By Richard Parks
1) The returning Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Ridge Runner Rally rolled off to a great start Monday, May 15, for the first of a four-day motoring tour through some of the most scenic landscapes in the Southeastern U.S. After a one-year hiatus, the HSR Ridge Runner Rally is back with another route taking participants through legendary landmarks like the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway and well-known scenic byways like the Tail of the Devil and the mountainous Cherohala Skyway. Day one kicked-off with the group leaving the Snowbird Mountain Lodge in Robbinsville, N.C. for an out-and-back route that included the Cherohala, Tellico Plains, the Ocoee River and a trip up Tail of The Dragon. Adam Saal SaalGoodPR.
2) EDITOR’S CORRECTION: The email for Craig Hoelzel was incorrect. His correct email address is Craig@Flyingdeuces.com.
Cruisin’ Brea Classic Car Show on Father’s Day, June 18, 2023, downtown Brea on Birch Street, 10 AM to 4 PM. Craig Hoelzel, Show Manager, Craig@Flyingdeuces.com, and SoCalCulture.com.
3) Love your newsletter. But it would be helpful if you made the wording and actual link to the site/event. Just a thought. BIG SANTA MARIA CITY CRUISE West Coast Kustoms Santa Maria City Cruise – CA CarCruiseFinder.com. Thank you and keep up the good work. Respectfully submitted, John Towle Retired PWA President SEMA Hall of Fame Member Friend of DON SMITH… This says it all.
EDITOR: That’s correct…It does say it all. I tried to copy the link and paste it but failed. I’ll keep trying though.
4) You should talk about the SCTA’s May event (May20,21). This is the season opener. It’s been a long, wet winter all there will be a lot of cars/bikes competing. Mark Vigeant
Mark: I will. Did you know that the SCTA was reformed and restored from the Muroc Timing Association in 1937 and therefore its history goes back to 1931 (or even earlier), or that the first recorded dry lakes land speed time trials (straight-line racing) began in 1927. You can find the story in the Wally & Barbara Parks story, which is FREE to anyone who wants to read it. Just let me know and I will send it to you.
5) Richard…Thank you for that! I have already gotten 2 calls! You are the best. In the 2023-2024 issue of DCCP, there is a story featuring Shirley Muldowney and Paula Murphy, with a special appearance by Don Garlits called, ‘A woman’s prerogative’ (The fire suit incident) from motorsports weekly 1973. Every year I have a booth at the former California Hot Rod Reunion (and I will continue to attend as usual), at the March Meet, and Mooneyes Shows. I attend several car shows in California. If I don’t set up a vendor’s booth, I drive my convertible Mustang and hand out the comic papers. In doing this I have met many of dad’s fans; and the stories I hear makes it all worth it. One may wonder what took us to Sweden in 1968. Well dad had been doing cartoons for a Swedish magazine START & SPEED and they would translate it into Swedish. It was school time, so dad (and mom) said, ‘sink or swim,’ and we moved to Sweden. Yes, I do speak Swedish. Robin Millar, MPC-DRAGcartoons, 310 529 1831 (cell), www.laffyerasphalt.com.
6) Ascot -The story of the iconic dirt track that defined Southern California racing. It began in 1903 as a horse track, then as a one-mile dirt track in Los Angeles, then as New Ascot Raceway in East Los Angeles which became Legion Ascot and finally Southern Ascot in Southgate. Then, Los Angeles Speedway was built in 1957 on the site of a former landfill just south of Gardena. The promoter got into financial difficulties, and it became New Ascot Stadium and eventually just Ascot. Everyone raced there, sprint cars, stock cars, midgets, buggies and motorcycles. 90 Indy 500 drivers raced there. Names like AJ Foyt, Rick Mears and Parnelli Jones were regulars. It was said, “If you haven’t raced Ascot, you haven’t raced.” Read the book to see why it closed in 1990. Written in scrapbook style, decade by decade, full of newspaper and magazine articles, photos and stories from those who were there. Dave Wolin (davewolin will be at Autobooks & Aerobooks on June 10th.
7) Hello Richard – apparently the sweatshirts are ready to purchase. If you haven’t already ordered, please contact neelhsuttonm to order. Thanks, Jerry Kugel
Jerry: I have my order in and I’m looking forward to my Road Runners sweatshirt. Have you seen my father’s story? It has a lot of Road Runners Club history in it. Let me know and I will send it to you. It’s FREE. All the best to the man who BEAT my brother’s record by 96 mph at Bonneville.
8) I sent a piston from our ’60’s days to Dan Murphy for his Mom’s gala. Della Wood
Della: Tell me more about Dan’s gala for Paula Murphy when it occurs, and Dan’s email address for my newsletter.
9) Guests on Mark Greene’s free Podcast at Cars Yeah this week include: Nolan Browning of Motul; Kenny Youngblood, Racing Artist and Narrator; James Muirhead of Bridge of Weir; and Vernon Estes of Vernon Estes Classics. To hear about these unique individuals, contact Mark Greene at Cars Yeah info or write to Mark at Cars Yeah, LLC, 4618 131st St Ct NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98332.
