~ Byron's Gasser Madness! ~

~ Bob Plumer ~

~ Photos from the Drag Racing Memories Collection ~

The Classics

The Modern Gassers (1968-1971)

The Corvettes

The Roadsters

The Classics
KS Pittman's infamous 33 Willys.  After wadding it up at a race in Texas, KS went on to build his equally infamous 41.
KS Pittman's 41 A/GS Willys.  KS was always tough to beat and won more than his share!
The Kohler Bros "King Kong" A/GS Anglia was a mainstay in the Southern California Gasser Wars of the mid to late 60's.
The "Lil' Hearse" A/G Thames
Not really a gasser, but the Martel Bros Modified Production 55 Chevy was a real runner.
Don't know who ran the "Giant Killer" BB/G Opel
Steve Korney's A/GS "Goldfinger" Anglia in it's early configuration at Lions.
Later, at the Winternationals with the pulsating light panel on the doors and the wing on the roof.  What, you say?  There were no wings on Gassers in the 60"s?  WRONG!  They weren't the big wings on today's cars, but there were a few` of them around.
Still later, at Lions again, now with the stereo speakers added.
Mike Mitchell "The World's Fastest Hippie" wheeling the Hamberis & Mitchell "Wild Mouse"  A/GS 33 Willys.  The car is alive and well and living in England these days.
Manuel Herrera & Sons' awesome flip-top A/GS Austin
Vern Hicks & Sons' Hemi powered A/GS Anglia at OCIR and Lions
Jack Merkel's gorgeous A/GS 33 Willys
Jim & Kathy Swagler's "Git-Go" 55 Chevy
Not a car I remember seeing...Johnny Loper's A/G Maverick
Jr Thompson's A/GS Opel Kadett
...and Jr's AA/GS Opel GT
Abe's Ark B/G Austin
The Zellar Bros "Ambition"
The Antelope Valley Speed Shop
"Bad Trip" Anglia
I hardly need to introduce "Big John" Mazmanian's Willys.  All of Johns cars were always immaculate, beautiful, and ready to race!
John's "Football" Austin
The "Blue Fox" Anglia of Ben Buchanan
The beautiful Panella Trucking Anglia.  Not many blown 4-speed stick shift Anglias out there, and even fewer who could have driven one like Ken Dondero did!
Another immaculate car...the Bourgeois & Wade chopped Willys pickup campaigned by Harry Duncan & Jim Shores.
Brown, Nitsche & Dyer AA/GS Willys at Lions
The "Classical Gas" A/GS Anglia at Irwindale
The Conant Bros. Thames
Crandall & Sandberg A/G Anglia at Indy
Daily & Weeks '32 5-window, "The Canary"
Dick Shroyer with his "Shroyer's Shaker" Thames, this time running D/A.
The Doolin & Stroup A/GS Anglia.
Don Spangler's unblown Anglia at Indy.
Don's Hot Rod Shop B/GS Willys out of Tucson, AZ.
JohnSnyder vs the "Energizer" Willys at Lions.
"Foley's Fooler" Willys Panel
Walt Orr's "Fossil" Anglia
Garten & Braskett
LoBianco Bros.
This is labeled as Unknown, however...

This car looks a lot like the C/Gas Willys of Al Tschida from Minnesota.
The photo looks like Lions (Long Beach). Here is an earlier photo at the
Winternationals from around 1965. The chrome on the rocker panels, the
headers, the rear bumper, and the body chrome all look similar. The new
fiberglass front end and scoop are different and the wheels and "new" style
tires.
    The Green paint is the real unusual part. It was rare. Green on race
cars was taboo for years. The color on this car is identical to Al's car. As
an added piece of info: Al Tschida was C/Gas runner-up at the NATIONALS in Indianapolis in 1962 (Larry Teter won) and 1963 (Pork Zartman won) and finally won C/Gas in 1964. It also appears he won the Winternationals from the looks of this photo.
    I wish I could make out the scrip on the door just below the window. It
could also be a subsequent owner. What year is the color photo?
    It may be a long shot, but that is my guess!
Dave Hales
Zakia & Clark Anglia
The Don Long built "Ultimate Willys" was the subject of a 3-part build article in Hot Rod Magazine but ultimately couldn't live up to the hype.
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The "Modern" Gassers (68 - 71)
Ernie Nicholson's "Flower Power" Cuda
Stone, Woods & Bones AA/GS Mustang powered by a Chrysler Hemi.
"Ohio George" Montgomery's Cammer-powered AA/GS Mustang
The Mallicoat Bros AA/GS Cuda
The Mr. Gasket AA/GS Camaro
Skip Hess' Cammer-powered "Revell Kit" AA/GS Mustang
Fred Hurst's A/G Cuda
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The Corvettes
"Lil John" Lombardo's immaculate topless Vette campaigned in the latter days of the Southern California "Gasser Wars".

(Above & Below)

Northern California's Mike "the World's Fastest Hippie" Mitchell often made the tow to Southern California with his equally flawless Vette.  Mike passed away in 2000 and the Corvette now resides in the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA.
The "Lime Light" Corvette.  Don't know who ran it, but it sure looked cool!
The Leavengood Bros. in the pits at OCIR.

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The Roadsters
The Larsen Bros.
Gary Densham at the wheel of the Bilby, Densham & Plueger roadster...with and without fenders.
Gary Burgin
G & S Transmission
Bryan Raines

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