Welcome back digital friends. We are coming up on 85,000 visits since we started this little web site. That’s a lottsa water under the bridge, as they say.
One of the more exciting things to pass under the bridge is the new movie opening on 15 Nov. FORD v FERRARI starring Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, and Christian Bale as Ken Miles. Several generations have walked the earth since the Ford-Ferrari wars in 1965, and as hard as it is to believe, many of them have never even heard of this epic saga.
Matt and Christain recently visited the Shelby shop in Gardena, which was put together by my son Michael and me with help from the Original Venice Crew (O. V. C.). Matt and Christain were kind enough to sign our “signature wall”, cool ! This adventure kinda feels like a family outing, with some of the movie characters being played by children of the original team members. Dan Gurney is played by his son Alex. Some of the original cars seen in the picture were pulled out of museums (thank you Greg Miller and the Larry H. Miller family).
The Real Thing!
Replica cars were supplied by Rich MacDonald (Dave MacDonald’s son) and the good folks at HILLBANK MOTOR . Ken Miles’ son Peter was involved, along with Carroll’s grandson Aaron.
Aaron gave Matt a special family medallion during a TV shoot for JAY LENO’S GARAGE. Matt gave Jay a ride in Aaron’s personal Cobra, which was also used in the movie. Jay knew Shelby well, and most everyone in our shop has visited Jay’s collection several times.
Like I say, it’s kinda family.
The film had its first major showing at the Toronto Film Festival where it was a huge hit, much to the relief of the stars and producer/directors who were in the audience. In the post screening interview a cast member only identified as “not car person” said, “The film felt like we were building something with our friends. There was conflict and resolution, rich characters, joy and sorrow. And in the end, that was what the real prople also also felt, back in the day.” Wow.
Matt leaning on a tool box with authentic 1960’s Shelby grease on it
Talk about star power, the movie is already being mentioned as Oscar material, and Esquire Magazine says it’s “almost a sure winner.” The story takes a few liberties with the historical facts, but what the heck. Somewhere, sometime, someone was quoted as saying “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story!” Somewhere Shelby and Miles are smiling.
Mikey and I just can’t seem to stay away from the Red Rock Desert. This trip we took a little detour to visit my old friend Kyle, who runs a “Long Distance Marksmanship School” in a remote corner of Utah.
The school is on a several-mile-wide mesa that rises hundreds of feet above the Colorado River, and has only one way in…and one way out. Perfect for what it’s now being used for.
The government seized the land with a small copper mine on it from the original owners in the early ’40s, and then started mining extremely high-grade uranium. They built a “man camp” in the valley, cut a dump truck capable road into the side of the mesa, and put a big gate on it.
Most importantly, they sank a concrete and stainless steel well into the Colorado River aquifer, and the place became pretty self-sufficient. It was so isolated no security was needed, which makes it perfect for today’s activities. The feds gave the site back to the original owners when the uranium boom collapsed, and it sat there for years.
The wheels of fate put both Kyle and me in Utah as the ’70s turned to the ’80s, and I helped him get started when the only man-made feature on the property was the abandoned uranium mine. My dad was part of the atomic bomb effort during WWII, then we moved to central Utah where we watched over 1,000 nukes go off, then got rained on with fallout. In a Dr. Strangelove kind of way, Kyle’s place felt like home, and it still does. He’s come a long way since then.
I knew him when we both lived in Parkersburg W.Va. We were into cave exploring at the time. It was a brotherhood (with a few sisters) of physical effort, technical skill, danger, endurance, and mutual support that we all loved. The experience and knowledge of others is vital in caving, as you are in total darkness with only the flicker of carbide lamps to guide your way. Some caves require 24 hours to transit. Besides yourself and a minor amount of equipment, a caver has only his comrades to rely on for underground survival. Not too different than the business Kyle is in today.
At the time, we used equipment designed for rock climbing, and it was only OK for caving. Climbing ropes are designed with lots of stretch, so if a climber falls off a rock the rope will stretch at the end of the fall, cushioning his stop. For a caver trying to climb his rope to exit a cave, that stretch means he can climb several minutes and still be on the bottom of the cave!
Kyle and some friends found a long forgotten rope “recipe” and an unused hand-powered rope braiding machine, and started making a nylon composite rope that had the strength, flexibility, and abrasion resistance of climbing rope, but without the stretch. BLUE WATER brand rope became the standard for cave explorers worldwide.
