Your average 225 mph Stude pickup
These guys (Norris Andersen and team) have been coming from Kansas for at least three years. Last time I talked to the Norris in 2010, he had run 205 mph. He later bumped up this speed to 219 mph which is in the record book for AA/MP.
Norris runs a big block Chevy, about 650 cu in.
Time to hit the road
This year, running 225 mph at 8000 rpm, the rear pinion blew.
Time to load up. I don’t know whether Norris set a new record or not. His best time was 221 mph which bettered his 2010 speed.
Record-holding Avanti
Avantis are always a crowd favorite, but this one looks as though it coughed up a critical part that made it go fast (a Micheal Waltrip quote from about ten years ago). Michael also added, “we sure miss that part”.
On the road again
The E/CPS class designation tells us that this car runs in a Classic Production Supercharged class, for which this car holds the current record at 139.359 mph.
This year would not up the record.
Edsel Roadster
Normally I feature Salt Freaks since there are generally plenty of examples to amaze the senses. But I guess that these wonders split after the weekend.
Oh oh! Catastrophic Port-a-Wall failure is evident.
Somebody put a lot of work into this
But not in this case. Can you imagine yourself sitting around some night and thinking-I’ve got this ‘58 Edsel in the garage, what the ef am I going to do with it?
Suck a lemon
Well, here’s a suggestion. Ding, ding, ding! Yeah!
’33 Plymouth
The parking lot at Bonneville is often more interesting than the racers. When I saw this car, I asked a rando if this was a “33 (Plymouth). He said, NO. It’s a ‘34.
Ford 302
As I was taking shots of the car, he came back to me and said, yes, it’s a ‘33. OK, what’s under the hood. A 5.0 liter Ford. Of course, what else would you stuff into a Chrysler product?
Monster fish
I almost passed up this 1966 Barracuda, but this car is one of my dream Bonneville machines. What if?-well this guy did it.
What we have here is a Barracuda powered by a 170 cu in Slant Six. On the way to a new, incredomundo F/CPRO (Classic Production) record, at over 140 mph, this car blew its engine in a spectacular manner. But the day before it set a new record of 136.59 mph. The former record was 100.571 mph set only last year.
The Seattle owner will be back next year to beat his own record.
’38 Chevy
The owner of this ‘38 Chevy wasn’t around to question why he was packing up. But the team next door stated that the car had coughed up a lung.
Good looking butt
The car was running a Wayne head (Chevy or GMC?, who knows) on an inline six, and has broken 150 mph. Unfortunately his competition, in a ‘37 Chevy, also with a Wayne head, holds the record at over 157 mph. Fast company
Kiwis on the salt
Bonneville attracts hot rodders from around the world. This group was from New Zealand. They try to make Speed Week on a yearly basis.
The magic umbrella
The T-shirts on the crew and graphics on the car were indistinguisable from Beach Boy surfers.
Waiting for a start
Were it not for the fact that their T-shirts stated “New Zealand” on the back, and that they had a tad bit of an accent, they looked and behaved like all the other competitors. Hey, come on! This is Bonneville, which is a universal language.
GR means that this car runs in the “Gas Roadster” class. The “B” designation indicates that these guys are running against a 232 mph record with an engine sized between 373 and 440 cubic inches.
These guys had run 233 mph on the day before, so they were stout. They had spun earlier in the day, but were once again chasing the record.
Door slammer
OK, what’s the point of running a ‘95 Caprice SS 4dr sedan? Beats the shit outta me.
No armrests
I can attest, on the basis of having been there, that all four doors are hinged and operating.
In FALT -Fuel Altered Coupe (with 4 doors?) decal grilles are OK
The record for C/FALT (306-373 cu in) is 240+ mph. This car shattered the 200 mph barrier. Unfortunately, the record is just north of 240.
Gong show.
But they were on the salt and my Subaru and I were not. (actually, my Subi was parked not too far away, so I was on the salt, and tomorrow I will have to deal with the consequences-the salt is nasty stuff).
It’s red with Pirellis
This was a very loud car. I wish that I could be more specific, but after consulting my brand new SCTA record book, I can’t determine what class “RMR” is. But the “XFG” prefix probably indicates that it has a flathead Ford of some type.
Sounded great!
Plymouth of undetermined age
I will let the Commentariat tell me what year this Plymouth is. Probably pre ‘32.
Wow, a Watson
Bonneville brings out some interesting cars.
