Len Imborgno - Jim Skelly - Performance Preserves

[T Janes]

From Hot Rod Magazine March 1961, NHRA Record Runs: Petersburg, Virginia Nov 1960 Ron Hassel set the D/G record at 13.33 103.32 1956 Chevy Sponsored by Jackshaw Chevrolet in Cleveland. Joe Hrudka was also ther with his blue 1957 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop E gasser sponsored be Neil Motors of Cleveland. Hrudka and Dennis Coker had a real battle of letter writing in Drag News in the mid sixties. A Gas Record as of April 1961 Gulfcrest Special, Puducah, Ky-Chevy 120 MPH set at Detroit Dragway sept 1960, Delozier & Ramey Oklahoma City-Pontiac 11.93 set at Oklahoma City Dragstrip

[bill dedman]

Thanks, Tony!

That "Gulf Crest Special" was a blue '40 Willys with a 352 CID, carbureted, small block Chevy (half-inch stroker motor) owned and driven by W.R. Sanders.
That car was the first door-slammer I ever saw run 120 mph, and I was literally awe-struck! It had a 3-speed manual transmision, and he drove it very conservatively (no power shifts.) It went 120mph and 12.0's at Halls, Tennesee, when I saw it in about 1958. He had the record, then.

I THINK that car got sold and was re-created as Junior Garrison's "Wicked Willys", which was the B/Gas NHRA Nationals class winner and maybe won Little Eliminator, in '62 or '63 at Indy. Junior ran a used car lot in Murray, Kentucky. The new engine for B/Gas was a 339" (3/8ths stroker) SBC, now, with Hilborns. The team of Coleman/Taylor (TCI?) in Memphis bought the car from Junior in '63 or '64.

I watched it run some 12.60s at Lakeland Dragway, in Memphis, at a points race that year. Coleman/Taylor owned the SS/AA record with their Stage II '63 Max Wedge car, and they had a "just for fun" grudge race with the "Wicked Willys."

The Mopar won, going away...

I 'bout cried, seeing a "Factory Hot Rod" STOCKER outrunning a national champion B Gasser...

Drag racing was never the same for me again... sigh...