Custom ropes led to custom hardware, suited for operation in the dark while covered in dirt and mud. Soon the idea of made-to-order hardware, high-strength, non-magnetic, non-sparking–even non-spectral (anodized flat black)– equipment caught the attention of the “black” parts of the U.S. government (pun intended). Orders started to come in, and the move to Utah resulted.
Customer evaluations and training were usually first done on site, and often involved climbing and firearms. Somebody one day realized the site was as valuable as the equipment. The hardware business has been sold off, but the site still thrives. It’s all invitation only, except for the afore-mentioned “government employees.”
Both the regular ranges were in use at the time of our visit, so Kyle was kind enough to take us to his personal range overlooking the Colorado River valley. Using a spotter scope, we picked out targets hiding behind slabs of rock on cliffs, behind boulders in gullies, and in other inaccessible hiding spots. I asked Kyle how he replaces those targets once they’ve been hit a few times. He laughed and said they are laser cut from armor plate. “Kind of expensive, but they make a nice ringing sound when you hit them and never have to be replaced.”
Once the target is sighted, using a hand held device, microwaves give you distance. Enhanced GPS gives you wind speed, air density, estimated projectile drop based on height above sea level (you weigh less on top of Mt. Everest than you do at the bottom of Death Valley), latitude, and then automatically calculates my favorite, azimuth. The target solution is then transmitted via Bluetooth to the scope on your weapon of choice.
Since the earth is spinning at roughly 1,000 miles per hour at the equator, or about 460 meters per second, for even a medium-distance shot of a mile or so your target is going to be in a different location when the projectile arrives than it was when you pulled the trigger.
During WW II when the big battleship’s 16 inch guns did supporting fire for the Marines on the Pacific islands, they used a set of nomograms (look it up) to estimate where those 2,000 pound shells, served with your choice of filling, were going to land. This was and is called azimuth. After 20-plus miles in the air, the rotation of the earth would put the target in a different place than it was when that shell left the muzzle. Much to the enjoyment of the Marines, and the distress of them other guys, the swabbies became very good at azimuth.
Now Kyle and his students / friends do it all automatically.
The Marksmanship School is about equidistant between Grand Junction and Las Vegas. Either is OK if you have your own jet, but Vegas is best if you’re flying commercial. Pick up a rental car, or your pre-positioned desert support vehicle (Ford Raptors are a popular choice) and drive to Kyle’s in about 7 hours.
Most of the people are return clients and friends. Some have
a motorhome parked at the range. “We
have a few ‘government employees’ in our classes, and we don’t charge them for
attending. They are fighting our wars,
so let’s give them a break. They love
this area, because all the other rangers, I mean ranges, they have access to are FLAT. Positive or negative elevation shooting is
very different, and said Kyle, they sometimes bring equipment to our classes
that doesn’t exist.”
In case you were wondering, we did not see a lot of camo-clad snipers during our stay there. We did see one, but then the rest of them may have been camouflaged.
I had a rare 3 days with no commitments over the July 20 – 21 weekend. Wow. This sounds like a road trip. Publisher Brock Yates and the editors of Car & Driver Magazine once declared U.S. Hwy 89, from Mexico to the Canadian border to be the most beautiful road in America.
From the California deserts, to the Utah National Parks, to Jackson, Yellowstone and Glacier, it’d definitely be a tough act to beat. I’ve done the south end, and gone as far north as Jellystone, but that last couple hundred miles has eluded me. Perfect for a 3 day trip.
You can start to feel the Old West vibe as you enter Star Valley, Wyoming. Jackson Hole, and the Saddle Rock Saloon/theatre was my first stop. My daughter Shelley performed there for several years., and one evening the owner of the place, Vickie Garnik, figured out that Suzanne and I taught her 9th grade Arts & Crafts, at Orem Jr. High about 1969, when we were student teaching partners. Small world. Since it was mid morning, and nothing much was happening, I said my hello/goodbyes and pressed on.
What can you say about Yellowstone. Beautiful vistas, geysers, buffalo, and great stories of Mountain Men, Grizzlies and Injuns. Pretty much has it all.
