What? Why?

I was asked these exact questions in a text I received this week from a good friend of mine. I had posted a picture on Facebook detailing the right front headlight area on a beat-up 1959 Dodge Custom Royal that was awaiting a serious restoration at a garage in a nearby town. She didn't fully understand why I took such a tight, detailed photograph of this heap until I explained more of the details. Details like rust, patina, the concept of weathered objects in a life-after-people throw away society - and the fact it's one of several niche genres I digitally capture and then hopefully sell reprints of later on.

It's the same deal here - What? Why? I've been asked this multiple times as to why I write and photograph what I do. First off, I love what I write about - I have been a fan of muscle cars, street rods and 60's era drag racing since I was a kid. Growing up in the 60's and 70's definitely helped. Owning and being involved with classic Detroit iron for almost 40 years has also been a plus. Lastly, I have a yen for any type of motor-sports and hot rodding that's totally off the wall. If it contains mega-wow factor or makes me laugh my ass of while I'm engaging in it, all the better. Is it safe to say that I drool over off the hook hot rods and/or rat rods? Or really odd-ball muscle cars? Or how about muscle cars that were "never built" by the factory, but in fact, several documented examples actually exist? You betcha. You want weird, but hilarious motor-sports? On it - that's why I did a blurb on Barbie Jeep racing.

Speaking of rare, odd-ball muscle cars, ever hear the story of the two 1970 Olds Vista Cruiser wagons that were built with all the 4-4-2 option hardware including the W-30 455 V-8 engine? While one of the wagons whereabouts is still unknown as of this writing, the other one is believed to be alive and well in a private collection. While the model was never offered to the public, two Vista Cruiser Wagon were built by Oldsmobile as a 4-4-2 with the W-30 package. The engine was a 370 HP 455 CID V-8  producing a diesel-like 500 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. Other W-30 features included the now-incredibly rare lightweight air induction W-25 fiberglass hood. After both Vista Cruiser's were built, they were taken off the assembly line by Oldsmobile Engineering and turned into W30s with all of the special 442 parts, before being handed over to Popular Hot Rodding magazine for testing. Nicknamed “The Wonder Wagons”. Along the way, one wagon was snapped up by the late Oldsmobile expert Joe Mondello, who owned the car until his death in 2011. The other wagon was reported to have been shipped to Car Life magazine in Japan and is believed to have been sold to someone in that country.

It seems street rods in these modern times carry less shock value and more wow-appeal. There have been some builds lately that do more than raise the bar - they define a balance between unparallel workmanship and rolling art. But every once in a while, one comes along and totally upsets the apple cart - and I feel that's a good thing. Take for example this 1929 Tudor hot rod. Never mind the chopped and channel job that's been done. Dig the open exhaust... or the fact is has no front brakes. That's right - zero. Only rear brakes. It may say 28 C/G for a certain Gasser class in drag racing, but this beast is street driven regularly.

Now, how about strange but true motor-sports. How strange?  How about drag-racing motorcycles made of farm equipment? Summertime snowmobiling in Wisconsin? Did I mention tractor-trailer drifting? Since mankind’s earliest days, the never-ending quest to somehow go faster has always been a powerful force. But somewhere along the line, something went a bit haywire. Either by coincidence, accident, or defiance, automotive enthusiasts have taken unsuspecting forms of transportation and modified them into some pretty bizarre styles of racing.

 - Our first example is a brilliant blend of farm equipment, bored country folk, tractor pulls, motorcycles, and good 'ol drag racing ingenuity. Outside of a few suspension tweaks and some seriously knobby tires, these bikes are the exact same thing you see drag racing at the local strip, with 1200+ cc motors, some outfitted with nitrous, and even the occasional turbocharger upping the ante.

 -  First held in Grantsburg, Wisconsin back in July of 1977, the obscure form of racing commonly referred to as summer sledding, has been held every year since its inception. Originally designed as a challenge to see who could make it 300 feet from the island on Memory Lake to the shore, this oddity has since transformed into a competition where over 100 racers compete in both drags and ovals, with an eight-lap championship run capping things off. In a sport like this it’s a “sink or skim” experience, so these snowmobiles often get stripped-down and beefed-up before being unleashed on a lake.

 -  Words simply cannot describe our last entry. The sport of drifting is obviously nothing new. But when a 15,000-pound big-rig with over 1,100 horsepower shreds a course, it makes regular cars look like yawn city. Piloted by Michiel Becx, who was also the brains behind the Becx-TDS Racing team, a video is the only way to truly capture this beacon of automotive ingenuity and driver prowess while behind the wheel. The video is 6+ minutes long, but is truly amazing. https://youtu.be/OT8Eh7BBqOQ

Until next time, stay crazy.
Dave