"Mickey Thompson Trophy" on eBay

[4-barrel Mike]

Interesting piece, assuming that it's real: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150672720641&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649



1948 Mickey Thompson trophy probably won at El Mirage dry lake in Southern California during the classic era of Lakes timed speed trials. Not a replica or made-up, but the genuine period artifact. Research reveals that Mickey Thompson indeed was competing in these events with a white 1936 Ford coup in the "A" Coupe and "B" Coupe Class. His hopped-up Ford Flathead engine used his own grind camshaft, and he had much success.  It’s only a coincidence that the trophy figure is a 1936 Ford coupe that was commonly used on local trophies at the time. Brass plaque has: RUSSETTA TIMING ASS’N, with a symbolized wing and hourglass. Engraved TO: M. THOMPSON, 3rd PLACE, "B' COUPE, 111.32 M.P.H., 11 - 7 - 48. Marion Lee "Mickey" Thompson   later gained fame in the auto racing industry, but at this time, according to Merl Tuck and other contemporaries, he was just one of the few guys interested in hot rods and lakes events. Thompson's innovative designs included the first "Slingshot" drag racer in 1955; land speed record holders and Indy cars; also tires and other products bearing his name. Trophy itself is a metal die cast, bronzed as was common at the time Base is Bakelite Pretty decent condition, not broken, modified or repaired; all exactly original. About 9-1/2 inches tall. A type of item seldom, if ever offered.

Mike

[4-barrel Mike]

Went for $510.00.

Mike

[34andy]

Mike,

Do you know of any good pictures or other information on Mickey's early racing in the 40s?
Are there any pictures in the "Challenger" book?  I'd love to know more about his early career.

-Andy

[4-barrel Mike]

Try this: http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Thompson-Tragic-Racing-Legend/dp/0760340153/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322581476&sr=1-1

Mike

[Jack Gifford]

I haven't read the "Fast Life and Tragic Death", but I'd be surprised if it sheds more light on Mickey's early life than "Challenger" does; the first eight chapter titles are:

1. The people who gave me life
2. Born to be a hot rodder
3. The world of rodding and why I love it
4. Hacking out a place in the hot rod world
5. Life gave me an occasional hard time
6. Love and cars mix just fine
7. Those wild and lucky teen-age years
8. Becoming my kind of an adult

[34andy]

I scored an original copy of "Callenger" on Abe's books for $17!

Last Sentence in Chapter 8:

I worked and raced harder than ever and it was with a 1936 Ford coupe that
we built together that I first raced at Bonneville.

Chapter 10 quotes:

My first year there for the Nationals was 1950 and I drove up with a buddy only as a spectator.  
It was a fabulous show with over a hundred entries and  a mob of about six hundred hot rodders.

We continued storming in the drags and as the summer rolled around I built two  engines to run in the coupe
at Bonneville.  One was for Class B, 183 to 260 cubic inches and the other was for Class C, 260 to 305 cubes.

We started out with the little engine in the pure white coupe and made run after run but for some reason
that we still don't understand the car just wouldn't trip Otto Crocker's photo-electric timer.  We talked it over with him and
he suggested that we try a little color on the car and see if that wouldn't break the light beam.  We painted big, hairy, purple
flames all over the front end.  That cured the trouble but the best time we could get was 122.282 MPH, versus 126.582 of top
man Bud Fox.  But this was our first time out on the Salt.  We were still learning to tune for the altitude and  we felt encouraged.

We got impatient with going slow, snatched the little engine out and dropped in the Class C mill.  There were eleven entries in that
class and we managed to to turn the fastest one-way time of them all-141.065 MPH.  Our nearest competition was Clark Cagle at
137.614.  But I got greedy when I made my record try, tipped the nitro can a little too bravely and dumped the whole bottom end
of the engine onto the Salt.

That confirms that Mickey did race a white 1936 Ford Coupe in the 1948-1951 time period.
However, there are no pictures of this car.  The earliest picture appears to be his twin-engine Bantam in 1952.

I did find Mickey Thompson's results in the November 1951 Hot Rod Magazine where he ran a 296" Merc to 141.065 MPH on Page 61.
 
Does anyone here have ANY pictures or additional information on Mickey's 1936 Ford Coupe?

Thanks,
Andy

[maguromic]

Andy, In his early days with the coupe he was running under the Russeta Timing Association.  Somewhere in my storage I have all the results from Russeta when they ran on the lakes and when I have some time I will look for them.  Tony

[Elmo Rodge]

The Russetta Programs for 1948 don't list individual results for previous meets but do have entry lists with a space to write in results. In June and July he was M.L. Thompson in car 800A. In September he was Marion Thompson in 51A. In October he had become Mickey Thompson still in car 51A. Wayno