Cal-Look.com’s Historic Photo of the Week Thread

[John P]

The attached photo, submitted by Glenn Miller, reminds me of one of the many reasons that the original EMPI Inch Pincher was an incredible car: diversity of use. Yeah, we all know it as a Giant Killer on the drag strip (1/4 mile AND 1/2 mile), but this same car also won (and was later disqualified) the Nassau Grand Prix (driven by Dan Gurney) and made top speed passes at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

I love this photo in particular because it's rarely seen. It makes me want to drive out to Utah in my '67.

Enjoy.

JP

[jgerock]

How about this old magazine (Volume # 1) with the EMPI show-stand engine.


I have this book in my collection.  My neighbor used to own the original version with the yellow cover and engine with twin Holley carbs.


Couple of old ads from 1974

[landspeedracer]

The attached photo, submitted by Glenn Miller, reminds me of one of the many reasons that the original EMPI Inch Pincher was an incredible car: diversity of use. Yeah, we all know it as a Giant Killer on the drag strip (1/4 mile AND 1/2 mile), but this same car also won (and was later disqualified) the Nassau Grand Prix (driven by Dan Gurney) and made top speed passes at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

I love this photo in particular because it's rarely seen. It makes me want to drive out to Utah in my '67.

Enjoy.

JP

Dean and Ken took the Inch Pincher to a top speed of 125.86 miles per hour with the 40hp based EMPI motor. Here is a photo Carter Kudrle took after the engine expired on the return run. Dean ran the engine without ANY engine cooling and it just could not hold up for multiple three mile long passes without cool air. The third photo is by an unkown photographer found on www.landracing.com in their Old Bonneville Photos forum and shows the Pincher ready to launch down the long black line of Bonneville.

The second photo shows a very early image of the Inch Pincher(Jan-Feb 63) with driver Gary Enoch just prior to the bug becoming a serious drag and road race car. At this point the car was powered by an Okrasa equipped 36hp engine. Gary, later a top Formula Vee driver and his dad visited a dry lake in SoCal(not El Mirage) for a Pacific Sports Car Club speed event where the car was driven on a mile long slalom(gymkhana) course through the dirt. This photo came to me through Glenn from Darrell V's collection.

Yes, the Inch Pincher did enjoy a much varied racing career.

Burly

[landspeedracer]

Here are the photos in a larger format so they canbe beiwed more easily.

Burly

[bugnut]

C'mon, Glenn is a sexy beast!

As I noted, I'm just as guilty as the rest for VW transgressions in the 1980s. I remember being heavily influenced by Chris Tool's two-tone '63(?) Hot VW's cover car and it's multi-coloured, 2180, dual IDA'd engine. I thought that was the coolest thing, and replicated it (to a much lower quality result).

Can you say white engine tin and pop can covering the coil 

JP
(Had pink and purple hair in the early '80s)

When was Chris Tool's car featured?  And whatever happened to his Super Street car from the mid '90s?

[John P]

I LOVE the photos of the Inch Pincher above! The diversity of use of that car was amazing (circuit, land speed, drag, and grocery getter).

When was Chris Tool's car featured?

I don't remember exactly, but I think that it was the late 1980s (1989?). I believe that Deano did the feature, but I may be mistaken.

[John P]

Time to blow the dust off of this thread...

The Prevelker

Image generously provided by Bob Hoffield



Bob took this photo in the early-to-mid 1970s.

I LOVE the look and feel of this car: period graphics, DDS rear wheels, push bars, bad-ass nose-down rake, etc. The front wheels are interesting, and appear to be 1965-up, narrow five bolt Porsche pattern wheels. Early 911 steelies? Check out the offset. 

I know nothing about this car - does anyone have any insight? Part of our mission is to shine the light on cars from back in the day that aren't widely remembered.

It's yet another, "Where are they now?" 

Cheers,

JP
http://Cal-Look.com

[landspeedracer]

 It's yet another, "Where are they now?" 

Cheers,

JP
http://Cal-Look.com
[/quote]


I couldn't agree more John!

Below are photos of both a drag racer and land speed racer built by Bob Newmire back in the sixties and very early seventies. The drag car is called Joke Wagon and exists as you see it today in the wilds of Missouri.

