[MARTINSR]

I remember it being a 50 Plymouth, I'll do some research. You actually met the guy who killed James Dean? That is wild! It is an amazing thought how this one man could be a part of history. Just a mild mannered man driving down the road going to the store for a bag of rice gets in an accident that is imortalized in American modern history connected with the death of this huge rising star, amazing.

Brian

[dinger]

Turnupseeds car was a 50 Ford, built up. He was into rodding, some of the old timers in my car club knew him. A nice guy, very quiet and reserved, would NOT speak about the accident. I did hear he had death threats occasionally through his life. He was a good guy, honest, and a great business man, not something that can be said about a lot of successful business men.
If I remember right, little bastard was the name Dean had on his car. There was some story, probably urban legend, about some guy seeing the wreck on the side of the road and knowing whos car it was by the name wrote on the back. There's a lot of legend following the car, it was supposed to be a "bad luck" or "devil Car" from hell, causing many misfortunes. Hit us again, Brian, that was a good one.

[MARTINSR]

I'm not the one who posed the question, Dave was. And if he oks it, you are the one to offer up a question.

It is funny how we are all just people and how we "could" become a part of history. Even small time stars could be in one film, playing a small part like a bartender or something like that and end up going down in history.

I met Barry Williams of the Brady Bunch once and was chatting with him like anyone else at a party and I told him how he was a piece of history. He replyed with "You tell me, I met Neil Armstrong once, Neil friggin Armstrong, I would have never been able to do something like that if I hadn't been on the Brady Bunch". It was kinda funny.

I think it's why people have such a hard time with 9-11 that 20 guys could get together and do what they did. Or Lee Harvey Oswald, that one guy could do what he did. They have such a hard time with it they want to believe so badly in a conspiracy because it is so hard to believe that one man could have so much power.

Brian

[Dave57210]

You got it Dinger! I had to go back to see what it was that Mr Turnupseed was driving as I remembered it being an older Mercury. And yes, James Dean had named his Porsche "Little Bastard", and he raced it as well as driving it on the road.

OK Dinger! Hit us with a good one!

[dinger]

I'll turn this over to you, Dave, I have got to jam, one audit this morning and a long drive home, gotta hustle. And my mind is completely blank of anything that wouldn't take more than 15 seconds to answer...

[Dave57210]

Often truth is stranger than fiction, especially in the world of strange coincidences.

In this morning's paper there was a lengthy article on James Dean and on how he died. Seems his one true love was racing. He had raced motorcycles and sports cars. He had won his first race - a qualifying race in Palm Springs in a Porsche 356-1500 Super Speedster. A month later, he was third overall, and first in class at Bakersfield. His final race ended in mechanical failure in a race at Santa Barbara.

The Studio banned him from racing until his movies were done. He finished "GIANT" and then decided to become more serious about racing, so he traded the speedster for the 550 Spyder, and had George Barris "customize" it with stripes, the number 130 on hood and sides, and "Little Bastard" on the trunk.

Having owned it for only a couple of weeks, he decided to enter the race at Salinas and to drive the Spyder to the race when he encountered the '50 Ford driven by Mr Turnupseed near Cholame.

[Dave57210]

OK - let's see if this can "stump the panel"

Some cars have unusual styling, some have unusual engines, and some have strange or unusual drivelines.

Name the car that had a very unusual transmission (it was, so far as I know, never sold in North America but was a sales success in Europe) that was famous for being able to go as fast in reverse as forward. (Which was actually not very fast at all, topping out at 50 mph) Who built it, what was it called and what country was home to the company that made it ?

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by Dave57210

OK - let's see if this can "stump the panel"

Some cars have unusual styling, some have unusual engines, and some have strange or unusual drivelines.

Name the car that had a very unusual transmission (it was, so far as I know, never sold in North America but was a sales success in Europe) that was famous for being able to go as fast in reverse as forward. (Which was actually not very fast at all, topping out at 50 mph) Who built it, what was it called and what country was home to the company that made it ?

It was the Dutch DAF, it was a POS, it had a CVT for a drive and a few did make it here to the US as a very attractive (single!!) girl drove one and we serviced it at the shop I worked at weekends part time while in college.

(...and yes I dated her a few times)

Dave W

[Dave57210]

Right On! the DAF 33 "Daffodil" was the car. Powered by what some would consider to be a snowmobile engine, and using a snowmobile-type of drive with cones & belts. It was a minor success in Europe, and spawned the similar transmission type used in the Subaru Justy with its CVT, and few other attempts to come up with a design that would keep the engine at one set RPM and vary the "gear ratio" according to load. (Drive you nuts to drive one - speed changes, RPM doesn't)

OK, Dave W - its your turn!