As it turned out, this weekend was the 50thh anniversary of the U.S moon landing. Perhaps Americas greatest achievement and defining moment. “Tranquility base…the Eagle has landed.” was all over the satellite radio. One of the 50’s stations I listen to even pulled every 45 they had with MOON in the title, and played them all day long. There were quite a few … who’da thunk. Some commentators speculated that we couldn’t do a moon shot today. “The country is too fractured.” Do you remember Viet Nam and Watts, back in the day ?
Leaving the North entrance of Yellowstone, surrounded by buffalo, I was feeling pretty patriotic, and blessed the now departed Brock for inspiring this trip. I met him a few a times and even had a car or two in the magazine. The O.V.C. Mustang with “my” suspension made the front cover in June of ’18. I’m a fan of the rag.
During the disastrous 70’s when The Peanut Farmer instigated
the 55 MPH speed limit., Brock, in a great UP YOURS move, put together The
Cannonball Run. A cross country run what
ya brung race, on public roads from New York City to Redondo Beach CA. It was run a handful of times, and spawned a
handful of movies. I’ve had friends in
both. The record time was about 35
hours, and the only rules were, there are no rules. What could be more American than that?
Who says we can’t land on the moon? Just get outta my way !
The small town of Gardiner MT , is just outside the park, and there is a bench and a plaque in front of Kellem’s Montana Saddlery honoring C & D Editor Larry Griffin. Kellem’s The place to go for custom chaps, hand made saddles, or a great Stetson. Larry was one of my favorite writer/photographers, and Kellems was apparently about the only place he felt at home. Larry had some emotional problems, and died in a nursing home at age 63. R.I.P. Larry. “it gives a lovely light”
If you stay on 89, like you’re supposed to, you’ll come to Glacier National Park and Going To The Sun Road, which was my announced destination. I’d heard that Bear Tooth Pass , at almost 11,000 feet just outside of Red Lodge was pretty spectacular also, so I took a little detour. It’s about 200 miles out of the way, but hey, we’re among friends here. A really amazing road, especially considering it was all done with horses, picks, shovels and black powder.
As I came off the mountain into Red Lodge I ran smack in the middle of the Bear Tooth Motorcycle Rally. Now In It’s 20thh Year. This was an unexpected treat, “All the fun of Sturgis, but without the hassle” it said. Red Lodge only has about 2,000 residents, and they seem to have made the thousands of bikers feel right at home
“This here bar has live bands with Old Time Rock and Roll , and that ‘n over there has Classic Country. And there’s more down the street.” Everywhere I looked there were Harleys decked in leather, chrome, American flags and screaming eagles. This here was real Americana, even for those obviously not from here. Brock Yates (again) wrote a book about 20 years ago titled: OUTLAW MACHINE: HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE SEARCH FOR THE AMERICAN SOUL. Apparently the search is still on.
I‘ve read stories about Harley losing its mojo with the younger generation. Harleys only appeal to the silver hairs, so they say. But all the bikers and biker’ettes I met were in the prime 35 to 55 year demographic, and they seemed to have money to spend. Have you looked at the price of leather pants lately?
But on the other hand, maybe all the silver hairs just turned in early.
Wind me up, shoot me out, and headed down the highway, with the motel free coffee, looking for a Mom & Pop place on 89 to buy a little breakfast. My personal economic theory is the mom & pop grass roots businesses are the canary in the coal mine for the economic health of our nation. Forget the DOW. If Mama ain’t happy, we’re headin’ for bad times.
How about the Inconvenience Store in tiny Neihart . Grandma behind the counter told me business has never been better. Visitors and locals have money and seem happy to spend it. “Our motto is if we don’t have it, you probably didn’t really need it anyway.” Seems like wisdom to me. “And yes, the phone booth outside still works, and has for a long time.” I’m betting that booth is the only connection with the outside world for more than a few locals. How would it be? My I.T. guy would surely starve here.
One of the things I like about rural 89, is a lot of things seem
to have been there for a long time. I
stopped to check out this sign, and sure nuf, it was real porcelain on steel. Good thing I only carry metric tools now-a days.
I hardly got back on the road when I about ran into this beautiful family of Indian ponies. Indians, OK …Native Americans…. supposedly bred these horses for beauty, speed and endurance. When fully grown they could out run bears, wolves and mountain lions. Must be so, or they wouldn’t be standing here. I guess the braves just booted them off the Rez when pick up trucks became available.