Based out of Iowa at the time, the land speed racer became the Worlds Fastest Volkswagen in 1969 with a top speed of 134.93 and an undocumented top speed of 148 plus miles per hour. This car is the ex Jack Sutton/McAfee dragster ( powered by a Porsche Carrera engine ) featured in an early 1959 Hot Rod magazine. Newmires Bonneville/Sutton/McAffee car is now restored and living in Bobs Museum in Branson, Missouri:

( http://bransontraveloffice.com/branson-auto-museum/ ).

Bob bought it from Dean Lowry in SoCal, cut it in half and carried it back to Iowa in his Caddy convertible!

I have included photos of the LSR racer at the drags with a GMC (Jimmy) 261 blower but it was a little bit too strong for the VW dual port engine and blew the case in half.

 

Jimmy blown, fast and fragile!




Hanging from the rafter for thirty years prior to restoration.




Restored at Bonneville in the late nineties.




The first Jimmy ever on a VW? And first fuel injection? ? ?




Joke Wagon in the weeds.




The Joke Wagon featured an early English Ford solid axle up front, perhaps the first ever of it's kind!




Bob Newmire was a pioneer in VW power as evidenced by the Fuel Injection system shown below.




Let's hope some other readers join in so we can enjoy our history in photos.

Burly

[landspeedracer]

Time to blow the dust off of this thread...

 
It's yet another, "Where are they now?" 

Cheers,

JP
http://Cal-Look.com

And another one John:

Mell Ellis and Johannes Gosvig were one of, if not the first, VW drag racers. Together they started drag racing a bug in the mid fifties in northern California with great success, running an Okrasa motor. Later, they put the engine into a fiberglass kit car and enjoyed continued success. In 1962 they put the Okrasa into a 55 oval, went to Bonneville and set a 36hp dual carb record of 94.40 miles per hour which lasted forty five years.

John has since passed but Mel still builds VW motors commercially and just finished his third home-bilt airplane. Not bad for an eighty year old VW racer.



John Gosvig by the drag kit car.




The Okrasa equipped 36hp oval at Bonneville in 1962.




High technology forced air induction did not add any substantial speed.




Extractor systems and knowledge did not exist in 62. Mel and John pirated a clothesline pole from a local Bonneville motel and fabbed this four into four exhaust system.




Still very active in the VW world today, Mel, on the left, sold his 80's HVW's featured drag sedan to Dave Greer in Oregon who recently sold it on to a racer on the east coast.

Burly

[landspeedracer]

Tom Bruch is one of the three original VW land speed racers along with Dick Beith and Mel Ellis and still comes to Bonneville racing VW's today. He is currently the 36hp Challenge NA36 record holder at 106.514 miles per hour with a turboed 36er in Gaylen Andersons 74 bug. Tom has raced everything from a supercharged S-90 Honda motorcycle to a 1 liter 911(downsized to 3 cylinders) powered 914 as well as turbocharged Geo Metros and currently holds over 30 land speed records at Bonneville and Maxton.



Tom ran 89 mile per hour in his first visit to the salt in 65. Power was an Okrasa 36hp.




This low light Ghia was powered by one of Toms big bore 40hp motors and hit 118.451 on the salt in 1971.




Tom, on the right built the DSS engine that ran in Dave and Molly McCombs "24 Hour Bug" at the 2010 World of Speed.




Tom talks with Ed "Isky" Iskenderian at Bonneville about the Isky 2J cam that powered Gaylen Andersons 36hp powered bug to 106 miles per hour.




The Bruch/Anderson turbo 36 heading down Bonnevilles long black line.


Burly

[landspeedracer]

Dick Beith was the first ever VW racer at Bonneville and the first VW racer in any type of racing to set a World Record. In 1960, Dick drove his dual carbed 36hp VW to Bonneville an set a record of 77.107 miles per hour. Dick returned in 61 with a Pepco Supercharged 36er and established a second record of 101.696 miles per hour, a vintage supercharged 36hp record that still stands today, fifty years after being set.

On this fiftieth anniversary of his last record, Dick will be returning to Bonneville to again race in the 36hp ranks with a goal of 150 mph. Power will come from a 1450cc 36hp engine that is both supercharged, intercooled and fuel injected, installed in what must be the most radical, streamlined VW bug bodied race car ever. If all goes well, he hopes to display the 'Silver Bullet' racer at Bug-In 36 on May 1st in a special display of Volkswagen Bonneville racers.



