Dry Lakes Racing

[frnkeore]

That's a WONDERFUL film clip. Thank you, very much!

Where is Harper Dry Lake? Some of the mountains in the back ground, look a lot like El Mirage Dry Lake. I spent a lot of time there in my 20's.

I thought that Belly Tanker cars, came after WWII, I wonder who's car that was and who drove it. It was very well done!

At 1:58, could that be a '41 Ford, in the "parking lot"?

[deuce5wndw]

Great video thanks for posting! Wonder if the 40 coupe at about 3.53 that had been on it's top happened there?

[Detonator]

Thanks for the great comments. That indeed is Ry Cooder on guitar, one of my faves. The guy in the Bugatti is Tommy Lee. His family owned car dealerships in LA. He came from money, but lived a troubled life and eventually committed suicide.


My dad told me it was Harper, but I've had other guys question if it was El Mirage. Dad raced at both, he was 17 at the time and turned 100.56 in his own roadster. That's him early on in the film with his fingers wiggling in his ears.


There's a guy over on the HAMB that's identified a lot of the drivers, I'll see if I can dig up a link.

[Elmo Rodge]

frnkeore, if you drive from Mojave to Barstow and get about three quarters of the way there and look left (North) about 20 miles you'll see Harper Dry Lake.
Wayno

[VeryTangled]

Hmmm. Nice racer here at 2:24...

[Elmo Rodge]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Tangled, I believe you can thank Preston Tucker for that one.
Wayno

[19Fordy]

That is the BEST flats racing video ever, especially with the music that is so perfect.
Wonder who the fellow with the suit coat was sitting in the open car AND wonder how that 40 coupe with the crushed roof actually rolled over.

That video is the real deal. Just think, almost all those early hot rodders are now gone.
Glad that video was made to preserve the past history.

[KGS]

Originally Posted by VeryTangled

Hmmm. Nice racer here at 2:24...

Jeff, That looks like one of the front wheel drive Indy 500 cars that Ford turned out for the 1935 race.

[bob miller]

at 2.24 the miller front drive indy 1935 and at 3.28 the miller gulf 4 1937

[tubman]

It's beginning to look to me like it wasn't a "Hot Rodder's Only" event. It appears there were some "high rollers" there as well.

[Detonator]

Okay, time to get into the weeds. This is research that popped up on the HAMB awhile back. Not all OT, but interesting none the less:


Below is from Riks website Custom Car Chronicle with some highlights on the kustom cars in the end:

Jamie Barter: “Okay. I’'ve been doing a little looking and I think the footage was shot at the October 4th 1940 SCTA event”

•0:05s – 0:05: #9 Bill & Tom Spalding T modified. Riley OHV heads Mercedes roots blower. Post war Don Blair rebuilt it into The Goat.
•0:10s – 0:17s #8 Danny Sakai Modified outfitted with Mal Ord speed equipment.
•0:09s – 0:09s #111 Sandy Belond Sandy’s Speed Shop.
•0:18s – 0:21s #42 Uncle Tommy’s A?
•0:49s – 0:49s #20 1932 Roadster
•1:02s – 1:02s #224 T modified.
•0:58s – 1:04s 1938 Lincoln Padded top.
•1:09s – 1:14s #360 Sprintcar Streamliner
•1:14s – 1:22s #9 Spalding bros. Mod
•1:23s – 1:24s #26 1932 roadster
•1:24s – 1:25s 1930-31 Model A RPU
•1:49s – 1:49s #402 Model A Phaeton
•2:06s – 2:08s #20 ’32 roadster
•2:23s – 2:25s #410 1935 FWD Miller Ford entered by Willet Brown owned by Tommy Lee speed 116.88mph
•2:26s – 2:31s #311 1929 A roadster banger
•2:31s – 2:37s #414 Tommy Lee’s 1931 T-51 Bugatti
•2:38s – 2:42s #414 Bugatti T-51 straight 8 engine
•2:42s – 2:51s Tommy Lee
•2:51s – 2:52s #265 ’32 roadster
•2:53s – 2:54s ’32 Ford Vicky customized
•3:07s – 3:09s #350 modified Rod Pugh
•3:13s – 3:17s #151 ’29 A roadster Clint Seccombe V16 cad 124mph
•3:17s – 3:24s #113 ’28 A roadster V16 Cad
•3:28s – 3:30s #69 Bob Knapton / Jim White (aka Jim Harrell of Harrell speed equip.) Mod was later run by Doug Caruthers and is still around as Art Chrisman’s #25 dragster.
•3:28s – 3:30s #6
•3:33s – 3:36s 1938/39 Ford Phaeton with dark padded top in unknown to me
•3:42s – 3:45s #32 1928A roadster
•3:35s – 3:46s Tommy Lee Kurtis Offy special
•3:47s – 3:49s #290 Actor Robert Stack’s ’31 supercharged A roadster
•3:50s – 3:54s 1940 ford coupe from earlier in clip appears to have had a rollover
•3:54s – 3:56s #244 Arnold Birner’s ’28 A roadster
•3:56s – 4:00s #265 1932 roadster Hornets
•4:00s – 4:15s Bob Rufi’s Streamliner
•4:15s – 4:19s #286 Sakai modified.
•4:20s – 4:24s #2 entered/driven by Bill Spading. Roadster owned by Bill Kurten. Riley OHV Engine owned by Gene Von Arx.
•4:24s – 4:39s Earle Bruce ’40 Ford Custom
•4:29s – 4:29s #44 sprintcar streamliner class
•4:40s – 4:43s #155 T modified
•4:43s – 4:47s #270 T modified
•4:47s – 4:54s #265 ’32 roadster
•4:54s – 4:56s Tommy Lee Kurtis Offy special
•4:56s – 4:59s #265 ’32 roadster

We wanted to highlight the custom cars in this fantastic movie footage.

(0:58s – 1:04s)The 1938 Lincoln Custom in this movie is amazing. We have not been able to find out much about the car but Ron Brooks shared two photos of this amazing early Custom Car with us some time ago. Ron was told the car had an Hall created padded top. The car has some wonderful lines and a bit of an European look with its running boards removed. It is amazing to see it driving.

(2:53s – 2:54s) A nice looking’32 Ford Vicky with white wall tires, 1939 Ford taillights and chrome license plate surround mounted on the back, possibly with a recessed plate. The car has a nice custom feel to it. But unfortunately we have never seen any other photos of it.

(3:33s – 3:36s) The 1938/39 Ford Phaeton with dark chopped padded top is also unknown to us. It looks to have a Custom grill that could be based on a 1938 Lincoln? It is an really great looking car with removed running boards and stainless rock guards on the rear fenders.

(4:24s – 4:39s) 1940 Ford is obviously Earl Bruce his Roy Hagy Chopped coupe. Two things are typical for this car. The chopped rear window (most chopped 1940 coups have stock heigh rear windows) and the front fender flares at the bottom. And again this early custom car has its running boards removed… This really was hot in the late 1930′ early 1940′s.

This movie show use one new thing about the Earl Bruce coupe that we had not seen before. Apparently the early version of this car used the 1939 or 40 standard headlights. We had only seen photos of this car with the 1940 Ford DeLuxe headlights.

[19Fordy]

Detonator: Thanks for that interesting data.