The Story of the Smokin' AA/Altered

By Geno Terenzio and Peter Kumble

Gene Terenzio grows the tires on the big end in the Smokin' blown altered.
Photo by Peter Kumble

This is the only photo I've seen of this car. It was taken by Peter Kumble at the '74 Summer Nats. That's me driving. Look closely at the side of the car in the picture, and then listen to this story about this car and going across the Canadian border... We were going to Napierville to match race Ron Scott. When we got to the Canadian border the guy took one look at the car with the Cheech & Chong type 747 joint on the side (we had an open trailer) and told us to pull over to the inspection area. Well they took about an hour and a half to inspect the car, the tow car, the trailer, and us before letting us go on our merry way. Funny thing -- they never found anything. Ha ha ha ha...

Geno Terenzio
ttotobono@aol.com 

The car ran as an AA/A on alcohol. This car was a little more modern looking than the Italian Way car that the Terenzio Brothers ran. It had a lower cage and a more aero look, similar to the funny cars of that era. My memory recalls that the car was built for this guy who ran a construction building company. He had dollars and wanted to go racing. He had the Terenzio brothers, who ran a race car fabrication shop, build the car. Gene drove the car to get it sorted out with the idea that the contractor would step in later. Somehow this never happened, probably because of money, and Terenzio took over ownership of the car. 

The shot was taken at the finish line (note tire growth) at the Summer Nationals in Englishtown in 1974 using Kodachrome 64 transparency film.

Peter Kumble, ASLA
Vice President 
Land Ethics, Inc.
201 East Liberty Street, Suite 16
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 623-0200
(734) 623-7886 fax 
pkumble@landethics.org
www.landethics.org