Ostensibly what we have here is a Watson roadster driven by Rodger Ward, who won the Indy 500 in 1959 and 1962.
The shark
A couple of interesting things. Maybe only one.
I don’t think cast magnesium wheels are allowed on the salt. Magnesium tends to be extremely brittle and has a distressing tendency of returning to whence it came, which is the sea.
If the “Halibrands” on this car look suspect, it’s because they are. They are printed images and probably just glued onto aluminum discs.
Step right in
But the thing did have an Offy. As the driver waited to be given the green flag (really, just gesture from the starter to “get the hell out of Dodge”), which seemed to be an eternity, the driver blipped the throttle for 15 minutes or more. Great “bark”, a quite unmistakable sound.
A very nice gentleman, who turned out to be a hot rod builder from Portland, OR, offered me a seat in his shaded enclave. We began to talk.
He asked me what I knew about this car, and I responded that if it were indeed a Rodger Ward car, it was quite valuable. But Watson built a ton of cars that competed from the ‘50s into the ‘60s at Indy. This may have been a “tribute car”. My guess is that the actual Rodger Ward Watson cars are in the Indy 500 museum.
At 170 mph the car spun out.
Love them Watsons
But while my guest and I were waiting for this Watson to launch, we struck up a dialog. As I mentioned, he was from Portland and a hot rod builder. He specializes in ‘30s Fords with early ‘50s Cad or Olds motors. I asked him if he had read “TV Tommy Ivo”, the semi-autobiographic book by Ivo and Tom Cotter, and he said that he had not. For those of you that are fans of Buick nailhead V8s, this is a must read.
Nice fins
What do we call this phenomena? The “CC effect” of something like that.
Well, here is “that”, a Henry J in yellow.
I know that JPC rolfs at any color approaching interesting, but this was a mellow yellow..
Nice pin stripe
It even had a trunk!
And it was from a foreign nation! The great White North!
As I was shooting this the owner approached me while stating “no photos, no photos!” I told him to buzz off.
This is what Frenched is all about (aboot)
The owner, Bert Straiton from Abbotsford, BC, was the mastermind of cramming a Ford SHO V6 into this thing in a way not originally intended by Mr. Kaiser.
A SHO mounted the wrong way
The amount of modification is mind boggling, but Bert and his buddies drive this thing from BC to the Salt every year. The interior looks as though it were straight out of an SHO.
Strange bedfellows
OK, here we have an interesting study in contrasts. An MB 300 TD and a 1957 English Ford Escort (more on that later).
The 300 TD belongs to Dave Britton, the hot rod builder from Portland. It only has 87,000 miles on the clock.
This is where I carry my spare tire, how about you?
This is the 1957 English Ford Escort that I showed last year. The crap on the roof are the spare tires. Aside from the front passenger seat, there is virtually no storage room inside the car.
The car is owned by Tommy Gregory, and by all outward appearances, he is a sane human being. But Tommy drives this thing from Fernandina Beach, Florida, to the Salt every year.
It has an SBC with 3-2s. The front license plate holder states “Will do wheelies for beer”.
Uh. I don’t know. I like driving cool cars, but at my age, the 120 miles from Salt Lake to the salt flats bores the shit out of me, and I’ve got AC, cruise, and that ilove radio crap. Can you imagine driving this thing for half a continent, or maybe more, with only an SBC to keep you entertained?
Where the ef is Fernandina Beach? Somewhere in Cuba?
Next Up: Bonneville: Nash and Rambler on the Salt
Beautiful. Want to go there but poor boys have to stay home.
Fernandina Beach is just outside of Jacksonville.
Good stuff here. The Avanti is running steel wheels !
That salt gets everywhere !
WTF is an Escort doing there ? It was just an Anglia van with windows after all. The posh version had fake wood trim on the sides and was badged “Squire”.
That Henry J looks cute, but why would you call a car “Henry J” ? Almost as silly as calling a new Opel an “Adam” !
Still trying to believe that I didn’t dream that Edsel……
I bet that used to be a stripper model Caprice or Caprice 9C1 due to the crank windows, plastic door cards, and the color of said cards. Also, the taillights are Caprice taillights.
Lots of eye candy there Kevin, thanks. I love the “Edsel” and that ’38 Chevy. Never knew that about magnesium.
