If you want more info or plan to attend please contact Tim Lopata at: copo427@charter.net

In general are taste goes to anything that goes fast and looks sporty. We like to drive our cars more than work on them or show them but we do all three. If we had to define our general automobile interests the words rare and unusual will likely show up somewhere. Our newest Project Car is not a car and it doesn’t fit most of our collectability criteria. If you exclude a 1959 El Camino we had for years this is our first real collector truck. Some of you may even question if even this truck is a collectable. It falls into a rather strange subcategory of any definition of a collection.

A few weeks ago we discovered a 1954 GMC Texaco Fuel Tanker truck at an online (not eBay) auction and for some stupid reason felt we needed it for our collection. Since we were in our car doing a 700 mile road trip following the auction online with our cell phones and tablet was no problem.  Katrina and I agreed on the most we wanted to pay for such an un-necessary purchase. We were high bidder right up to the last minute. On this auction if there was a higher bid in the last 5 minutes of the auction the deadline is extended for an additional 5 minutes and this continues as long as there are at least two bidders.

We raised our bid and again at the last minute we were outbid. This repeated a couple of times and we reached our agreed to limit but the high bid was just a few dollars more. We agreed we would exceed our limit with one more bid with an additional $50. The clock kept ticking and the bidding ended. WE WON! As soon as Katrina and I realized what we had done the first words out of both of our mouths were; “What the heck are we going to do with that?”

We returned from our trip and then had to find a way to get this monster home, it took a flat bed 18 wheeler to accomplish that task. It is now in our big storage building and is our newest project. The Fuel Tanker truck is all original with lots of patina and is really cool and all that, but what do you do with one of these? Do you restore it? Rat Rod? Hot Rod? Make some kind of car hauler out of it? Fill it full of beer and have a party?

First things first, it does not move under its own power. We were told it runs and shifts but have not yet confirmed that. There are no brakes, we have confirmed that! I looked for the master cylinder and it is missing. The Tanker is 25 feet long and appears to weigh approximately 8 tons. It is a six cylinder with manual transmission and an estimated top speed of 45mph. (I don’t think aerodynamics will come into play on this ride.) All of the pumps and gizmo’s to make it a tanker appear to still be there. There is very little rust on the Tanker and it is as solid as a tank, pun intended. There are 4 individual fuel tanks for carrying different fuels. I found a California inspection sticker on the truck from around 1978. It may have been used at one of the airports in CA but have no knowledge of where, when or for how long.

Our first efforts will be to repair the brakes, see if we can make it run and move. If that is possible then we will give it a lube and grease job, check all the fluids and see for how long it might move and if it is at all safe to drive. Depending on what all that tells us will give us a basis on which to build our more long term plans.

What do you think? Did we waste our money or did we find the beginning of a new fad? If you had this in your garage (it better be a big one) what would you do with it? Leave us comments below or send an email to: rfleener@comcast.net.

Here is the other thing, just a small item; we don’t know squat about big commercial trucks like this. Have no idea where to get parts or anything else. If you do, help us out…..PLEASE!

We will keep you posted on our progress on this Texaco Tanker’s rebirth. Details will be provided more often on our sister site. www.LegendaryCollectorCars.com.

Erin and Lou Whitfield’s 1969 Dan Gurney Spoiler

A few weeks ago we showed you some photo of the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler that Erin and Lou Whitfield (Lou is doing most of the work but it is Erin’s car) are working on out in California. Lou is no stranger to the Aero cars and is not afraid of hard work plus he has a lot of skills and talents many of us wish we had. In just the last few weeks he has made some great strides on the Gurney but he says he still has months of work ahead of him.

Erin and Lou Whitfield’s 1969 Dan Gurney Spoiler

Lou says that photos he has provided are with the car dressed out with some of the parts just sitting on the car and the tires and wheels are off their Cougar but work well for a fast photo session. It is easy to see that this car is going to live up to Lou’s excellent build reputation when completed.

Erin and Lou Whitfield’s 1969 Dan Gurney Spoiler

In our phone conversation he told me of some of the battles he has gone through with some of the most minuscule and silly things that always take up the most time. I heard a bit of frustration in his voice but it has obviously been overshadowed by his dedication and persistence to get this classic ready for Erin to drive to the Talladega event in 2014.

Erin and Lou Whitfield’s 1969 Dan Gurney Spoiler

Lou is not afraid to stray from the 100% restored book of how to do it guides. But do note that it has the wheel lip moldings which few Spoilers have been able to retain. Note: Spoiler II cars do not have these.

Erin and Lou Whitfield’s 1969 Dan Gurney Spoiler

Erin and Lou Whitfield’s 1969 Dan Gurney Spoiler

The engine compartment is not like the way the Mercury engineers designed it but it is too bad they didn’t have Lou on their side at the time. I really like the hand made snorkels on the air breather. The silver paint on the fan safety shield also adds to the compartment. A Ram Air 351 is also a nice touch.

As long as Lou keeps sending photos we will keep you posted. Thanks Lou and Erin, great car!

Dan Gurney Spoiler II at Floyd Garrett Museum

Our Dan Gurney Spoiler II has spent the last 3 years at the Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville TN. Since it is one of our favorite cars it has been a real struggle to leave the car there for that long. While it was there it was spotted by one of the people putting on the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance and as a result we were invited to show it at this years event. That was all the extra motivation we needed to go get “Dan” and bring him back home.