EDITOR: Mark’s podcast has over 3000 personalities and once you sign up for his free podcasts, he will send you a notice with the photos of the interviewees and their background. There is a simple “button” that you push to hear some great stories.
10) Moviemaker Dean Papadeas creates masterful short movies featuring motorcycles, drag and boat racing and anything that goes fast and makes lots of great noise. To see his film library contact Dean at MainEventVideo. He has trailers on YouTube and Hulu.
11) Oscar Koveleski update: I am still working and struggling to learn all about the fascinating and exciting world of sports car racing that Oscar participated in and appreciate the insights that you can give me on the era of THE FABULOUS FIFTIES (and all the eras) of this unique sport. I remember what it was like after WWII when men and women went racing on oval tracks, dry lakes, Bonneville, hillclimbs, drag strips, road racing (legal of course), stock car, boat and airplane racing and much more. Just about everyone participated in some sort of club activities during that time and rallies and picnics kept people busy. What do YOU remember?
12) Royce Rumsey just published “Postcards from 1929” in Exposure. Royce is at roycer924_2.
“Even more than their vaunted Model T, Ford Motor Company’s Model A really made the motorcar a transformative product of modern societies. The Ford Model A made owning a car an essential part of 20th Century life. It was durable, reliable, comfortable, affordable and easy to drive and maintain. The Model A platform became THE baseline DNA for automobiles from its October 20, 1927, inception until today. The “A” was utilitarian and yet a distinctively stylish automotive revolution that Edsel crafted and prevailed over the reluctance of his father. An incredibly simple and durable 201CID L-head inline 4 provided 40 reliable horses to power the Model A to 65MPH. Very conventional and familiar driver controls included an unsynchronized 3 speed transmission (replacing the Byzantine foot-shifting 2 speed and hand throttled Model T) and 4-wheel drum brakes replaced the Tin Lizzy’s archaic transmission brake.
In 1929 automobiles and automotive travel was celebrated and shared via the USPS and postcards. So good was the Model A that it was an instant and huge success (even though being introduced at the start of the Great Depression) with its 9 different body styles (and hues) selling at rate of 40% more than the Model T and generating a million sales by February 1929, and then a million more units sold in the next 4 months alone! With such popularity and ease of operation and ownership the Model A can take rightful credit for making motoring a definitive part of American life. And with such came the urge and pleasure of traveling by car. Americans set out to explore and enjoy America (and the world) in their Model A’s. And as Americans motored across the Republic they often documented and shared their experiences and adventures with another product of the motorized era—the postcard!
Postcards became a most popular means of easy, fun and appealing communication with friends and families. Each card provided a compelling vignette of travel progress and achievement to share with others. Business and communities quickly saw the promotional power of the postcard and with such postcard photography and illustrative style soon became its own distinctive aesthetic…and likewise the penned notes on the cards had its own vernacular–with “wish you were here” becoming the signature catch-phrase. You’ve got mail—and it’s a hand-written, hand-painted photograph delivered in person by rural route carriers—instead of narcissistic selfies provided by a soulless server farm. The Lyon Collection contains two superb examples of the absolute opposite ends of the Model A spectrum. That spectrum spanned models from the Tudor to pickups, to dual cowl Phaetons and even a stately town car with custom coachwork by the likes of Brewster. The opulent Model A’s were 2.5X more expensive than the basic A’s. On the pedestrian side of the Model A spectrum was one of the most enduring and favored models—the wood framed and paneled Station Wagons–affectionately known as “Woodys”. The Woody along with the Model A’s reliability was even memorialized some 40 years after production in songs like Jan & Dean’s famed “Surf City” with its lyrics: “I bought a ’30 Ford wagon and we call it a woodie”… it’s an oldie but a goodie…it still gets me where I wanna go”. Shown here, plying the expanse of the Lyon estate is their charming and perfect 1928 “Woody” wagon.
On the complete opposite end of the Model A spectrum is the Lyon Collection’s very rare Town Car. As mentioned, these models were over twice as expensive as the likes of the Woody and as such only a handful were sold and fewer still exist. The most desirable (and rare) of the Town Cars were bodied by custom coach builder Brewster. And the town car shown here in its handsome burgundy and black palette, is said to have been built by Brewster (but sans the extreme front that became the signature mar of the Brewster name). Postcards from Southern California often celebrated its thriving citrus industry Driving these two Model A’s reminds one of the beautiful simplicity and joy of driving. Everything about the Model A is direct, straight-forward and logical. And it simply WORKS…every time and all the time! Because there’s nothing to distract from the driving experience the Model A drivers and passengers quickly connect with the car and discover the pleasure and sense of achievement in motoring. “I bought a ‘30 Ford wagon and we call it a woodie”… it’s an oldie but a goodie…it still gets me where I wanna go” In the current era of rolling appliances with their 40” ‘infotainment’ screens and ‘Matrix-esque’ connective self-driving software that may or may not allow you to start your car–depending upon ESG scoring–the directness and ‘honesty’ and independence of driving a Model A is a refreshing reminder of what motoring is really about.