[Irelands child]

I did it again - now I have to come up with a stumper.
(The girl here that had one - she really was nice )

Now, to the world of drag racing - and this may require some digging:

Shirley Muldowney -
1. Her maiden name
2. Her first husbands name
3. Her home town
4. What kind of daily driver car she flog(see 6 below)
5. Who was the star of Heart Like a Wheel
Optional:
6. Where did she start her racing career (besides the stop light drags up and down State Street)
7. Who was the actual owner of the first slingshot dragster she drove - may not be in Wikipedia.

To answer your questions - yes, I knew her well (school) before she became a national figure in auto sports.

Dave W

[MARTINSR]

Every time I hear Shirley's name I think of a speech Don Garlits gave at a Nostalgic drags at Fremont Dragstrip back in 1987 or 88. He was talking about all his competition and spoke of many names conspicuously absent was Shirley. He said something like the other "flash in the pans" or something like that mean nothing. I just remember thinking how it was kinda of a slap in her face she was a big name at the time after all.

Brian

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Every time I hear Shirley's name I think of a speech Don Garlits gave at a Nostalgic drags at Fremont Dragstrip back in 1987 or 88. He was talking about all his competition and spoke of many names conspicuously absent was Shirley. He said something like the other "flash in the pans" or something like that mean nothing. I just remember thinking how it was kinda of a slap in her face she was a big name at the time after all.

Brian

Brian, I think that was right after she had kicked his butt - badly - at an event. Quite frank, she probably could have done it physically, even as skinny as she was at the time. They were/arch rivals!!!

She never really made it back 100%after that test crash in Canada

Dave W

[blue54]

Originally Posted by Irelands child

I did it again - now I have to come up with a stumper.
(The girl here that had one - she really was nice )

Now, to the world of drag racing - and this may require some digging:

Shirley Muldowney -
1. Her maiden name
2. Her first husbands name
3. Her home town
4. What kind of daily driver car she flog(see 6 below)
5. Who was the star of Heart Like a Wheel
Optional:
6. Where did she start her racing career (besides the stop light drags up and down State Street)
7. Who was the actual owner of the first slingshot dragster she drove - may not be in Wikipedia.

To answer your questions - yes, I knew her well (school) before she became a national figure in auto sports.

Dave W

Let's see if I got this right
1. Her maiden name was Rogue
2. First husband's name was Jack Muldowney
3. She was born is Schenectady NY in 1940
4. She flogged a 40 Ford with Cad power that her dad and Jack built
5. Bonnie Bedelia played the part of Shirley
6. I think she started at Lebanon Valley Drag way (not sure)
7. Her first ride and licensing passes in a fuel car were in Poncho Rendon' car, but she and Jack built a front motor car prior to that (I think) with an injected small block. I met her thru a friend that ran a fuel car. His wife used to do Shirley's hair when she was in the North West.

Great trivia.

Bill

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by blue54

Let's see if I got this right
1. Her maiden name was Rogue
2. First husband's name was Jack Muldowney
3. She was born is Schenectady NY in 1940
4. She flogged a 40 Ford with Cad power that her dad and Jack built
5. Bonnie Bedelia played the part of Shirley
6. I think she started at Lebanon Valley Drag way (not sure)
7. Her first ride and licensing passes in a fuel car were in Poncho Rendon' car, but she and Jack built a front motor car prior to that (I think) with an injected small block. I met her thru a friend that ran a fuel car. His wife used to do Shirley's hair when she was in the North West.

Great trivia.

Bill

Bill,
Close enough with a couple of minor corrections and add-ons
- Her name was Roque (Like Rock)
- The car she is most remembered for on the streets of Schenectady were various years of Corvettes
- She actually began 'official' drag racing at Fonda Speedway's 1/8 mile, the same day that I did
- Her first front engined dragster ride was one owned by Northeast Speed in Schenectady tho it is a little known fact unless you know the characters involved
- She also ran an altered wheelbase MoPar as well as a mega modded '63 Split Window 'Vette owned by others

You're turn now - and maybe we can get into this type of question for a while.

Dave W

[blue54]

Thanks Dave. In the same light.

1. Who won the only NHRA Top Fuel championship with out winning a national event?
2. What year?
3. How did he do it?
4. What was his record?
5. Who was the owner?


This one is not too tough.
Bill