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DryLakes Hall of Fame Landspeed Historians Sports Fans
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071204
SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS Newsletter
#32. Websites posting the newsletter are:
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President's Corner: By Jim Miller. Nothing received this week.
Editorial: Recently someone mentioned that we should forget Newsletters and set up blogs, or chat rooms
where we can go on-line and bench race all day and night. I'm not opposed to that, except with my limited
abilities that isn't something that I would contemplate doing. Also, I've seen some of the blogs and they get
very whiny and what's said on chat rooms doesn't have a very high level of research behind it. We exist to
write, photograph, research and save history and not for idle bench racing. Certainly there will always be a
measure of bench-racing and speculation in what we say and do, because we are human. For example, Jim
Miller and I talk for hours sometimes on the nature of the early SCTA and whether it was the racing or the
safety aspects that motivated the early founders. Even with witnesses and documents, there will always be
subjective opinions raised on what we write. Yet the very reason for our existence is the scholarly way that
we go about writing, photographing and researching hot rod and land speed racing. We realize that the way
we send out the newsletter may change and that Jim may not always be the President, nor will I always be
the editor of the official journal. So while the idea of a blog or chat room is not in our plans today, that does
not mean that it won't be in our plans in the future.
1) Please note Henry Astor no longer works
at the American Hot Rod Foundation. 203-625-4774
Henry:
I left several phone messages with the AHRF and they haven't
responded to my requests. I don't have any way
to contact you. Please send me your new updated email info
and phone number is you wish, so I can update the
files.
2) I'd like to invite you to check out a few of my latest works. The first is "Hookin' Hard" -- a couple of
Willys Gassers huffin' and puffin'. It's displayed in
"Off The Easel" on my home page. Click on the image
and you'll get information on the original, and below
that, a link to the print information (canvas giclée
prints are available in three sizes). The original oil
on canvas, framed in a museum-quality frame, is
available -- please contact me for pricing if you're
interested. Link:
http://www.fritzart.com. You may
see my new image "Taking The Sleigh For A Spin,"
painted for Road & Track magazine. Navigate over
to my "Automobile Classics - Originals" page (Home >
Artwork > Hot Rods & Classics > Automobile
Classics Originals). Click on the upper-left thumbnail
image -- a red '60 Aston Martin DB4 GT noodling
it in a turn. You can read about it in the "Headlines"
section of the home page... then click on "More
news" just below that for a little longer story. This
original is available, and has the distinction of being
the official 2007 holiday image for Road & Track.
Also, you can view another new image, "As Cool As
Ever," on the Automobile Classics Originals page.
Click on the upper right thumbnail image. This is a
2005 Ferrari F-430. From time to time, folks challenge
me to respond to contemporary machinery...this
is one of those times. The original has been musuem-quality
framed, and is available. Please contact me
for pricing if you're interested. Thanks for taking a
look! Thank you for your interest in my work. I wish
you and yours a wonderful Holiday season. Peace, Tom
Fritz, Fine Art, P.O. Box 800, Newbury Park,
CA 91319-0800, (805) 499-1630, (805) 499-1759 (fax),
www.fritzart.com,
tom@fritzart.com. Readers:
Tom Fritz is one of the best hot rod, racing, portrait and
landscape painters in Southern California. His Muroc
painting is first class. Contact him or see his work at
the various museums around the southland.
3) Editor's notes: I received a request to
put Frank Oddo on the lists for the SLSRH Newsletter, but no
email
address was given, only a phone number. I called and left
phone messages on his answering machine, but have
not gotten a return call. This will now go into an
inactive file until I can get Frank's email address. The
Newsletter
is only delivered by email and by access to the websites
that run the newsletter.
4) Please add my friend Jim Bremner
to the list to receive the Land Speed Newsletter. Jim
is a real young
age hot rodder preferring to build his cars in the
style as in my hot rod days. At present he is building
flat
head Ford long blocks for various people. He is an
old Ford parts guy and knows the parts catalogs and
number sequence by heart. Bob Falcon Bob:
I've added Bremner. Please let him know.
5) I was at the French Grand Prix at Rheims in `61 when Phil Hill was driving for Ferrari. I was a PFC
in the Army and snuck in the pit area using my
SCCA Comp license posing as press. I yelled at Phil
that
I was from California. He came over and we talked
about Riverside Raceway. Here he was about to race
and he gave a lowly private a bit of his time. I
spoke to Phil Remington at Art Chrisman's party last
year
about going into town the night before the race
and stumbling into a bar in downtown Rheims. I heard
loud singing coming out of the place and went in.
The place was loaded with Yanks, Brits and Auzzies,
not a Frenchman to be found. Rem said he was in
that very bar that very night. I won't say it's a small
world...but. If you have the phone number
of where Phil is, I'd love to call him. Dick Martin
Dick: I
don't have Phil Remington's phone number, but perhaps
Isky, John Athans or Art Chrisman knows.
