Doesn't look very green does it? I saw Arfons with the old original Green Monster waaaaay back in the early sixty's at Lions. Big Allison V-12 and dual slicks, still roasted them the whole 1320.
Couple of pics of my friends dual engine car. He and I went to Bonneville in 1990 as spectators. As you see, he got the bug bad. All handmade body/frame by himself in his house garage
There is also my opinion that a jet is not a land speed record "CAAAAR"... at least in my small mind! It has to be wheel driven to turn me on! If it uses actual automobile engines, instead of aircraft, turbines, etc.... I like it even better!
I love Studs man! A buddy of mines dad has a 55 Studebaker truck, not a Bonneville car (don't think he has ever been) it use to be a drag truck, now its just a daily driver hot rod.
Here's one that never happened. The " Proud American" car is a mock up built to garner sponsors in the 70's. Tony Fox built the car and commissioned Dean Moon to design the car carrier "The Bonneville Boss". The truck was built using a Toronado front wheel drive set up. 4WD, 4WS, 6 trailers. Would have been interesting!
I can dig the rocket or jet thrusted car, it's just different. The wheel driven ones have a lot more of my respect though.
I just tried to find the crash with the Spirit of America where it goes into the water over the levy and the camera man is running towards it, I can't find it anywhere. It was the Spirit of America right?
Yeah it kinda went sideways at the end of the course. If I remember correctly he had chute problems at the end of the course. As he was trying to get it stopped he was dodging telephone poles. He went up a embankment and launched into a holding pond. The picture I was looking for was in a Life mag. showing the Spirit dangling from a crane. Her is a excellent site I found with lots of pics and info.Land Speed Record - Arfons, Breedlove, Graham, Leasher, Ostich and more
Guys I still haven't figured out how to post pictures and the cars I really like I don't have pictures of anyway. Now that I am an old pro at landspeed racing,lol but I do hold three landspeed records and I was in HotRod Magazine and the Bonneville Racing News last month but some of the people I have been running with also go to Bonneville, El Mirage, Loring Maine and lots of them are in the 200 mph club in several of these including the Ohio Mile where I run.
MY favorite Bonneville type car is the old traditional chopped top coupes with the spun stainless steel wheel covers. Some these type cars and some of the actual original cars still run. My next favorite is the Studebakers that someone had already posted about. There are several really nice Studes that I ran with on the Maxton Mile and now on the Ohio Mile are going to Bonneville and will run over 200 mph. If you have last months HotRod Magazine there are good pictures of some of these cars in an article starting on page 104.
One more verbal image I will throw in is a friend of my who runs a real 56 Corvette roadster that will be on the salt and will be in the 200 mph club, if anyone is there the car is white with gray coves and ask for Dave Grey and tell him I told you to say hello.
Chrisman Bros & Duncan coupe
First picture is approximately 1955 taken in Wendover ( picture doesn't say where but I know that rock!)
Second picture Mecum auction 2010.
Rear mounted 331 Hemi
Sold RM Auction 2008 $660,000
Did not sell at hammer @$485,000 in 2010
The "Spirit" had only about 2 or 3 degrees of steering travel, and when Craig's chute failed to stop him he was unable to get the car to turn sharp enough to take an alternate path. As originally built, it had no steering at all. It was meant to steer by individual rear wheel braking, an idea that turned out to be not so good.
I also remember the "Monster" had a very odd running attitude, where the front tires were being smashed while the rear wheels were coming off the ground. Something about the angle of the trust.
Pioneers, these men... This had to be more scary than riding in the Mercury space capsule.
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