Nice period C-body / July 2012 Hot Rod

[BobPalma]

The new July 2012 Hot Rod arrived in this morning's mail. Therein is reprinted a large, border-to-border 2-page photo from the December 1957 issue. Discussed are the half-mile(!) drags being held 4-wide(!) at what is now known as The Yolo County Airport.

Waiting in line to run behind a 1957 Dodge Coronet hardtop and in front of a 1957 Oldsmobile 88 2-door sedan is a sharp C-body Commander:



'Neat photo. (For us history buffs possessed with such things, the Dodge has the little D500 or D501 high-performance engine emblem on the lower right corner of the deck lid, so it could probably have smoked the Commander...well, that is, unless the Commander was hiding a fresh 1957 Golden Hawk engine from a recent "total!" )

Further trivia discusses the interesting history of the venue. The website for The Yolo County Airport indicates the facility was then known as Winters-Davis Flight Strip. Reportedly, that was the training facility for Doolittle's Raiders as they practiced aircraft-carrier takeoffs for their morale-boosting April 1942 attack on Tokyo.

('Not real sure how they were practicing aircraft-carrier takeoffs that far inland, so we might suppose they had a measured length of the runway similar to what many postwar drag racers marked off on county roads for nefarious drag racing in the early days. Did someone say American Graffiti?) BP

[FlatheadGeo]

Great period piece! Thanks for posting, BP.

[BobPalma]

Great period piece! Thanks for posting, BP.

You're welcome, Ed. I really love that kinda material. BP

[Pat Dilling]

'Neat photo. (For us history buffs possessed with such things, the Dodge has the little D500 or D501 high-performance engine emblem on the lower right corner of the deck lid, so it could probably have smoked the Commander...well, that is, unless the Commander was hiding a fresh 1957 Golden Hawk engine from a recent "total!" )

Or, a nice big Cadillac 331 or 365

Neat picture and story. That's not far from us, we go to Winters a few times a year for blues music at a great local venue there.

[PackardV8]

Yes, way back when, there were a few 1/2-mile drags. That's almost long enough to show who's really got muscle. In one '64 HRM issue was an article about the 1/2-mile drags at Riverside. The Avanti R3 was second fastest among stock cars with 121 MPH or so. Only a fully-prepped Max Wedge 426" Plymouth was faster.

jack vines

[52-fan]

Good thing you explained what that picture was. It reminds of the packs of cars I see going down the 4 lane. Of course, back then most people didn't trust their brakes as much as some appear to today.

[PackardV8]

going down the 4 lane.

That might indicate you, like me, an old rural southerner who grew up where and when a four-lane highway was a new and unusual sight, only found in and near cities. The only one in Alabama was "The Birmingham-Bessemer Super Highway" a twelve mile stretch of four-lane divided highway which opened in 1939. AFAIK, the only major divided highway in Alabama until the Interstate System began in 1956.

jack vines

[studegary]

You're welcome, Ed. I really love that kinda material. BP

Bob P. - Why do you call George "Ed" <G>?

[52-fan]

I well remember as a kid that a trip to Little Rock, some 60 miles away, was a big deal. Heavily traveled 2 lane all the way and you went through every small town with its stop lights and speed zones. Now lots of people work there every day or run down there to go to a movie or eat out. A whole different set of driving habits.
BTW My dad said he remembered when the highway was gravel and people were happy if they "only" had 3 flat tires on the trip.

[BobPalma]

Bob P. - Why do you call George "Ed" <G>?

Because I made a mistake. Duly noted and corrected. BP

[52hawk]

There's also a 59 or 60 Lark 2 dr sedan in the same issue. Look for it!

[BobPalma]

There's also a 59 or 60 Lark 2 dr sedan in the same issue. Look for it!

Yes, Bob, and what is the other (year-make-model) Studebaker-Packard Corporation car in that same photo? BP

[Sdude]

Yes, Bob, and what is the other (year-make-model) Studebaker-Packard Corporation car in that same photo? BP

56 Packard. Looks like a Clipper. The back end is poking out from the building just down the alley. Page 52

[JRoberts]

I saw the Commander right off, but missed the Lark until it was referenced here. Sharp eyes guys. Half mile drags could be interesting. The right gearing would be very important I would think.

[BobPalma]

56 Packard. Looks like a Clipper. The back end is poking out from the building just down the alley. Page 52

Right, Jon.

You can't see enough of it to tell, so it is either a 1956 Clipper Custom 4-door (2,129 built) or a 1956 Clipper Super 4-door (5,173 built).

A Custom would have a full-length rocker panel molding, but only under the doors. The dumpster-like wheeled trailer is blocking the view of that area, so you can't tell.

The cheaper 1956 Clipper DeLuxe would not have the moldings for a second-color side insert. Only the Customs and Supers had those moldings, with or without two-tone paint.

Good eye! BP