[Chris Kemp]

OK here's one:

An exhibition driver is a type of driver that is used by race track promoters to draw more spectators during a racing event. What drag racing king of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s thru the unforeseen characteristic of a newly designed drag car became the exhibition king of the late 1960’s, 1970’s and early 1980’s? What was his birth name, his show name, the name of the car that he did the exhibition driving in and the special characteristics of that car?

[MARTINSR]

1. Bill Golden
2. "Maverick"
3. "Little Red Wagon"
4.

There could be a number of others I assume, but I this was the first that popped into my head. I had to do a search for his real name though.

Brian

[Chris Kemp]

Bill Golden is his real name. It was a strange twist that took place while testing the factory built Lil Red Wagon. They found out that they couldn't keep the front end on the ground. It turned out to be real attraction and crowd pleaser so he went from professional drag racer to professional exhibition driver and the rest is history.

You now have the floor.

[MARTINSR]

Keeping on the same subject of drag exibition cars…….

What has been called the most successful exhibition car in drag racing? It went thru a number of owners running for years! It’s first owner was reported to have said that the front tires was all he wore out!

Bonus question, what was the owner/builders nick name and why?

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Chris Kemp

Bill Golden is his real name. It was a strange twist that took place while testing the factory built Lil Red Wagon. They found out that they couldn't keep the front end on the ground. It turned out to be real attraction and crowd pleaser so he went from professional drag racer to professional exhibition driver and the rest is history.

You now have the floor.

I didn't know that the truck wasn't originally built to be a wheelie puller! Very cool story.

Brian

[Chris Kemp]

With out looking anything up the first car that comes to mind is Tommy Ivo's Toranado-TV Tommy

[Joe G]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Keeping on the same subject of drag exibition cars…….

What has been called the most successful exhibition car in drag racing? It went thru a number of owners running for years! It’s first owner was reported to have said that the front tires was all he wore out!

Bonus question, what was the owner/builders nick name and why?

Brian

Tommy Ivo's "Showboat"

[Joe G]

Check out this you tube video of the Showboat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiR8y7BmDug

[Joe G]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

....Bonus question, what was the owner/builders nick name and why?

Tommy Ivo's career in Hollywood movies and television earned him the nickname "TV Tommy" Ivo.

[MrPhotographer06]

Originally Posted by Joe G

Tommy Ivo's "Showboat"

i was holding a hardess thickburger when i saw that..

i am now chewing on what i bit off.. and the rest fell back into the box that thing is awesome

[Chris Kemp]

If you are interested in one of these for your own, I have a friend that I do work for that deals in diecast.
http://www.simplydiecast.com/GMP-Tom...ecast-P44.aspx
I think he still has a few of these. GMP makes some awesome reproductions.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Joe G

Tommy Ivo's "Showboat"

Joe, you are absolutely right. I have been a big Ivo fan literally my whole life. My Dad sold Buicks from 1957-77 and I cut my first teeth in the back seat of a demonstrator. If you pickup the book on history of Pete and Jake you will find a photo of Ivo in the pits of the Fremont Dragstrip with two handsome fellows talking to him, that's me and my brother.

I was a member of a Yahoo Nailhead Buick group. One day I was talking about Ivo when I got an email from him! It had some photos of the display of his cars at the Garlits Museum of Dragracing. He is a super guy, my brother has sold him parts for a number of years. So, check this out, he must have put me in his email address book. About a month later I got an email from him with a warning that his computer may have had a virus and he was warning everyone in his address book. The list of email addresses would blow you mind! I had the personal email address to the who's who in dragracing! We are talking Cha Cha, Jungle Pam, Kieth Black, Prudhome, Tony Nancy, we are talking EVERYONE who was anyone in dragracing history! And among all these names is "Brian Martin". It was truly wild!

Ivo ran a single Nailhead dragster, a twin nailhead (first car into the 8's on gas) and the four engine. The four engine (and I believe the others as well) had 364 CI nailheads "poked and stroked" to 454 cid.

The Showboat was known as the "moving cloud". It's unique sound comes from the fact that no two of the 32 cylinders are firing at the same time!

I missed it running at Fremont Drag strip when I was a kid do to a rain out, DARN IT.

Joe, you have the floor!

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Joe G

Check out this you tube video of the Showboat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiR8y7BmDug

Oh my God, that video is AWESOME! The first shot of it running down the quarter mile, it's from one of those old Beach Party movies. I forget the name of it but that is what that is from. Is Tommy personable or what! What a nice guy!

Brian

[Joe G]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

....Joe, you have the floor!

Thanks Brian. That was a great question. I didn't have to Google that one, but I did "Geezer" it. You see, my shop has kind of an old time barber shop atmosphere about it. Every day, we get several retired gentlemen who stop in to shoot the s**t. I learn something everyday from them. Some come every day, and some only stop by once a week or so. I ran this question by one of them and he knew immediately what you were talking about.

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Sorry it took so long for me to get back and ask a question. I had a home maintenance emergency to attend to.
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Next question:

What was the first GM production four cylinder engine with electronic multi-port fuel injection?

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Joe G

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Next question:

What was the first GM production four cylinder engine with electronic multi-port fuel injection?

Cosworth Vega.

Brian