It surely is good to see everything so green. The hay this year is spectacular. At this latitude the sun goes down about 11
P.M. and is up again about 4. The creeks and reservoirs are chuck full, the
cattle are fat. It’s going to be a good harvest.
I saw a little place named Route 89 Bar, so I thought I’d better stop for a late lunch before climbing over Glacier, which takes about 3 hours. When I told the gal behind the bar the purpose of my trip she said I should buy a tee shirt and offered to model it for me. I don’t need another shirt, but I did offer to buy the sign she was standing in front of. Sorry, some things are not for sale.
The Going To The Sun Road crosses over LOGAN PASS at about 6,600 feet elevation. It’s a lot closer to the Pacific and is a lot greener than Bear Tooth. You decide which is the most spectacular. Both should probably be done on a motorcycle at least once in your life. As I was checking in at the gate a young couple from Thailand asked if they could ride over the pass in the back of my pick up truck. Sure…it’s the best seat in the house !
Amazing trip, and an amazing feat of road building. Again, nothing but muscle, imagination, and black powder.
As I got to the west side and the exit gate, a dang RAINBOW
(!) totally blocked the road, and we all had to bail out to get a picture. I’m saying it’s a sign of prosperity for our country.
“Tranquility base
here, we have lift off, lift off
for another 50 years of American greatness.
Hello again, digital friends. My son Mike and I spent the last week or so going thru piles old motorcycles, old cars, and old memories. In the early 60’s, I sold my beloved 1953 Harley K Model to my brother-in-law so I could finance college.
That started Chuck on a lifetime of collecting. Sadly, he passed recently, and my sister asked us to help find good homes for all the stuff in his collection.
Can you find an Austin Healey 100-6, 2 Harley cruisers, 2 Harley K Models, 2 K Model frames, a Norton, an Aerial square 4, some K Model side cases, a ladder and a rope to hoist things into the rafters? There were also a bunch more treasures stashed in the back yard and the attic.
The ULTIMATE EASTER EGG HUNT lasted several days. We found the fender and the tool case to my old bike in the attic (of the house not the garage) wedged between a heating duct and a roof joist. The gas tank was in the backyard, buried under a Harley Service Cycle…. a 45 cu. in. a flat head tricycle popular with METER MAIDS, back in the day. Once all the parts started to resemble motorcycles, we started to find titles and other paperwork in the most unlikely places. Chuck knew exactly where everything was, but he wasn’t around to tell us, so we had to search.
Most of the treasures have now found new homes. The Harley dealer in Modesto took a bunch. The president of the Bay Area Aerial Club took the Square Four, the Norton, and a small Italian bike re-branded RIVERSIDE, which was sold by Montgomery Wards (remember them?).
I think we have found most of the parts for my bike. We are going to register it in California so we can keep the cool old license plate. Say that number a couple a times, kinda fun. The faded paint is Candy Apple Tangerine. Customizer Joe Bailon invented candy apple red sometime in the 50’s, and later offered a full spectrum of candy colors, including tangerine. He lived just up the road in Hayward. Very Kool. Joe’s gone but his paint is still available.
It was a great trip back to the old days, but
the present calls. Some soft summer
night, if you listen carefully, you may hear the unique sound of a flat head
Harley, taking one more cruise down old
memory lane.
Hello again, my web friends. Recently, I decided to find out a little more about a cherished family picture I’ve looked at for years.
The photo above is of Albert Robinson with four of his children. My Grandfather Elmer Carling (1887-1954) is holding my father Gerald (1919- 1991). It was the style to dress newborns as girls in them days. My grandmother Christa (1886-1954) is standing next to him, and I think the three children in white may be Clora 3, June 7, and Wanda 5. The lady in white is Albert’s wife Catherine holding their 5th child. The photo appears to have been taken up Chalk Creek above Fillmore, Utah.
I asked a knowledgeable car friend and writer, John Clark for some help. John publishes the series MOTOR TALES, www.motortales.com, about early Utah motoring and is also THE expert on Utah license plates. He was tasked by Gov. Huntsman to help design the new Utah plates back in 2007.
John immediately I. D.’d the car as a 1919 STUDEBAKER and pointed out that the plate has the low number 48, which indicates it was a dealer plate used for demonstration rides with prospective customers. The small number 20 indicates the plate was current in 1920.
