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20 Vintage PhotosNever-Before-Seen Stuff From The Cameras of R&C From the February, 2009 issue of Rod & Custom By Tim Bernsau Photography by The Rod & Custom Archives
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 We wish we couldve been...  We wish we couldve been there to see this wheelstanding Willys Gasser leap from the line at the 63 NHRA Winternationals. The Brown brothers, Chuck and Glenn, out of Phoenix, Arizona, set a record at the meet and won the C/Gas Supercharged class in the Chevy-powered Willys, with driver Chuck clocking a 13.27/116.12.  Climbing out of a T roadster...  Climbing out of a T roadster pickup without scorching your slacks on the pipes can be difficult, but our pal Stringbean was a lot of fun to watch. It was all part of the entertainment at the 71 Street Rod Nationals in Memphis, Tennessee.  We came across piles of photographs...  We came across piles of photographs of the 66 Hot Rod magazine drags, and particularly dug this pair of altered roadsters. Above the open-header roar of the injected V-8s, these two unmarked cars scream hot rod.  We had to go all the way back...  We had to go all the way back to the 64 NHRA National Drags in Indianapolis to find the answer to the question about the origin of those crybaby dolls. If you can get one of those dolls to wrench on a hot rod the way this kid is working on his dads rail, well stop making fun of them.  This wild multiple-exposure...  This wild multiple-exposure shot of the 67 Hurst Hairy Olds in full four-wheel smoke-em mode came from the 67 Hot Rod magazine drags. It had a pair of blown 425ci Olds motors and Toronado transaxles on a tubular frame, with dual throttles, dual shifters, and dual parachutes. Top Fuel driver Gentleman Joe Schubeck (owner of Lakewood Industries) was the only driver of the HHO, which eventually blew the front engine, went out of control, crashed, and was put out to pasture. A hot rod? Maybe not. But dang, what a car.  The Bonneville Salt Flats...  The Bonneville Salt Flats may not be the sandy beaches of the Atlantic or Pacific, but that didnt seem to prevent this sun worshipper from soaking up some rays. While the guys worked on setting a speed record, their young lady friend worked on getting a record-breaking tan. We cant identify the racers or the woman in the feather wig, but this exposure was made during the 67 Speed Trials. Were betting Hot Rod magazine cameraman Eric Rickman took this photo.  This is Betty Skelton Frankman...  This is Betty Skelton Frankman driving a new Corvette on the beach at Daytona in 1956. Betty is one of the greatest women in high performance, both on the ground and in the air. After establishing herself as an aerobatics expert in her teens, she created a long list of firsts for her sex, including driving a jet car over 300 mph at Bonneville. She set several transcontinental auto records for women, as well as Corvette records on Daytona Beach. In 1959, she underwent the same testing as the seven Mercury astronauts.  Our Indianapolis 500 archives...  Our Indianapolis 500 archives turned up this inspirational shot from 1952 that could be the last panel of a Stroker McGurk cartoon. This is one of the Novi Pure Oil Special cars, owned by Lewis Welch. The identity of the crewmember is unknown, which is lucky for him. The driver, Chet Miller, of Glendale, California, was killed at Indy one year later in Turn One during practice.  Coincidentally, both of the...  Coincidentally, both of the vintage photos we dug out of our Indy files are of Novi cars. According to the notes on the back of this photo, Cliff Bergere put this car in a ditch during the 47 Indy 500. Weve read that Bergere left the race with a burned piston after 62 laps, after leading for much of the race. Welch put him into another car, replacing the other driver, and Bergere finished in Fourth Place. In 1948, after spinning out twice in practice, Bergere left Welchs team.  In the wake of Ed Big...  In the wake of Ed Big Daddy Roths death, we continue to come across more evidence of his influence. Associate Editor Al Hall was at the Chicago Hobby Show in 1965 when he stumbled upon this Ed Roth customizing booth, sponsored by Testors model paints. This young hobbyist figured a white sports coat was just the right thing to wear to try out the Binks mini spray booth.  Land speed racer Nolan White...  