Old Bonneville Pictures

[Pat Kinne / Salt201]

Stream - According to my 1963 Results sheet = 333 was Ermie Immerso's "Thunderbird" Streamliner and he ran 303 that year in "A" - Pat

[streamliner]

Thanks, Pat!  That makes sense...  That was Alex Tremulis' first year at Bonneville following his Ford demise, and he was learning everything he could from everyone and helping out anyone who looked like they needed help. 

This was the very start of a friendship with Ermie that lasted for the rest of his life. I know the two worked closely on several projects, not only the first Thunderbird, but Alex also did design work on Ermie's final Thunderbird II, the one that looks like it's now owned by the Fergusons(?)...

[lvsalt]

photo on reply#872   Ermies #333

[N72727]

Can somebody identify this one?

[jdincau]

Nolan White's entry in what was called the "sports racing" class ?

[Pat Kinne / Salt201]

And Now For Something Entirely Different -- This is what we did after getting blown out for our RETURN record run in 1964. Fred Murphy had a chance to get it done in Don Johnson's lakester with a 260+ down run (3 runs in those days) and then the wind came up to stay - end of deal.  After trying to kill ourselves on a creeper, it seemed safe to just slide along on your Keds. See below. The scabs from his forehead and forearms only took three weeks to fall off.

[dw230]

I'm sure the empty Coors box had something to with the tumble.

[thundersalt]

I like the STP Bonneville Nationals shirt. Someone needs to reproduce those. Retro shirts?

[Pat Kinne / Salt201]

Sliding with your feet in the box proved to be a lot slower than the creeper but the beer did help with the perception of speed. You may notice the black line to the left - this stunt was pulled near the starting line.  Rumor has it that Freud was a young spectator to this mayhem. Heck of a tail wind on the return if they had let us run! - Pat

[desotoman]

Nolan White's entry in what was called the "sports racing" class ?

Didn't they have to have 2 side by side seats installed for that class?

Tom G.

[jdincau]

Oh yes Tom and you wouldent torture your worst enemy with the seating arrangements in any of them that were purpose built for the class. They eventually morphed into gas streamliners and the class died out after Jack Lufkin put all the records through the moon. The people with Ferrari road race cars and Austin Heally's with v-8's in them couldent keep up.

[SPDRACR]

I as a young boy had to seat in that car with rick White to prove it was a two seater !
I still don't remember how we got in or out, but I was first and Rick got in second, Me Parents have a picture of this some where, I do remember the roll bar down tube wedged
between my shoulder and right ear. Wish I still flexed like that . That car endedup around 318 mph. at one time head lite/tale lites mirrors, and a horn all worked.

[Freud]

Pat, that parachute adventure happened on the road from the pits to the starting area.

The wind was from the mountains toward the dike.

Those creepers were lethal on the spectators ankles.

The pits were by the dike side and we accessed the salt from the (# ?) mile post on the old highway.

Hang a left and over the shoulder of the highway to the salt.

Remember the small wooden bridge across the ditch?

Way before the freeway and lands end.

FREUD

[streamliner]

Lufkin's car from November 1965.  Monty, you mentioned that Alex had something to do with the canopy design on this car.  I would venture that these were Alex's study photos from which he could look at the streamlining for the car.  He was also a HUGE proponent of enclosing the wheels in fairings dating back to his 1939/40 Chrysler Thunderbolt show car, so I wouldn't doubt if he had input into the new wheel fairings as well.  Anyone have any more info on Alex Tremulis' involvement with Jack Lufkin???

[N72727]

Jean Hébert, the French pilot of the Renault "Etoile Filante" died récently at the age of 85. He ran the streamliner at Bonneville in 1956. The car is still in France.