John suggested I visit the
Utah State Historical Archives in the Rio Grande building for further info.
A great resource and friendly
people. They supplied pictures of a 1919
Stude as well as the later 1920 model.
Sure as shootin’ the car in the picture is a 1919 Studebaker.
Notice the front bumper of the ’19 has two horizontal bars, probably of spring steel, but the bumper in my picture looks like a piece of wood. . Maybe one of those test drives didn’t turn out so well. The wood is somehow being held in place on the frame horns, but I don’t think baling wire and duct tape were invented yet. Destroying the front bumper may also explain why part of the plate right above the 20 seems to be missing. Ouch.
The Archives also supplied me with a shot of a 1920 Stude.
Notice it is the first year of all steel wheels, no more wooden spokes.
Being the curious sort, I wanted to find out more about Studebaker history.
Stutenbecker was a family of German metal workers from Solingen, Germany who immigrated in 1736 and settled in South Bend, Indiana. One of the brothers returned home after hitting it big in the California gold fields making wheelbarrows and other tools. In the 1850’s the family geared up and started making wagons. They were the largest manufacturer of wagons in the U.S. by 1876. When they switched to automobiles in 1902, their first cars were electric, but in 1904 they changed to gasoline. Wilson Motors in Richfield was the Stude dealer closest to Fillmore in 1920.
Grandfather Elmer was town marshall and the now-one-year-old 1919 Stude was possibly being marketed as a used car, following the unfortunate front bumper incident. Warner Motors, the Ford dealer in Fillmore, may have been the sales agent.
Ford’s Model T commanded 40% of the market, and a 4-door Touring Car sold for about $400.00 ($5,000 in today’s money). Stude was number 3 in sales, after the now forgotten Overland brand, and was priced about the same as the Ford. The 4-door Touring was the only model Stude offered.
Prohibition hit in 1920, and Stude became very popular with bootleggers because it was bigger and faster than the 4-cylinder Fords. The 354 cu.in. “Light 6” could do an honest 80 M.P.H. (I presume with the windshield and the top folded down). Brakes unfortunately were expanding drums on the rear only. At the time there were less than 100 miles of paved roads in Utah. With fabric cord tires, wooden wheels, dirt roads, and wishful brakes, those bootleggers really had to want to get away!
There may a be a back storyhere: A dark and stormy night, illegal booze, a desperate chase, a terrifying crash, arrested and jailed by the Town Marshall, and the car being confiscated and sold! Or maybe not.
The family picture is 6 ½ X 11 ½ and appears to be professionally done. Back then the negative was usually the same size as the picture, which meant cameras were quite large. Contact printing produced the positive. A sticker on the back says WHITE HOUSE, which according to Google was an upscale (Deluxe) 3-story “fireproof” hotel on Main St. in Salt Lake City. Perhaps they offered photography and picture framing also.
if a picture can tell a story, this old family photo tells several. Thanks to Albert, Elmer, Christa & Catherine for this fun family story.
At age 72, Alan Wilson still maintains a schedule that would make a 20-year-old weary.
“We have designed over 150 tracks world wide,” he says, “of which 40 got built, including 7 street tracks. We currently have three more under construction, two of them private.”
Alan may not be a household name among race fans, but he is and has been a driving force for over 40 years in every type of motorsport from midgets to Formula One. His web page www.wilsonmotorsport.com has a history of his projects dating back to the 1970’s.
With that long perspective, I asked Alan what he sees as the future of racing worldwide.
“China is the world’s largest car market. The Chinese are getting richer, and they have a large domestic auto manufacturing base. They should be the prime future market for auto racing. We have been in China since 2000, and I have come up with what I call ‘The China Conundrum,’ which is basically that they don’t know what they don’t know.
“I recently bought a ticket to the F-1 Chinese Grand Prix, the first ticket I’ve bought in over 40 years, just to see what the experience was like. I was careful to get a seat near a big screen so I could see the cars on TV, and near a speaker so I could hear the announcer. They had a good crowd of over 100,000 spectators.
“F-1 is what I call ‘fly away racing’ as built by Bernie Ecclestone. You couldn’t get near the paddock, so forget about meeting the drivers. They weren’t introduced before the race, and the numbers on the cars were so small you couldn’t read them. There was a 2 hour delay between final practice and the race, when the entertainment was a guy on a skate board and a local ping pong match. As soon as the race was over the drivers got into their helicopters and flew away.
