Maker of Tires... Robert Newton

Robert Newton along with his wife, Joyce started their racing tire company called Hoosier Tires in an old horse barn in South Bend in 1957. Bob had started racing stock cars on weekends at tracks in the Midwest. Back then they were running on regular street tires and Bob had lost some races because the tires were coming apart. Bob and his wife got the idea to start recapping street tires with softer rubber, which gave them more grip which meant more speed and lasted longer. The company grew from that small beginning to the largest race tire company in America.

Just a night at the track with Bob and Joyce Newton. Image via Hoosier Tires.

Some Old Salt... Bonneville

It's been on the bucket list for some time now...maybe some day I'll get there. In the meantime here's some "Old Salt."

A look at the early SoCal '34 Ford coupe that set a 153 mph record in 1951. Two years later, in 1953 it would be back with a different engine to set a new record of 172 mph.

From Puppets to Speed Records / Sir Malcolm Campbell's Bluebird

It's so cool to connect someones personal history with you, the blog readers. Here's how it went, the phone rang, Clint Campbell, of the Shafters Car Club on the other end. He goes on the tell me about one of their members that has a great story to be told, Milt Davies, whose dad was on the team of Sir Malcolm Campbell's record breaking run at Bonneville in 1935. Here's how it happened...through the memories eye of Milt.

Campbell poses for photos with his Bluebird in England before leaving for America, 1935. Getty Image

One Fast Lady / Betty Skelton

Once in a great while, someone comes along that turns the car culture on its ear. Betty Skelton not only turned it, she up-righted it. Her parents knew she was different because she was fascinated watching airplanes flying above her house and would rather play with models of planes instead of dolls. The handwriting was on the wall, she began taking flying lessons at age 10, had a private license at 16, and was a flight instructor at 18. She was addicted to speed and became a daredevil pilot, who was a three-time National Aerobatics Champion, which lead her to fast cars.

By 1951 Betty had become friends with Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR. Bill talked her into driving the pace car at the Daytona Beach Speed Week. At that point, she was the first woman granted a race driver's license by the Automobile Association of America. This lead her to be hired by Dodge to set a stock car record for women in a 1954 Hemi-powered Dodge Ram V8 on that same beach. Suddenly she had a new career, the first woman to be a test driver for the auto industry. The following year, 1955, Betty headed to the Bonneville Salt Flats as part of the Dodge team that set 395 new records during a 14 day endurance test. in 1956, General Motors and Corvette attracted her to become a spokeswoman for Chevrolet by appearing at auto shows, television commercials and national print advertisements. The Corvette bug had struck, and more was to come for Betty.

PR shot for her favorite car, the Corvette. Image, General Motors Media Archive

Speed Shops / Karl and Veda Orr's

This little jewel of a "Speed Shop" looks kinda' lonely sitting there. Well why wouldn't it, it's one of the first Speed Shops that came along to help ignite the world of hot rodding. This is Karl and Veda Orr's shop that opened up in 1940 in Los Angeles after George Wight's Bells Auto Parts in 1923, Lee Chapel's shop in 1929 and Jim White's in 1932 years before the postwar hot rod boom. Orr's shop quickly became a hangout for local hot rodders as it was considered one of the best.

Karl ran his shop as a mechanic, parts supplier and early member of the SCTA(Southern California Timing Association). Both Karl and Veda were racers, however before WWII women were not allowed to belong to the SCTA. This did not stop Veda, as men went off to war and with her interest in racing on dry lakes, she introduced her own "California Timing" news publication pictorial featuring popular race cars of the period that she produced at the shop. When SCTA's activities were put on hold during the war, she extended her "CT" news to a special-interest mailer sent to hot rod interested military servicemen gratis, at least to ones she could locate. It was a little touch of home.

"She was the glue that held hot rodding together during the war years." - Tom Medley

Veda was granted membership to SCTA after the war and the speed shop continued at the original location in Culver City until it closed sometime in the 50's. The shop was reopened in the 60's on Sierra Highway in Mint Canyon, California.

The Deuce sitting outside the Culver City Speed Shop. Notice the track car inside the shop on the left.

Bonneville / A Case Study in Experimentation

The salt has called many a driver, and in 1966 it was Tom Bruch's turn with his 1956, 356 Porsche Speedster. However, this was a return trip after the previous year there with a VW, he had obviously caught the "Bonneville bug." It seems that once a driver touches the salt, he's destined to find his way back one way or another and why not, the Speedster was a more aerodynamic shape.

