saw this at the good guys show today, haven't had any luck with google, and I'm very curious about what drive-train it has, the flat head pictured is massive, if its a ford I've never seen another one like it. the car was called the "Meteor" I believe, if you have any more pictures of it i would love to see them
So would I....but you were there with the camera!!!!!!! I do not think it was called "Meteor"....too many other cars had that name
I know! I've been kicking myself, but got distracted by the motor and forgot to take more pictures! And your probably right, the name just sounded familiar from what I can remember about the accompanying signboard Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Yep it's a flathead caddy I set a record at bonneville with one in a 38 chevy coupe a few years ago and plans are goin back next year and getting a 200 mph red hat in it Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
This 1939 Lakester was indeed known as the "METEOR" ... and it was most likely the first Cadillac flathead powered dry lakes race-car. It's current owner is Walter Nakamura of Pleasanton, CA ... and he has shown it at many Goodguys shows (including the events held at the nearby Alameda County Fairgrounds) ... as well as several other car shows in California. Here's one of my snapshots of the car at the 2011 Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance: Here's some history of the car culled from the Internet: The Meteor was raced at Muroc {by Alfred Churchill} and hit 104 mph in 1940. Records show only 29 cars broke the 100 mph barrier in 1939. In 1940, three West L.A. high school buddies were obsessed with hot rods and dry lakes. George Nakamura, Dick Phippen, and Carl Hoogoian had little in common, except their interest in fast cars. Nakamura found the Meteor with its bird cage-like framework, which has riveted sections of aluminum scrap from Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach. It had two velocity stacks pointing skyward with a pair of Stromberg 97 carburetors. When Nakamura bought the race car, he drove on the streets of Culver City with its headlights buried inside the nose and 1939 Ford tail lights. He drove it regularly until a minor head-on collision sidelined it. Nakamura was slightly injured, but the Meteor was relegated to a yard because he was unable to pay the storage fee. The yard owner removed and sold the flathead engine in the Meteor. When the three friends were able to get the rest of the car back, they installed a 1937 Cadillac LaSalle V-8 engine, which still remains in the car six decades later. The lives of the three young men changed when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, except their friendship. By mid-1942, Nakamura and his relatives were interned with thousands of other Americans of Japanese descent at Amache Internment Camp in Colorado. His two friends were appalled by this. Nakamura was given a 72-hour notice to leave Culver City, so Phippen offered to store the Meteor. When Nakamura returned three years later in 1945, he started his life over again. Walter Nakamura, the elder Nakamura's son, often asked his dad about the Meteor, but his father refused to discuss it, possibly because he feared his son would be injured while racing it. After George Nakamura died, Phippen called Walter in 2003 and asked if he wanted to take his dad's car home. Walter was able to get the Meteor back on the road with the untouched patina of storage corrosion and dust. Walter Nakamura plans to bring the 1939 Lakester Meteor to Santa Barbara from his home in Pleasanton, California. ... and here's some more pics of the car culled from the Internet: photographer unknown photographer unknown photographer unknown image by David Featherston
Here's a bunch of pics of the "Churchill ~ Nakamura Meteor Lakester" at the 2011 Goodguys Del Mar event: NOTE: Photographer unknown
I got on too late... LOL I figured that it was either a 322 or a 346. Great engines! I built one for a 1938 Cadillac 60 Special a fees years back. That engine pulled that beast of a car well. Sent from my XT1585 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
What an astounding story, and an amazing man group of friends, Thank you so much for for the history and the photos Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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