6) Hi Gang. If you see this
magazine on the newsstand, grab one. Two pages on
the Old man. I look good,
unfortunately all this adventure never came up
with much money. Want to wish all of you a MERRY
CHRISTMAS! Grand Dad Rick (Eric Rickman) XX
OO to all. Readers: The
name of the magazine is
Hot Rod Deluxe and the month is either
November or December 2007.
7) I recently read your review
of this pamphlet on
www.HotRodHotLine.com, and would like
to purchase
a copy. Can you provide any contact info for
Mr Long? Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks.
Best regards, Henry Lehmann
Henry: The information that you request is
on the way. Readers: Henry
Lehmann is requesting information on a book review
that I did on The Santa Ana Drags, by Tuttle
and Long. If
you have done any reviews or have books that you
would like to review, send them to me and I will
publish
your reviews in the newsletters. You don't have
to stop at book reviews. If you see any movies,
magazines
or artwork that reflects on hot rodding and land
speed racing, do a review and send it to me. We
realize that
some of our members write for a living and they
cannot just give their work away, but after a given
amount of
time the writings that you have done are no longer
exclusively the product of whom you write for.
Roger and
I use thirty days, give or take, as a base point
for exclusivity.
Our work ALWAYS belongs to us, but we give
those that run our work a period of time in which
to show our work for the first time. A month is the
least
amount of time, but we often give the right to run
our original writings and photography a much longer
time
limit. Or, you can change the articles and photos
so that they are slightly different from the
original and submit
two articles or photographs. Since we are a
historical society and we simply wish to preserve
knowledge, we
don't mind if you give us a story after a very
long time span has elapsed from its original
showing.
If you have
a different perspective on ownership, time elapsed
before showing it a second time or any other
comments,
please share them with us. We want to have a
standard policy that everyone can live with and
still meet our
goals of preserving and sharing history. The
SLSRH has no income or budget, so all submissions
are done
on a voluntary basis.
8) I did not receive Newsletter
No 29. Please resend. Tom McIntyre Tom:
The SLSRH Newsletter is
sent out to 6 other websites and though I don't
check all of them, I'm sure that they definitely do
show up on
www.oilstick.com and
www.hotrodhotline.com. I also try and keep
copies on my system, but if you and the
other members would check out the websites to get
back copies then I would really appreciate that,
because my
time has become nearly non-existent and it is all
that I can do to keep up with the incoming
responses. If you or
any other member finds it difficult to go to the
websites, then Jim or I will find our stored copies
and resend them
to you.
This is one of 5 newsletters that I do. I'm after Jim all the time to expand our contact lists, do research,
write a column and schedule meetings. Whatever
the members of the SLSRH can do, such as writing
articles to
share, really helps Jim and myself out. We would
love to have you submit some articles about the
Petersen
Automotive Museum and we hope to hold one of our
meetings at the PAM.
9) Richard and all others that
send in information for this valuable site. There is
so much that has been lost
over the years and cannot be recovered. The
history of LSR means so much to us that have been
involved
over the years. When I look back and see how
many years there has been some kind of LSR since the
early
30s. People like your dad along with the many
pioneers that are now gone gave us something we
still
cling to and will protect as long as we are
around.
The wonderful people we have met and been associated
with are always to be honored. I came on this
earth in 1935 and by the time I was 14 I knew that
racing
would be in my blood, I just didn't know to
what extent. Some of the best years were when I got
involved
with the timing at the lakes and Bonneville. I
worked with Gary Cagle for 10 years until he passed
away,
I was asked to step up and help out,
Some years later I moved from California to Utah. I spent over 20
years in the timing venue and still do the
Bonneville events. The many records I have timed
are very
special to me and the timing staff I have
worked with. Knowing the racer has set a record that
many are
still chasing is awesome. The records large or
small mean the same thing to the drivers and teams.
I feel
blessed to have been part of it.
Thanks for this place for people to be part of the LSR history. Glen Barrett Glen: Would you write (1) an article on Gary Cagle and (2) a history of your racing experience? We want every
member of the SLSRH to provide a short 3 or 4 page
(length is no problem) biography of their lives and
racing
careers. You are close to Marv Jenkins and if you
can write something about Marv and Ab that would be
great.
10) Will be sending you
historical stuff on me shortly. Compiled by Hot Rod
Magazine interview. E. Rick
Rick: We'll be waiting.
11) The trouble with being
a writer is that you need art. Wally Wyss has
run out of room. He reports that
"since my bread and butter lately seems to
come from writing about Ford," he is culling
from his archive
b & w photos of various & sundry non-Fords
so he can add to his Ford library. Contact him
directly at
Photojournalistpro@hotmail.com,
and he will send photocopies of what he's got in
the subject areas
below that interest you. He is so old, in
fact, that he says he once flew the Atlantic in
a prop plane.
