@Gotgas : Some great ones mentioned already. I've always been partial to Bobby Langley's Scorpion I. Maybe because it's a Texas car. Bobby Langley Riverside 1959 Hello, When we heard of the East vs West drag racing event at Riverside Raceway in 1959, we just had to see the big names from Texas-East come out West to race the top drag cars from the West Coast. The battles were top notch and it was impressive to see these East Coast cars for the first time. Bobby Langley had a cool paint and body scheme. Even the finned air scoop was cool. It ran as well as it looked. Jnaki
Seems to me that we had the Scorpio or a copy of it run at the HAMB Drags one year. Did a 360 in the staging lanes ( didn't bang into anything). Damned nice car and it was out of Texas too as I recall.
1959 Hello, Here is Don Garlits in one of his trips out West. He was here for the East Vs West Challenge at Riverside Raceway. This was a first, as the bantering was going on in the Drag News Paper: About who is faster… Records were set back East, and out in the West, with advertisements saying…Fastest Dragster, Top Speed, First to…etc. Now, a challenge was set up so all of the top racers of the day could be at one dragstrip to settle the score. It was one of those outstanding So Cal, early morning events that went on into the late afternoon. For a couple of teenagers, it was a long drive out to Riverside from Long Beach. Don Garlits made some spectacular single runs and against earlier racers. But, the race against Art Chrisman in the Hustler had some start line controversy that was the talk of the day. Jnaki We could not get up to Bakersfield for the 1959, for the first Smoker’s March Meet, but did get up there in 1960. This movie clip also has some Garlits, later in Bakersfield at the 1960 Smokers March Meet. (and at Lions Dragstrip in Long Beach) On the controversy at 1959 Riverside, YOU BE THE JUDGE…
Hello, The Kent fuller designed, Tommy Ivo single Buick FED was a high quality race car. It was at home at Lions Dragstrip just as much as it was in any car show. The build was immaculate. The attention to detail was pretty good for an FED in the late 1950’s. Every time we were at Lions Dragstip from 58-60, it seemed to be the same time as this bright red Buick powered FED was making runs. I was able to film this red dragster as an injected Buick and as a 671 powered Buick. I was even in the pits the day in 1960 when Don Prudhomme brought the same FED with a carbureted Buick, but painted a custom white with a red scalloped nose. At the time, little did I know that he was part of Ivo’s club and pit crew. Jnaki Look at that cool push bar key on the back of the single Buick FED. Tommy Ivo single Buick FED 1960 Lions Don Prudhomme First BUICK FED
The original "Purple People Eater" streamliner built by the Galt Strokers C.C. 1957 and now being restored.
Jack Moss Gary MacArthur Unknown (Poto by @loudbang) Glass Slipper Dragliner "Jazzy" Jim Nelson and Dode Martin
March 1960 Bakersfield Smokers March Meet #2 Hey M, My (late) brother and I agree with your idea of the title for the “Top Banana.” We had seen it in the newspapers and some magazine shots. But up close and personal at the dragstrip was a familiarity that we just could not get over. Everything just fit and the sleek streamlined body + SBC motor looked like it could go to the Moon. Top Banana total Yes, we know about the tragic ending and it was not what we expected. So, the films I shot are historic as per a “never to be seen in action,” again. We were fortunate to be able to film the sleek race car in all of its glory. March 1960 as reported from Bakersfield Smokers March Meet. Jnaki The long drive up into the central valley was worth it for a couple of teenage drag racing enthusiasts from Long Beach. Two brothers at the 1960 Bakersfield Smokers March Meet
Lots of great cars here, Langley's Scorpion was one of my favorites. Saw it at DOTD (I think) once. Great graphics.
The only pics I've seen of this car, are the ones that identify it as the Top Banana TOO. Was there a Top Banana ONE? If there was, was it also a streamliner/canopy car?
pretty cool in its current state... Hello, Nothing against @Fast Elvis and his quality purple FED build, but for my choice, it would be the dark blue/ purple with flames version. The all purple rebuild is outstanding, no doubt about that. But, from an old guy with drawing flames from the early 50s history, something about the early flame version just did a number on my brain for a drawing I did for an old Friday Art post. Jnaki Impressive, as originally designed and built with the full streamlined body was not a common thing in those early drag racing days. There were only a handful of the full body variations. Perhaps some wild original flames on the almost finished, all purple, current “Strokers” version is in the future?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Miller_(auto_racing) https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2010/12/race-to-the-museum-miller-race-car-1929.html ...I think there's a connection to Miller of Miller Racing in the 30s ...my thoughts of course...
Who needs slick fiberglass nose pieces OR enclosed driver cabs when ya can have dual blown Pontiacs with dual white wall drag slicks?!! Even as a kid this dragster always did it for me!! I believe this was the 50's............or the Gay brothers dual side by side was. 6sally6
Hello, As nice as the twin Pontiac powered FED by Eddie Hill was, it became star at a later date than the 50’s. In 1960, he was campaigning a single Pontiac FED everywhere possible with that small set of “Eddie Hill” tires in the front. He actually had small front tires in the 58-59 season. In 1958 Eddie built a Pontiac powered unblown gas dragster. At the time, people were clamoring for less wind resistance on the fast FED race cars. There were a lot of skinny wire motorcycle wheels that seemed the lightest weight at the time. But a small sturdy skinny tire in the front (with small, solid steel wheels) was stable and was only seen on Eddie Hill’s creations. Jnaki In the 1960 2nd Bakersfield Smokers March Meet, Eddie Hill had the single engine powered FED, with a small set of front tires. Eddie Hill vs Lefty Mudersbach 2nd March Meet in 1960. So, the twin engine FED was not until the 1961 season.
There were more beautifully styled slingshots in the '50s, but I'll always vote for the last version of the original Swamp Rat with eight 97s on nitro as the one which put it all together and was a contender whereever he ran. Only slightly OT, but back then, before he was Big Daddy, just Don came up to run at the Helena, AL strip. He burned a bearing on the first pass. Back in the gravel pits, he put the front wheels up in the bed of his pickup tow truck and with a little hip-roof Craftsman 110-piece tool set, he lay on his back in the dirt, dropped the pan, shined the crank pin, replaced a rod bearing, buttoned it back up and won TE. He told me, "The local guys can go home to dinner, but on the tour, if we don't win, we don't eat." jack vines
Hello, Despite the world records set back East, when Garlits came out West in 1959, everyone was impressed with the setup of his FED. But, at his first race in Bakersfield, the results were not impressive. He stayed in So Cal to get some valuable information from So Cal racers and developers of cams/cranks, blowers, etc. By the time he traveled up North in California to continue his 1959 Westcoast tour, he was again setting records and impressing other racers with his skills and build, thanks to several So Cal representatives. From all carburetors to a new, 671 blower spec motor, it was the last carburetor version of the original Swamp Rat. If you get a chance, read the book: Thanks, Mickey... Jnaki The "Three Weeks in March" tells the story behind the West Coast foray of Don Garlits, that wild driver from Florida. He had captured the attention of all of the fastest racers on the West Coast and this book tells the story of that scene in So Cal. Was that East Coast drag racer with top speeds and times listed in the Drag News, real? That was the questions asked from most West Coast racers. By the 1960 season, he was terrorizing everyone with his newly found powerful FED again…
The week before Bakersfield, he was running (or tuning?) the blown fueler of Setto Postoian (sp?) at Colton. As I remember (not much) he had a contract with the Smokers not to run his car on the West Coast before the March Meet. The Smokers paid for his appearance.
Scorpion is a sexy machine. I've seen the current version a couple times at shows around East Texas. It sounds as good as it looks.
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