers license, car reg and credit cards under Ingram and at the time had never heard of this car.

The Original poster hasn't been on the HAMB since Feb 21 this year

 

I understand the urge to lighten a drag car but isn't the Willys in the background of this shot taking it a bit too far? It appears to be literally hovering 1 1/2ft off the ground ... makes an oil change or a clutch swap easier I guess

 

Good eye, your quip made me LOL so hard it got me into a coughing spell.

 

Here's a circa 1965 photo of the Ansen AUTOMITIVE ENGINEERING sponsored Topolino campaigned by Joe Davis (i.e., the Davis & Ingram Fiat after Wes Ingram left the team to focus on building the Jewel T):

image posted in the The Altered Thread by @rooman
(photographer unknown)
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You all need closure and I need that body!!!! Lippy

 

Making slow progress. This will not be leaving me . Unfortunately do not have the deep pockets for a quick restoration.

 

I think they replaced that body with a mustang?

 

Correct … See Post #86

 

Ok, I was wrong when I said I had an old magazine with an article on the car after it was converted to the Mustang body ... I found the magazine and the car was actually Ron Pellegrini's Super Mustang. However, I was able to find a pic of the Ingram Davis Mustang in the September 1965 issue of Car Craft with the text "One of the most eye-poppin' entries in the meet was this wild Mustang - powered by a blown Chevy. Entered by Davis & Ingram, the primered 'Tang made off with Exhibition Stock Eliminator trophy. Car was once a record-holding Fiat". There was also the following ... "There was a new machine in the "funny car" ranks, going for Exhibition Stock Eliminator, a Chevy-powered Ford (that ought to get the Ford and Chevy fans going). Entered by the team of Davis & Ingram, whom Car Craft readers will remember as the owners of the record-holding Davis & Ingram Fiat altered, the car is a '65 Mustang and gets its punch from a blown '64 Chevy mill, hooked to an Olds rear end. Joe Davis, the driver, is a 30-year-old metal finisher for (get this) Ford Motor Company in Milpitas Calif., and besides holding both end of the BB/A class record, was also a class winner at the '64 Nationals and the '65 Winternationals. The Mustang, pulling little "wheelies" throughout the meet, shut down the Ford "Thunderbolt" of entry Earl Wade in the final round, cranking out a 10.40 at 136.36 mph".

 

The sad history of that body is that it sat outside in back of Joe's parents' house for at least 10 years in Campbell CA...Not very nice treatment for a Joe Wilhelm show winning paint job.
I have the trophy my mom is holding for "Best Appearing Crew" in the picture from the first Hot Rod Magazine meet in '64
There is some video of the '64 Winternationals with Joe and Wes (dad) being interviewed.
If you ever do need to get rid of it...please give me 1st shot at it! Would be nice to bring it back to the family.

 

That top photo was in a magazine not too long ago

 

Here are a few interesting pictures.
After asking dad he confirmed that they bought the Fiat from Jameson, McClelland and Koontz. it was the Reath Automotive car.
The top article is from April '63 Hot Rod Magazine, the second is May '64 Rod & Custom

 

I have a movie of the Mustang when it was red oxide primer, taken at McMinnville, Or in 1965.

 

I just want to clarify the Davis and Ingram history. The Fiat did campaign in '64 and part of the beginning of '65 as Davis & Ingram. They went their separate ways for the remainder of '65 and all of '66.
Joe used the Fiat body and Mustang body in '65 and then exclusively the Mustang body in '66. If you at the article above it does not mention Wes with the Colt '45.
Wes built the Jewel "T" originally as an A/A with injected Olds' power.
Here is a clipping from a race announcement where both the Jewel "T" and Colt '45 competed separately.

They rejoined forces for the '67 season. Dropped the BBC in the Jewel "T" with a very custom B&M modified automatic transmission. Joe's brother-in-law Charles was an amazing engineer who drew up the modifications and sent them to B&M. I had those original drawings in my hands once before I knew what they were. Sadly they are most likely buried at the Guadalupe landfill now.

Not that it has anything to do with the Fiat, but here is what I believe is their first picture with the "new" Jewel "T". Notice no 255 on the blower, also Davis & Ingram isn't on the front and no Joe Davis on the drivers door