Willard Zareh Kendig, famous for inventing the Kendig carburetor, passed away on
Wednesday, May 4.
"The old familiar sight of several roadsters at a Southern California drive-in is fast fading away," wrote Tex Smith in the July 1959 issue of Hot Rod magazine. Even 50 years ago, rodders were concerned about the changes in their hobby.
The big man in the Milodon T-shirt is none other than Don Alderson, Milodon’s cofounder (and the “don” in Milodon).
Years before Bill France Sr. organized stock car racing on Florida’s most famous beach, stock cars of a different sort went wheel to wheel on tracks around the country.
Craig Breedlove’s Spirit of America was arguably one of the prettiest land-speed racers to tackle Bonneville, but it certainly met an ugly end. While chasing Art Arfons’ 434-mph speed record in 1964, Breedlove found himself unable to bring the rocket-powered Spirit to a stop while traveling in excess of 500 mph. Two parachutes and the car’s brakes failed, leaving Breedlove a helpless passenger as the car went off the race course, flew through two telephone poles and augured into a brine pond. Miraculously unhurt, Breedlove swam to safety.