This is the view from the...
This is the view from the front of the Cote home in Pasadena, California, circa 1946. From left, theres Louis cousin Dick Westlings 32 roadster, George Kalems 32 roadster, and an unknown Deuce roadster. Both hooded roadsters had Bob Lee tops and side curtains.
Heres a much closer...
Heres a much closer shot of Dick Westlings Deuce, sans top. Thats him behind the wheel with his friend Bobby Blin riding shotgun. (c. 1946)
This is a cockpit view of...
This is a cockpit view of Schinns roadster in Cotes driveway. Thats a real bomber steering wheel with an aviation tach mounted above it. (c. 1946)
Heres Don Nicholsons...
Heres Don Nicholsons roadster on the lake in 1947. Thats Patty MacNamera at the wheel, before she married Don. Note the sheetmetal between the nerf bar and grille shella simple solution to an aerodynamics problem.
Nicholsons Jimmy-six...
Nicholsons Jimmy-six was set back for better weight balance; you can also just see the suicide perch for the front spring.
No info was given on this...
No info was given on this track roadster, but it sure is bitchin. Whos gonna clone this one?
Dons brother Bruce Blair...
Dons brother Bruce Blair perished when he crashed this roadster at El Mirage in the late 40s. This photo was taken behind Blairs shop shortly after the crash.
Check out the racing action...
Check out the racing action in the late 40s at Saugus Raceway in Saugus, California.
Don Blairs Blair Special...
Don Blairs Blair Special lines up to run at El Mirage in 1946 or 1947. Don was a local racing hero and also owned Blairs Speed Shop in Pasadenawhich still exists to this day. No info was given on the other car in photo.
These are the remains of Blairs...
These are the remains of Blairs second track roadster after McClung rolled it and walked away.
We love old photos of real hot rods. When we detoured our Asphalt Ego-Rama 01 trek through northern Nevada to tour Louis Cotes collection of old Ford iron, we never expected him to lay these photos on us. He kept these original, near-mint photos safe in plastic sleeves and organized in a binder.
Louis grew up in Pasadena, California, and was active in Southern California hot rodding and lakes racing immediately after WWII. It turns out that some of the neighborhood guys were notable lakes racers with names you might recognize. We thought these were so cool, we just had to share them. Thanks, Mr. Cote. Enjoy.