Dick with the first ever World Record holding Volkswagen at the old entry to the Bonneville Salt Flats Speedway in Utah.




A magazine photo of Dicks Pepco supercharged engine on the stand. Note the reference in error to a Judson supercharger.




Later, Dick installed the Pepco 36hp engine in a lakester and went 129.100 miles per hour, the fastest a 36hp engine has ever gone to this date!




The 'Silver Bullet' will hopefully be on display at this years Bug-In on May 1st.




This is the Eaton supercharged, intercooled and fuel injected 36hp engine with which Dick hopes to reach 150 miles per hour at this Septembers World of Speed at the Bonnenville Salt Flats.

Burly

[David Ward]

Time to blow the dust off of this thread...

The Prevelker

Image generously provided by Bob Hoffield



Bob took this photo in the early-to-mid 1970s.

I LOVE the look and feel of this car: period graphics, DDS rear wheels, push bars, bad-ass nose-down rake, etc. The front wheels are interesting, and appear to be 1965-up, narrow five bolt Porsche pattern wheels. Early 911 steelies? Check out the offset. 

I know nothing about this car - does anyone have any insight? Part of our mission is to shine the light on cars from back in the day that aren't widely remembered.

It's yet another, "Where are they now?" 

Cheers,

JP
http://Cal-Look.com

This car sure looks like the BAE turbo racer from the 1977-80 era?

[landspeedracer]

This car sure looks like the BAE turbo racer from the 1977-80 era?

Dave, if it isn't the same car, you could sure fool me(and a lot of other folks). It is just missing the whale tail which is no big problem.

Burly

[John P]

Dave, if it isn't the same car, you could sure fool me(and a lot of other folks). It is just missing the whale tail which is no big problem.

GREAT catch - I bet you guys are right. What happened to that car?

Burly - I LOVE the photos and details - you are quite the historian! Keep 'em coming!

Cheers,

JP

[John P]

Twin Judson Superchargers

[Richard Roth]

The BAE Turbo car is in the akira ueno aka BEE HAUS collection in Japan.

[John P]

The BAE Turbo car is in the akira ueno aka BEE HAUS collection in Japan.

Thanks Richard. Does anyone have a recent photo of the car?

[John P]

A great photo of a car that needs no introduction...

From Hotrod Magazine.



Back when they were known as European (before the switch to "Engineered") Motor Products Incorporated.

Note the push bar for the pits, skinny orange stinger, lack of running boards and Casler slicks. 

[John P]

Saw this cool vintage photo on a thread on the Porsche 356 Registry, where owners were reminiscing about VWs they used to/still do own:



"Had '64, 61 and 72 bugs, then a new 73 bus. Favorite was the first one, a '64 bought in 1968 when I blew the 301ci in my '58 Chev convertible (first car). Rebult engine to a mighty 1385cc from original 1200, Crower V20 cam, 2bbl Holley Bugspray, centrigal advance distributor, light flywheel and EMPI extractor exhaust. Put stock wheel centers in 7" Chevy station wagon wheels for deep dish and ran F70 and D70 Polyglas tires. Short shift kit, camber compensator and Konis completed the package. Didn't get around to repairing the rear bumper..."


Very cool period modifications.  

[bugnut]

The BAE Turbo car is in the akira ueno aka BEE HAUS collection in Japan.

Last photo I saw of that collection, the cars are all dirty/dusty and just sitting dormant... a shame!

[John P]

Super Bug 2, resplendent with giant dildo on the door.  

Courtesy of Bob Hoffield.

[germansupplyscott]

It's yet another, "Where are they now?" 
Let's hope some other readers join in so we can enjoy our history in photos.

Burly

oh, indeed, thanks for posting those fantastic old photos. i found some very good photos of the landspeed racer on flickr:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/dustinholmes/3623067627/in/photostream/

[John P]

Now THIS is cool. It is a drag race car (looking like a Formula Vee chassis  ) running a Porsche 4 cam engine. Rumour is that it was built by Jack McAfee.

Very interesting. Notice the lack of starter in the Porsche tranny (presumably to save weight, or it has been removed in the photo for service).

I'd hate to throw a rod in one of those. Back when engines were relatively cheap.