Green Goblin is looking for info on this old gasser. We know it frequented U.S. 30, but that's about it. Just looking for info, pictures, stories...whatever.
check on gassermadness.com theres is something on there about it in the lost and found section brandon
Yeah...it just said it was found...not much else other than what you can see is painted on the car. We know it's obviously got 427 Chevy power...at least in the one pic. It's got some Auto Service place name on the side but we can't make out who. And it's got Merrillville Indiana on the quarter in the one pic. We're from the area...so it's interesting to us... Thanks though...
Just for the record, that's a Vespa 400 microcar, built in France by ACMA under license from Vespa between 1957 - 1961. Very very cool gasser, I hope it turns up! Pics of a stocker are here for comparison: http://www.microcarmuseum.com/tour/vespa400.html .
It just so happens that I scanned some pictures of my dads from US 30 around '70 and No Big Thing was one of them. The car has never left chicago aria that I know of. It still turns up at car shows on ocasion. I think it was at the ghost drag strip reunion in Senica IL las year.
I watched that car burn up U.S. 30 on it's hind end many a time. It was completely restored to show condition a number of years ago and was shown at the Chicago WoW. I bet 35PU might know it's whereabouts and who's got it. I hope this helps? Joel
There was a pic of it in Chevy Rumble magazine in the last year. It's either been restored, or it was always kept in perfect condition. -Brad
hey guys a freind of my fathers has it right now,its currently with the guys from capitnkiddracing.com they are doing a rollong resto right now,here's a shot history george brugos(sp)built the car in 66 and campained it through the mid-west untill the late 70's early 80's mostly at us30,the car had a best time of 10.37 with a 427 bbc and a cross ram with a 4spd.rumor has it it was raffeled off at us41 in the late 80's after that it was crashed sold and a updated resto was done on it.the way it sits today is with an air cooled 454 and th400 all new tin work on the interior and cell in the trunk(done from the guy that bought it after it was wrecked) they guys from captin kidd are getting it so it will be in runable form(read non air cooled).i tell you what i have sat in this ride on numerous ocations and i can't fathom grabing gears and runnin throught the traps at 130+ i have a link to putfile.com showing a pass where he misses second gear and still runs 126 through the traps. if you got any more questions on this car ask away and i will answer them to the best of my knowage
here's the putfile link http://media.putfile.com/no-big-thing If your looking for stories hers one the car was run in a class called run tuff eliminator it was pretty much an open bracket class,anyhow the car was so popular at us30 the promoters used to ask him to run exibition passes against anything so they asked him to run against an early funny one day,so the story goes the funny let him leave first and by the time no big thing hit third gear the drivers door flew open(if you look at the pics this happend more than a few times) and the funny cought him and the foce of the car passing no big thing blew the other door open and the anouncer went nuts saying that the funny blew his doors off.Charlie(the owner of the car now)has this set of doors haning in his garage.
That video just rocks. I've got a 1960 Fiat 500 drag car that looks damn near identical to this one. I'd like to see some interior shots of this car if possible?
Sure... put me on the spot...I don't know anything about it. US 30 was just before my time. I work with a guy who was mayor of US 30 in the 70s. He knew the car right away (who wouldn't?) It was run by a guy named George (last name starts with a B but I couldn't spell it if I wanted to) He said the car was at Super Chevy at Route 66 last year, but it was raining and under a cover. Sounds like most of the questions have been answered. As far as stories... Tommy (the guy I work with) mentioned that the car was pretty scary as far as construction. It was a handfull, as could be imagined. He said it would scoot all over the track and hop the front end anytime he shifted.
I know george brugos very well and the car "no big thing" it started off as a crosley then george wanted to lighten up and hence the vespa body. The crosley body was light blue with a black top. The vespa had a 427,cross ram and muncie 4spd. Vw front end (which was repalced often) and a 57 olds welded spider rear end. Clutch and brake pedels went straight down thru the floor. George mostly built a vega pro stock car but never finished it. It was at the end of his career. His pit crew was a single woman named brenda a tall lanky blonde. Great memorys P/S IT DID RUN IN RUN TUFF CLASS
Likely the reason the sanctioning bodies put minimum wheelbase limits. This thing has always been a freak...love it
i was around george many times while he was racing and working on the car. it was a handful, but george could drive it! consistent low 10s which was quick for the day. it ran mostly with a big block , but i believe it had a sbc for a short time, when big block was being repaired. it was fun to watch. almost bought it once.
I KNOW NO BIG THING WELL ALONG WITH GEORGE BRUGOS. I LITTERALLY LIVED AT THE END OF THE TRACK AND WAS ON THE GUEST LIST FOR A DECADE........BOB COWAN
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