The 2013 Rules and Records Dry Lake Speed Trials states- Nonferrous Wheels: …”Magnesium wheels are not recommended and, if used, shall have an initial Zygote (sounds sexual) certificate and stamp available”.
I don’t know what a “Zygote” inspection entails, but it sounds as though steel or aluminum wheels would obviate the whole inspection process.
Great writeup and pictures. Thanks for sharing them.
That Edsel is great. I’ve actually been wondering for a few months what a roadster with an Edsel grille shell would look like. Now I know.
These cars look like they just came out of a Wisconsin snowstorm.
Racers in general tend to be a bit out there, but these salt guys? Wow! I would love to know the thought process for that Edsel.
Great pictures, as usual.
Great Job! Thanks. Haven’t been to Bonneville for 30 yrs. Now that I’m retired I have to get back there, even once.
Thank you for another great read and photos Kevin.Love the Barracuda,A body Barracudas are hardly ever seen in magazines or shows compared to E bodies.What a little cutie that Henry J is
Love this writeup! Bonneville cars are always way out there (IMO), but they get it done. I love all of the weird combinations that folks devise, like small block Fords in old Plymouths, or Yamaha SHO engines in a farkin’ Henry J! Sometimes I think these folks just race whatever they have at hand. I guess that would explain somethings like a 1996 Caprice at the starting line.
I’m continually amazed at how many Studebakers are speed record or ‘elderly’ race cars, I guess the “Loewy” styling really was rather aerodynamic. They make for beautiful racers. The 1938 Chevy is another long time favorite as a race car. Those, along with early 1940’s Willys, and 1932 Fords are real classic racers, no matter the type of competition.
Lots of great stuff, KM, thanks for bringing it to us. Good choice leading off with the Studebakers. Studes Rule!
For the record, I do not rolf at ANY color that approaches interesting. (However, a color described as “interesting” reminds me of that supposed Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.”) Actually, I like the screaming yellow Henry J. My only problem with yellow cars is that there seems to be no color that looks worse with the rust accents that invariably appear in the midwest. I do, however, rolf at that color that cannot decide if it is yellow or orange and looks like Kraft mac and cheese.
Also, my guess on the Plymouth is a 1931.
That edsel is spectacular. The thought process must have been imense and allong the lines of intense. Bug why the port a walls?
Also, a while back there was an article in one of the big magazines on that studebaker. Seems to me they come equipped with said big block and also a small block thats ready to be dropped in so it can run both classes. That right there is dedication and I can only imagine what an engine swap on the salt would be like.
Once you’ve seen it done, it becomes more understandable. Portable engine hoist (or a chain fall mounted on a four-legged tubular structure), and a bit of sweat. Most competitors have been coming to the salt for years, so if they don’t have an engine hoist, they know where to get one. The problem starts when you only have one engine…
The top speed crazies are different animals from you and me. Takes all kinds to make a world. The SHO Yamaha gets more beautiful every time I see one. This is a great write up. Thanks
What fantastic write up and photos. I’d love to be able to take this in.
That Edsel custom is quite impressive!
+1
The Edsel hot rod is awesome, also the Escort van is suitably insane for Bonneville and the Barracuda is an impressive performance for a slant six.
I made it to El Mirage this year, and Bonneville is next on the bucket list.
Try to make it on Saturday or Sunday before cars blow up. The parking lot tends to have a lot more interesting stuff in it on those days as well. Another good place to see cars is in the Smiths parking lot in Wendover, NV where everyone goes to buy food, water, and full 5.0 beer (Utah only sells 3.2) before hitting the Salt. I guess that I’m getting old-the only thing I drank on the Salt this year was water. Came back with two unopened cans of Heinekens. Born to be wild!
A great piece with lots of eye candy. Thanks!
The Edsel is very cool, as it the SHO powered Henry J.
The lack of the “Hofmiester kink” in the rear window and chrome trim around the tailights indicate that the Whale is just a Caprice and not an Impala SS.
The GREAT WHITE NORTH has some AWESOME rides!!!
Come up and see US sometime!
Great pictures, thanks,
I told my Grandpa I wasn’t a rebel since I was now a Daddy, He called me a quitter…
The bst thing about Bert s Henry j is that it was built in the early 90’s and Pyramid Engineering in Bellingham had to figure out to get it to run using Ford technology that came with the Taurus. That was long before the aftermarket jumped in with kits. The intake has been cut in half and rematched facing the opposite direction to how it was in the Taurus.
canadians ARE different.