I remember watching a match race between Jack and Jim Lutz at Minnesota Dragways. The Little Screamer versus the Lutz n Lindbergh Anglia.
I met Jack Ditmars in 2007, he spent the day with us at the US 131 strip in Martin Michigan, the owner of the fuel car I was with knew Jack from the old days and invited him out. It was early Spring and we were testing a new combo, different and better blower, injector and pump and getting a new driver to learn the car too. Jack is on the line with us and the car immediately goes up in tire smoke but the driver had no feel for the car and has no clue. 60 feet out the engine blows and Jack looks to me and says- Good God, I didn’t think a hemi could rev that high! Other than the carnage it was a fun day, Jack treated me and the other crewmen like he knew us all his life. He was a gentleman and a fun guy. Godspeed and RIP Jack.
For a time, the Lil Screamer was everywhere. Always crowd favorite! Didn't it show up and was for sale within the last few years? Wheels Up, Jack!
jack was a customer of ours, and a neat guy. we had spent some time talking about the old days a few years ago. and yes the little screamer is alive and well. i believe the new owner lives in central illinois. i had read about jack, and seen him race at our home track us 30 in indiana. i was a kid when i saw him run the coupe , and later the opel funny car the mini brute. he also spent some time in a fed that i never new about. i at one time wanted to do a us 30 reunion before all these reunions took off. it never happened but jack knew everybody, and he was going to get them there if i could get it together. but unfortunatly it never happened. we talked about the opel funny, and he looked for it for years ,but it never turned up. i mentioned at that time about bowling green reunion, which he didnt know about. few years later i was at bg as usual, and heres jack at the autograth, table, talking to old friends and having a ball! he was full of life, and the coupe was there , parked right behind him. the car had gone threw a second resto, and it was pretty much spot on! jack was a sharp guy, and had some inovative ideas on his cars. the coupe had an adjustable sus for wheelbase, that made him very competive on the track. jack was always thinking! going to miss ya sir. rest in piece.
I had never heard of Jack or his accomplishments until I went to a woman's home to do some remodeling , walking through her home I saw pictures of the lil screamer , Don Garlits, and a few trophies along with other memorabilia . I asked the woman about them and she smiled and told me that she was Jacks ex and for the next couple weeks, Nearly every day she had a new story , about how " the Greek" was such a lady's man , Don Garlits telling Jack to lengthen the wheelbase, etc , etc . Very entertaining , one of her prize possessions was a "Wally"...
She never spoke ill of the man , (a tribute to her ), she told me repeatedly how hard they had both worked to succeed ...classy !
He was always at the Bristol Spring Nationals back in the '60s-70s and always one of the most meticulate cars and of course a real screamer.
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