“The Chinese have the mechanics of a race down, but they need to realize that racing is in the final analysis ENTERTAINMENT ! They’ll have to get that before they can reach their potential.
“In 2017, I spent 141 days in China designing tracks that would accommodate every type of racing from F-1 to carts. We had all the finances and permits lined up, and 2 under construction when the government pulled the plug and took the land back. Land is the ultimate form of wealth in China, so race tracks and golf courses are frowned upon. Racing, and golf too can keep the entertainment dollars at home, but the conundrum is they don’t know that !
“China has a growing auto manufacturing base, and Geely is one of the smartest manufacturers I’ve ever dealt with. Ford practically gave them Volvo, and Volvo under Geely turned a profit of over a billion dollars last year. Geely also now owns Lotus, and they just bought Volvo trucks. India’s population is getting richer and younger, as opposed to most of the world, which is getting older, and the wealth more concentrated. India is a prime market for racing if they could just over come their bureaucracy
“In India, the biggest problem is the bureaucracy. It can take 10 years just to get an excavation permit, plus exorbitant fees along the way.
“Neither India or China have a history and culture of racing, and that’s what produces crowds, but also takes time.
“In Europe and the U.S., which both have a great automotive culture, the greatest threat to racing is the bureaucracy, which is dominated by the environmental lobby. I just received a print out of the F.I.A. rules for this year, and it’s over 6 inches thick!
“All of the tracks I’ve done in the U.S. since Miller Motorsports have been private tracks. It’s either a condo situation where a bunch of wealthy guys build a track with garages and service facilities, with food and entertainment for their private pleasure. Or just one guy who wants to build a track to go out and play with his toy.
“The environmental lobby wants to do away with cows because their farts are causing global warming. But there will always be guys who want steaks, and I see the private track market as a way to assure you can always get a good steak!”
I saved this January 1967 issue of Sports Car Graphic magazine for some reason. I love this article by Philip W. May, which predicts the demise of the internal cumbustion engine. And it all seems to be coming true. Even the I.C.E. agents! Check it out. It’s a fun read.
I was curious about the author, so I looked him up. Sadly, he left us all behind last July. R.I.P., Mr. May.
Craig Jackson bought an I.R.S. from us last year, for his barn find The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet
When Ford moved Shelby
production to Detroit from L.A. they
built 2 coupe prototypes for the ’68 production run. The first was a red ’67 with a dual
supercharged 428 Police Interceptor engine, and was known as Little Red.
The second was known as The
Green Hornet, with black spray on
top that looks like vinyl, candy apple green paint, a Conelec fuel injected 428
motor and a factory designed independent rear suspension (I.R.S.).
Craig loves Shelbys, and is
particularly fond of rare Shelby prototypes. He has found both of these cars. The Hornet is complete, and Little Red is
being restored as we speak.
L to R JASON BILLUPS, BUILDER —CRAIG JACKSON, OWNER—DUANE CARLING
Stay tuned to this space for further information on a DOCUMENTARY about the restoration of these
cars !!
You can read a pretty good history of the I.R.S. by going to the MEDIA section of this site and clicking on both issues of Racecar Engineering. Just for fun click, on Shelby’s Mambo also on the same page. The car in that story in Little Red.
Craig bought this on-of-one 2020 Shelby prototype
for $1,100,00 at Friday’s auction to benefit
CHILDREN’S DIABETES FOUNDATION.
Edsel Ford II and Aaron Shelby (Carroll’s grandson) watching the auction.
Since there isn’t a lot happening in the car world during chilly December, especially in freezing Utah, I thought I’d spin a little yarn about our recent trip to DOVE CREEK, CO.
Now, D.C. happens to be the PINTO BEAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD (betcha didn’t know that, didja?) and it’s just across the UT/ CO border, about an hour south & east of Moab.
We’re helping a friend move into her new place, so it was a “working vacation.” The heart of D.C. is the DOVE CREEK SUPERETTE, where, as the song goes, “WE KEEP OUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS UP ON OUR FRONT PORCH ALL YEAR LOG.”
Great, friendly people here. It’s a deli, supermarket, cultural center, and who knows what else. It’s right next to the feed store, and not too far from the Post Office. This was our third visit to town, and we already feel like we belong.