Back in those days drivers experimented without the aid of computers with engine modifications, such as "scrapers" to pull the oil off the cranks, cams, head designs as well as other engine tweaks, and including body aerodynamics. It was a giant test lab and still is today.

"You are trying to get the most out of whatever cc's you are playing with, but it's not just the engines and horsepower...you have to look at the whole system, which includes aerodynamics, gearing, and even the weather."- Tom Bruch

Dick Koenig did a wonderful interview with Tom that was published through the excellent  "356 Registry" in 2001 along with photos from, Carter Kudrle and Mark Bouljon. It's a great read about the ingenuity that Bonneville competitors are up for. You can find the full story by clicking here.

The Bonneville crew; L to R, Dr. John Dickinson, Tom Bruch, Carter Kudrle and Howard "Bud" Jackson with the Speedster in 1966 sporting Goodyear "Blue Streak" tires.

HHR's 356 Bonneville Build

Goal: To set a land speed record for the fastest 356, then be able to return the car to street use.

That's just what Graham Henderson is setting out to accomplish, his dream car. No small undertaking, it now stands at something like 150 mph and that's in a body design that's about 60+ years old. To do this he has enlisted the help of Kent Porter of Precision Chassis Works in Arizona who understands the task well. Part of the plan is to build a tube frame below the body, install a 911 engine, not hanging out over the back, but in a mid-engined configuration, do all the safety mods that are required, like a full roll cage and fire system along with all the small tuning to make the car run like a tiger out of the Malaysian Jungle.

Graham owns a few classic air-cooled Porsches from a 993 down, however he fell in love with Porsche 356A coupes when he was a very young architect working in London, and spotted a little silver torpedo sitting on a local street. He was smitten and decided that one day he was going to own one. Subsequently he found and bought a right hand drive, type A coupe in Malaysia. The car has been in storage for the past 13 years in Kuala Lumpur and just in the last week it arrived at the Port of Los Angeles where it will be trucked to Gilbert, Arizona for the beginning of the project.

The "Along For The Ride" blog will follow this adventure with Team HHR to record the story and show photo updates as the car is rebuilt to make a run at record speeds. A separate page (that can be found along the top header) will provide updates to follow all the way to "The Salt". Be sure to check it out and send your comments and questions here.

The 356 A coupe minus widows and trim as rescued from Malaysia. Image © HHR

Sun Worshipper / Bonneville

With summer edging its way around the corner, thought I would run a photo of taking in some rays the way it should be done.

Yeah, the Bonneville Salt Flats may not be the white sandy beaches of the Pacific or Atlantic, but that didn’t seem to prevent this sun worshipper from soaking up the sun. While one of the guys worked on setting a speed record in his rear engined streamliner, their young lady friend worked on getting a record-breaking tan. Seems the other guy was too distracted to be of much help. Can’t identify the racers or the woman in the bikini, but this exposure was made during the ’67 Speed Trials. Eric Rickman shooting for Hot Rod magazine probably captured the image.

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Speaking about Bonneville

The Brits were pretty keen on coming over here and running cars at Bonneville. Sir Malcolm Campbell in 1935 with his "Bluebird" burning the salt to a blistering 300+ MPH and later his son Donald Campbell with a new "Bluebird", returned to the salt, but ended with a high-speed crash in 1960.

On August 23rd, in 1957 Brit ace, Stirling Moss took the MG EX to a record 245.64 MPH in class at Bonneville. The special had a supercharged MGA Twin cam 1489cc engine producing 290hp. A couple of years later American drive Phil Hill took the revised MG EX-181 with a slightly larger engine out and set a new record, at 254.91 MPH. Check out the "BP" logos next to the sign...a better day for "BP!"


Stirling Moss breaking 5 speed records in the BMC MG EX - 181, at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Photo by Central Press/Getty Images


The EX - 181 looking rather slippery. Image, via.

