[ Kevin Martin wrote a whole series of articles from his regular visits to the salt flats. They all feature his vivid photography and colorful commentary. Each subsequent chapter can be accessed via inks at the bottom of each post]
Twice a year my neighborhood grows to include two important events. The first is Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats in August, sanctioned by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). The second is a smaller event in October sanctioned by the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA). I say neighborhood since getting to Bonneville from my house is a relatively straightforward proposition-hook a right on I-15 for a couple of miles, turn left at I-80, then hold the steering wheel more or less straight for the next 120 miles.
You will travel through scenic bombing ranges (Dugway) and alkalai wastelands (everywhere) until you hit Wendover, or as we locals affectionally call it, Bendover, Utah/Nevada. There are two Wendovers: East Wendover, Utah which has all the charm of post-apocalyptic Armageddon; and Wendover, Nevada, which, while not exactly charm city, at least has full-strength beer (max in Utah is 3.2) and casinos.
At the risk of being disingenuous, I’ll state straight off that there are no curbs at Bonneville, and therefore, technically, no Curbside Classics. But you will find one of the most eclectic assemblage of cars you are ever liable to come across-to wit, the Phoenix.
The Phoenix fits the CC demographic perfectly: it’s a truck (1943 International K-7 dump truck); it’s an oil burner (Detroit Diesel 16V92) 16 cylinder, 2-stroke; and obscenely fast (272.6 mph in 2003).
It’s also from Oregon, specifically, Grants Pass, just south (OK, a whole bunch south) of Eugene.
The truck was campaigned from 1990 until 2003 by the team of R.B. Slagle, who died in 1998, and Carl Heap, who died in 2004. As with many Bonneville entries, the vehicle was a protean effort, each year sporting new refinements. The Phoenix’s apotheosis was in 2003, the last time it ran. The truck is still in possession of the Heap family. They are looking for a worthy automotive museum to display the Phoenix.
There are only two amateur racing events in the US that have both national and international visibility-Bonneville, and the Pikes Peak Hillclimb (tune in later). The craftsmanship and attention to detail, apparent not only in the competitors’ vehicles, but also in the parking lot, is mind blowing. And nothing is off-limits. You can walk into any pit and engage the drivers/owners in conversation. You can talk to them on the starting line. You can stand right next to the cars when they launch. You can photograph anything you like.
There are a couple of websites that are particularly informative on the Phoenix: http://rvsafetysystems.com/The%20Phoenix%20LSR%20Truck.htm; and http://www.ugofadini.com/phoenixstory.html.
In forthcoming weeks I will be posting more Bonneville photos, as well as vintage photos that I have shot at the Indianapolis 500 (1965 and 1977), the US Gran Prix (1973), Lime Rock and other venues.
The following photo shows the international appeal of Bonneville. I include it to make Bryce feel all warm and fuzzy. The full text at the bottom reads “Kiwis can’t fly but they sure run fast…” The most famous Kiwi to run at Bonneville was, of course, Burt Munro, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in “The World’s Fastest Indian”, one of my favorite films.
I particularly liked the comment above the Kiwi one:
“May All You Ecological Bastards Freeze To Death In The Dark”
Amen. 🙂
Now for that hybrid car I’m planning…
I think that slogan is based on a Canadian bumper sticker protesting the National Energy Program. It read “Let the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark”.
If you’re planning a hybrid car in the sense that it burns both gas AND rubber, then I approve. 🙂
And U.S. southerners had a bumper sticker that said “Drive a hundred, freeze a Yankee”
Is that a reference to Burt Munroes Indian?
It is. And maybe the best Sir Anthony Hopkins film.
Indy ’65! IIRC, that was the first year for Jim Clark’s rear-engined car, while the rest of the field still had the power up front. And wasn’t there a turbine car in there somewhere?
Would love to see all those old pics, Kevin.
73ImpCapn,
Clark first raced at Indy in ’63, the year that Parnelli Jones won the 500.
My first Indy 500 was in ’64, the year Foyt won his second 500 in a dinosaur (front engine, rear dive, solid axles at both ends). Clark won in ’65, the last year a dinosaur qualified. The STP Turbine Car first came on the scene in’67 after Granatelli gave up on the Novis.
Thank you, sir. Looking forward to learning more!
+1!
Now this should be interesting! You have to love the ridiculous, taken to extremes vehicles like the subject one, and particularly the amateur events for the reasons stated. It is why I much prefer to go to historic & low level racing rather than the big events where everything is off-limits.
One of these years I will have to get to the local salt lake speed week at Lake Gairdner in SA, not far from Lake Eyre where Donald Campbell set a land speed record in 1964
John,
That’s what makes Bonneville so cool. There are classes for every engine/body combination you can think of. You aren’t competing against fellow car owners, you are competing against the clock.
I can only imagine what that Detroit sounds like when its wound out..the 6 and 8s are crazy loud when flogged in a truck. I’ve never had the experience of driving one but talking to other drivers I’m told that you have to “drive it like you’re angry” to get the best performance out of em’/
I’ve stood next to a 16v92 under load in a Euclid mining truck and the noise (roar does not do it justice) will rattle your teeth out of your head. I can’t imagine what the Phoenix sounds like. Nice to see one of these old warhorses still at work.
Sweet truck, I’ll take one!
I’d have loved to hear that thing at 272 mph. It had to be insane!
Here’s a “The Idiot’s guide to driving a Detroit Diesel” from 4btswaps.
“Most people say you gotta “drive it like you stole it,” but for those of you who haven’t been dumb enough to steal a Detroit, here’s a step by step process on how to drive a Detroit Diesel powered rig:
1) Fall out of bed onto that alarm clock you swatted off the night stand 2 hours ago,
2) Get dressed, get bit/trip over the dog,
3) Make a cup of coffee, just to spill it all over your self as you trip over the dog… again,
4) Slip off the icy front steps, fall into that patch of colorful snow the dog made last night.
5) Dust your self off and check the oil,
6) Pull the dipstick out rather angrily, sending that drop of oil into your eye,
7) Add that extra quart you know you’ll burn eventually,
8) Now your fingers are numb, you drop the keys, they slide to the LEAST accessible spot in the yard,
9) You finally dig around in the snow and find them,
10) Get in the truck, Slam in the clutch, turn the key, and take off.
Now Every step is recommended, but the mandatory ones are#’s 1, 2, 6, 7, and 10.”
RIP Kevin, you’ll be pleased to note Burt Munroes record has been recalculated upwards the original organizers made an error.
I really have to get to a Bonneville Speed Week…. I did visit several years ago during a non-Speed Week but did explore the upper limits of my rental Caddy… Shortly after than I heard the rental car companies started tacking on a surcharge if the undercarriage of the car was encrusted in salt…
So well written and the comments as always , are great too .
-Nate
How lucky to have one of the builders named “Heap”; their contraption automatically gets a legendary name. What could be cooler than calling your racer, “The Slagle Heap”! And, what a beauty!
PS: Comments about “ecological bastards” are just snarky inside jokes in the same vein as those at a KKK convention. Don’t look now, but it’s not just the people you don’t like who freeze. It’s everybody. In the end, we will all try to survive, no matter what it takes. Then we’ll race cars powered by rubber bands. It’s not the motive power that matters, it’s the race.