Unfortunately the nearest lumberyard is in Cortez, about 40 miles east, and we made 3 trips there in a day and a half. Oh well, great scenery. If you love high altitude, and wide open spaces, at 6,844 feet up you’ll love this area.
This part of the country is dominated by the Colorado River. It has cut thru the red and white sand stone to create some truly stunning vistas. If you saw the Pixar movie CARS–One, Two, or Three–starring car guy Paul Newman as Doc Hudson, you’ll recognize the mountains between Moab and D.C. as Radiator Springs (radiators spring leaks, get it?). Supposedly John Lasseter’s wife insisted he take some time off with the family after doing the movie TOY STORY, so they rented a motor home and toured the desert southwest. While John was supposedly relaxing he cooked up the plot for CARS. The red rock scenery, the semi abandoned little towns, and of course lottsa old cars, who could resist that ! John’s dad managed a Chevrolet parts department, back in the day, and John delivered parts to car shops all around SoCal, so if the disease is heritable, he got it.
When the PIXAR artists began the CARS project, John wisely contacted Dave “Big” Deal. Dave is a car guy, BAJA record holder, author & artist, and had been bringing cars to life thru cartoons for years. He spent 2 days with the PIXAR artists (it was standing room only) showing them how to give two dimensional drawings of cars life and personality.
They apparently learned a lot. Dave passed away in 2008 but his influence lives on in his art.
Moab red rock countryMoab transformed into Radiator Springs
Any visit to this area must include a visit to RAY’S TAVERN in Green River UT. Home of killer burgers and way cold beer, it is the sacred ancestral home of the SHITFERBRANZ RIVER EXPEDITIONS. If you’ve never been down the Colorado in a small boat, you just don’t know what “near death” really looks like. Our kinda guys.
Well, stay tuned for our next adventure , which (we hope) will be the BARRETT JACKSON auto auctions in Scottsdale, the second week of Jan. The prototype ‘68 Shelby known as the GREEN HORNET will be there, with Conelec fuel injection and its original Independent Rear Suspension. The HORNET’s sister LITTLE RED, a ’68 Shelby sporting a supercharged 427 stuffed under its hood will be the side dish. Great cars ! We’ll be there with our Ford/Shelby friends. Lotsa fun, some very tall tales, and some possibly even true!
This is another masterful work by Karl Ludvigsen, in the manner of Excellence Was Expected, the definitive Porsche book, and Corvette – America’s Star Spangled Sports Car.
While Porsche and Corvette have massive fan bases, Reid Railton has to be the least well known famous designer in the world. His many accomplishments barely fix into this substantial tome (848 PAGES). Retailing at around $220 dollars, that’s a little over 3 cents per page. Heck of a deal.
Karl Ludvigsen
When England was having a hard time fielding a winning Le Mans car due to a lack of testing facilities on the home island, where the national speed limit was 20 M.P.H., Hugh Lock King carved out a piece of his family estate in 1907 to establish Brooklands. The 2.75 mile motor racing circuit that was and is the world’s first purpose built racetrack.
Reid Railton, born in 1895 got his start as an engineer and designer with Leyland in 1916, and established his own manufactory at Brooklands in shortly thereafter.
Reid Railton
Scores of companies established their homes in the Brooklands infield in what would now be known as a “technology hub.” Cross pollination between aircraft, automobiles and water craft was rampant. Racing results immediately improved and victories soon followed.
The E.R.A. (English Racing Assn.) one liter and 1 ½ liter open-wheel cars benefited from his expertise, as did the Riley sedans and sports cars, and of course Leland. By special arrangement with the U.S. manufacturer Hudson, Reid produced the Railton brand automobile, a rebodied and improved Hudson that sold well for a time in Europe.
By 1938 the Railton Special (later the Railton Mobile Special) held several records on the Utah salt flats in the neighborhood of 400 miles per hour. Contributing to speed records on the water and in the air, everywhere you look Mr. Railton’s name seems to pop up.
When the War came, Railton applied his knowledge and intuition to the aircraft that defeated Hitler’s Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain. One could make the case that there wouldn’t be much of an English racing heritage, or maybe even an England at all, without the ministrations of Reid Railton, the most famous designer that most people have never heard of.