Land speed racer Nolan White had several records under his belt when we dropped by to check out his latest Chevy-powered Bonneville racer in early 1966. With a GMC-blown Chevy 327, the car had already run almost 225 mph and had swiped a bunch of records from injected cars in the process, which inspired the nickname Injector Eater. *  While talking to a lot of...  While talking to a lot of the old-time four-banger Ford racers at the Antique Nationals recently, we learned that antique car hillclimbs were once a big deal among vintage car racers. One of the more popular events in Southern California took place in Long Beach. This photo looks like it dates from the 20s or earlier, except for the oil rigs, license plate, and other clues that indicate it was actually taken in 1966.  Today people talk about driving...  Today people talk about driving their street rods long distances as if they invented the practice. This rod run, the Second Annual Northeast run, took place back in 1970 at Kanosa Lake in Upstate New York. Here, Long Island Street Rod Association prez Gilly Edwards, in his homebuilt 32 Ford fruit truck, leads a caravan of rodders from Long Island across the centerline into oncoming traffic. Look out!  Just when we were starting...  Just when we were starting to get people pumped up for the R&C Street Rod Nationals in 1971, the company discontinued Rod & Custom. But we still put on the show in Memphis that August. Unless you bought one of our special issues you were never treated to this photo of Gil Fereira of San Jose, clean-jerking his own roadster. The car took First Place in the Streetkhana in the Under 95 inches category. Powered by a 1,600cc VW engine, the whole car weighs only 980 pounds. *  By the summer of 1972, Rod...  By the summer of 1972, Rod & Custom was back in business, and just in time for the 72 Street Rod Nationals in Detroit. Our editorial coverage took up practically all of the October 72 issue. In this previously unpublished photo, Editor Bud Bryan (left) and Publisher Tom Medley scout for cars in the hotel parking lot. Hey, lets bring back those old R&C uniforms!  Ah, the 70s. Gray Baskerville...  Ah, the 70s. Gray Baskerville represented R&C at the 73 NSRA West Coast Mini Nats in Lodi, California. There, he ran across Chris Silveira and friend polishing up Chris Buick nailhead-powered Model T pickup, with the bed and cockpit in full dump mode.  Its hot rod builders...  Its hot rod builders Gene Winfield (left) and Jim Jake Jacobs (right) in the process of punching 114 3x3/4-inch vents into the decklid of Jakes car, shot by Baskerville in 1973. At this point, Gene and Jake, assisted by Tweedy (wearing a flying eyeball T-shirt with the words Von Dutch is still alive) are about halfway through the decklid. By the time they finished the side panels, theyd punched 232 louvers.  Most of Baskervilles...  Most of Baskervilles Salt Flats photography depicts the thrills and excitement of screaming race action. But this early-morning shot of the G. McKague and Son Ford Model A X/Street roadster, under cover and reflected on the salt, captures the calm before the storm. This was taken in 1973 at the 25th anniversary of the National Speed Trials in Bonneville.  From the same event, Baskerville...  From the same event, Baskerville did a story on the Sadd, Teague & Bentley 29 roadster, perched on Deuce rails. The roadster had been severely damaged on the return road at the previous years event, but the team of Nick Sadd, Al Teague, and George Bentley rebuilt the car and in 1973, it ran 268mph on the salt to become the worlds fastest roadster.  Rod & Custom has always...  Rod & Custom has always attracted a sophisticated class of readers. Jim Jacobs, associate editor at the time, took this portrait of a young couple, participants in the 71 Street Rod Nats in Memphis, cooking up a heap of vittles next to their Ford T Phaeton. We knew this was going to happen. As soon as we started running the R&C Archives photo on the last page of every issue, we knew wed start finding a slew of cool old vintage photographs that nobody has ever seen. The photo library at R&C world headquarters is a virtual treasure chest of this stuff. So just for grins we pried open the lid and pulled out 20 vintage photos to share. Some have a little historical significance, some capture the flavor of a particular time or place, and some are just goofy. We believe that none of them have been published before and hope that you enjoy all of them.
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Ol' Dad
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