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Fords of Bonneville

Cars are not only works of art, they can become works of art!
"A very fascinating subject is the mass movement of anyone that wants to go fast heads to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Southern California. Particularly the folks that bring classic cars to the stark white dry lake bed. This painting is part of a series of pieces that I will do on the subject since the little deuce coupe is among my favorites...While I still have some unfinished work hanging in the studio I have to move forward on a couple of new pieces in order to be timely with a show that is coming up in June...This 1934 Ford Deuce Coupe will be one of those projects."-Bryan David Snuffer

"Love the contrast of this project between the chrome pieces of the car and the raw patina of the paint on the car. "-Bryan David Snuffer


"I love painting chrome and the simple reflections in this car are just right. Two days approximately in the production of this project. As you can see from earlier posts that it is often odd how things progress. I am an impatient person and I can't let the grass grow under my feet before I am moving along to the next painting."-Bryan David Snuffer


The Fords of Bonneville 18x24" acrylic on masonite.
Bryan is a super talented painter who loves painting cars, you can check out this piece and more of his work at, Bryan David Snuffer .

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Bonneville 2010

Do you remember how it was possible to disappear into your own small private world when you were a kid? At times in my world I would read car magazines that reported on far-far away events, like Bonneville. I would study the photos in great detail as though I was looking through a microscope. It seemed it was a time when speed records were falling every year with names like, Art Arfons "Green Monster" at (576.55 mph) that captured the imagination of millions, and Craig Breedlove at (600.6 mph). Then in 1970, Gary Gabolich's rocket car, "Blue Flame", attained a spectacular (622.4 miles) per hour.

Well, I've always had a hankering to load up a car and try this thing. One of the blog followers and a 'Facebook' buddie Sean Cridland has done just that. This was his second year taking a Porsche there. Here is what he has to share.

"Hi John, I didn't do that well this year. My car was down on power for some reason. I was shooting for the 150+ mark this year and only got to 128 and that was on a course 1.25 miles longer than last year, when I went 135. That said, once I figured I wasn't going to get the speed, I went for experience. Got 16 runs. The officials were kidding me that I had the record for the most number of runs at the B-ville event and that I had the fastest "lap-speed" because I wouldn't de-helmet or anything, just drive right back up to the start and go again. Hey, it's a PORSCHE! that's what they're made for right?"

Here are some images to check out.

The PCA pit 2010 "World of Speed" at Bonneville. There's not much out there in the way of creature comforts.

Needless to say, the famous yellow Vesco 444 garners more attention than the little silver C4. It should, it has over 70 records at Bonneville.

It's not how big your engine is...it's how big your heart is for the love of this sport.

Off we go...It's peddle to the metal. No turning back now, notice in this image all unused openings are sealed with tape.

See ya next time.

I just gotta' do this!!!

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Destination Speed

Bonneville...How Fast Can I Go!

It kinda' looks like a surreal far-away planet. The photo is by Jeff Earle of Steve Huff as he readies himself for a pass. Have you ever wondered..."How fast can I go?"

As a kid I would read "Speed Magazines" about Mickey Thompson and his Challenger I streamliner that he drove to 406.60 mph on the Salt Flats in 1960 and only wonder what that would be like. He was the first American to reach 400 mph.

To drive a car with four wheels at speed on the salt takes some cajones...to do it on two wheels takes....

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Hot Rods Lead To Porsches

Pits at Bonneville. Photo NHRA Collection

So-Cal Coupe push start at Bonneville. Photo NHRA

Alex Xydias in coupe. Photo NHRA Collection

As the So-Cal Car sits today. Photo, Phil Toy

Some time ago I was chatting with George Taylor, our local Autocross Inspection Chair about a past club member, Russ Lanthorne. I met Russ about 1970 when he was a teacher at La Jolla High School. He had just purchased a white 1967 911S and also a Speedster that he was running at Holtville. Interestingly the 911S had previously been owned by Fred Davies, the owner of Davies Motors, a Rambler/AMC dealer in Pacific Beach. Fred had traded the "S" into Bob Brown Motors in Santee for a newer car. Russ loved that "S", but had racing in his blood...and here is how he got started.

Years before Russ and a friend, who's name was Jim Gray, chopped and channeled a '34 Ford coupe and ran it successfully at Bonneville. The So-Cal Speed Shop founder Alex Xydias saw the car, made a deal for it, modified it some more, and debuted it in 1953 as part of the So-Cal Speed Shop racing team. He immediately set records at Bonneville, where it topped 177 mph and also ran it at dragstrips, turning 121 mph in the quarter mile setting more records. Don Orosco now owns the car, restored it and showed it at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it won it's class. It is one of the most famous racing "Hot Rods" in the world and it all started with San Diego Region member Russ, and Jim Gray.