List 1,
Alfa Romeo pictures, street cars and race
cars, about 40 pictures, sold only as set,
leftover from cancelled
book, BMW road cars from early 50s, ugly
sedans 3-4 shots, '53 Corvette, '53 Corvette
Nomad show car
rear 3/4, group shot other concepts, 1957
Corvette SS race car, three views, Mako Shark
Corvette I and
II show cars, 5 shots, Pininfarina Ferrari
road cars from early '50s, most are copies from
original press
shots, about 20 in all, all 4" x 5",
Porsche 356 --approximately 40 factory pictures,
various road models
from Gmund, to last '65 models, Jackie
Stewart, portrait during his race career,
Maserati, miscellaneous
race car shots, Lamborghini Countach first
show car, 3 shots, Lamborghini Miura,
miscellaneous 3 shots,
Porsche 917 3 or 4 shots, Chaparral,
winged coupes, 3 or 4 shots, Gulf Mirage, 3-4
shots, Parnelli Jones,
probably shot in Sixties, 2 to 3 shots,
Dan Gurney, 2-4 shots.
Books: Hardbound book in Japanese on
Pininfarina, has many Ferrari photos, torn
slip cover, Motor Reference Yearbook 1960,
hardbound, small
book, Motor Sports Car Road tests 1st
edition, 1961, softbound. (note: it will have
to be by snail mail as
he is "too old to learn how to use a
scanner," and only lost one engine, from late
'40s through '60s, might
be concept car, from the book
Pininfarina Ferraris, from the book Porsche
356 Photo Archive, not the
GT40-based one, later Cosworth powered
car). David Scully
David: Thanks for the update.
12) Hello historians – 2
things, (1) A national enthusiast publication,
one of the slickest in print, has asked
me to write a feature about Ab Jenkins and
his mighty Mormon Meteors, with emphasis on the
one that
won “Best of Show” at Pebble Beach this
past August. If anyone in the group might have
an interesting
anecdote, can direct me to specific
websites or to put me in contact with anyone who
knew the “father of
the salt” I would be truly grateful – and
the readers will get a great insight into the
man who opened up
the salt flats to the common folk. (2)
The Steve Fossett LSR car lives on! The LM-1500
engine will be
fired up in the car for the first time in
more than a decade on December 10th in Reno.
The team has
completed the final leak tests and making
final repairs to some rather puzzling previous
construction and
from my perspective, I can honestly and
publicly state the car is a contender. I’ll
have more news next
week. Speedy Regards, "LandSpeed" Louise
Ann Noeth
13) Welcome to Bob Morton and
John Chambard, nominated by Jim Miller.
14) Friends of speedy
deeds. With tears and a halting voice, a member
of the Arfons family called me early
today to say Art passed into the great
speed laboratory in the sky at 4:00AM CST Monday
morning. Art
will be buried in his fire suit, with
wrenches in his hands and J79 jet engine
operating manual by his side.
Also tucked away with him will be a jar of
salt bought home – oh so many years ago. Art
Arfons was the
epitome of land speed racers – an ordinary
guy who chose to do extraordinary things; he
never tried to
be someone he was not, or weave a facade
of celebrity around himself.
Arthur always let his deeds speak
for themselves. He was my friend, one I
did not see too often, but whose passing touches
me deeply, the
historical foundation of the sport is a
bit more hollow tonight. Some speed has gone
out of the world
today. The likes of which is a pioneering
touchstone to honor and remember with gladness.
Speedy
Regards, "LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth Louise:
We are very sorry to hear that. I met Art at
the
Gas-Up Party one year when he was being
honored by the Gold Coast Club in Buellton,
California. If anyone
has an article they would like to share on
Art, please send it in to the newsletter.
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Members: Jonathan Amo, Brett Arena,
Henry Astor, Gale Banks, Glen Barrett, Lee Blaisdell,
Jim Bremner,
Warren Bullis, Gary Carmichael, John Chambard, Jerry
Cornelison, G. Thatcher Darwin, Jack Dolan, Ugo
Fadini, Bob Falcon, Rich Fox, Glenn Freudenberger,
Don Garlits, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, Andy
Granatelli,
Walt James, Wendy Jeffries, Ken Kelley, Mike Kelly,
Bret Kepner, Kay Kimes, Jim Lattin, Mary Ann and
Jack
Lawford, Fred Lobello, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez,
Tom McIntyre, Don McMeekin, Bob McMillian, Tom
Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Bob Morton, Mark
Morton, Paula Murphy, Louise Ann Noeth, David
Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks (in memoriam),
Eric Rickman, Willard Ritchie, Roger
Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth,
Ed Safarik, Frank Salzberg, Dave Seely, Charles
Shaffer, Mike Stanton, David Steele, Doug Stokes,
Bob Storck,
Zach Suhr, Pat Swanson, Al Teague, JD Tone, Jim
Travis, Randy Travis and Jack Underwood.
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