Cale Yarborough Spoiler with Ernie Irvan looking on.

Recently I packed up our trailer with our 428 CJ Ram Air Cale Yarborough Spoiler and headed off to Sevierville. After all, what is a Muscle Car Museum without a Ford products Aero Car? Plus taking a car out of the garage made space for the Spoiler II to come back home to. Think there were problems getting Dan fired up to go home? The car had been sitting in the same spot in the Museum for 3 years. I connected the battery, Jason Thompson poured a little gas down the carb and he fired right up! The battery had never been taken out of the car or charged from when I parked it there 3 years ago. I had poured a little gas additive in the tank before taking it to the Museum. Think the 351 isn’t a good way to go for your car? Think again.

Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum; when was the last time you saw two Cyclones next to each other in a Museum?

Cale Yarborough Spoiler

Next time you are in the area make sure to stop in and say hi to newest addition to the Floyd Garrett Muscle Car Museum.

Informational Banner on the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler

Spoiler informational banner

My favorite race track remains the Riverside Road Course in Riverside CA. It no longer exists thanks to some stupid politicians and greedy developers. That may be a little harsh in that everyone is entitled to do what they want with their own property but the loss of Riverside Raceway was tragic. I have attended many races there as well as at other tracks all over the Country from Daytona to Sears Point (Sonoma for you youngsters) and I prefer Riverside if it still existed. The photos on this page were taken from Hemmings Daily.

Fred Lorenzen #28 Ford

The following video has a lot of classic drivers and race cars from the first Motor Trend 500. Including Fred Lorenzen and Dan Gurney (Race Winner). Many of the shots were taken from the top of the stands in, if I remember correctly, turn 9. This is the same location as where my seat was. My very favorite memory from just about any race I have been to was the first lap of the 500 when those big heavy NASCAR race cars came shooting up the “S” curves beating and banging for position for the first major turn at the top of the hill.

Dan Gurney was successful at  everything he ever raced and in these days he raced Fords. He won NASCAR races but only at Riverside. His skills as a road racer translated well from Indy cars and Sports Cars over to the big heavy Stock Cars. It was this kind of skill and these wins that helped Ford Motor Company to put his name on the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler and Spoiler II. His dominance at the Riverside Raceway was, I am sure, part of the reason that the Gurney blue and white cars were originally distributed on the West Coast while the red and white Cale Yarborough cars went mostly to the Southeast. It should be noted that both cars were sold in all areas of the County.

Interior of Lorenzen Ford

The Cup drivers were not yet familiar with road courses so the race field on such tracks would often be supplemented with “road course ringers”.  Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones just to mention a few who saw limited NASCAR activity for such events. Regardless of their background every driver had to fight that big brut of a car in on that narrow track. Life was different then and racing was different. For some of us it was better. Fred Lorenzen drove this #28 Ford in the first 500 but he helped set up Dan’s #21 Ford. At latter races Gurney’s number would be 121 when the regular Wood Brothers driver would be behind the wheel of #21. If you would like to own your own #28 Fred Lorenzen Ford check out our Diecast in our Online Store.

One example; in the mid 80s just before the track was to be closed I attended a Motor Trend 500 and watched as the rising star Tim Richmond spun and damaged his car beyond repair. He ended up on the inside of the turn just above the “S” curves where I was sitting. It was a hot dry CA day. The dust was blowing and the sun was blazing. Tim got out of his car to a roar from the fans in the stands on the other side of the track from where his car ended up. Tim was a very popular and extremely talented driver who could have been another super star possibly as bright as Dale Earnhardt.

Tim Richmond race car 1983 

Tim looked around waited for a break in the race car traffic and then, much to the disapproval of the NASCAR Officials in the turn, bolted across the track. He quickly found a hole in the fence and climbed up into the stands and found an empty seat. Instantly he was given a cold beer and was just another fan (a fan getting lots of attention I might add) watching a good race! Think you will ever see anything like that at a NASCAR race today? Think not!

Dan Gurney Won the First Motor Trend 500

Who else raced in the first Motor Trend 500?

1970 King Cobra

Only three King Cobra Prototypes were built by Ford. Only one had a 4-speed and only one had the convex rear window. This car is going to auction on May 19, 213 at the Mecum Indy Auction. I can only imagine what this car might sell for but I am also afraid that like the Talladega and Spoiler/Spoiler II it is difficult at times to get two people who know what these cars are in the same auction at the sametime.

King Cobra Convex Rear Window

This rear view says it all.

King Cobra Interior 4-Speed

Bench seat in a car like this tells you what Ford was thinking. Just like the Talladega and Spoiler II it was intended to be a race car and not a daily driver.

Boss 429 King Cobra

Now that is a pretty site! Wish my Dega had one of those.

These cars look so much better with the headlight covers in place. Seems like for maximum aero benefit there would should be a clear lens over the turn signal/parking lights.

I think this is my favorite color for the car and love the wheels. Ever see a Talladega with these wheels on it; makes a completely different car out of it.

Note how the “C” stripe runs on this car and where it is located on the yellow car.

Yellow King Cobra; note the different wheels and “C” Stripe, also lack of headlight covers.

We get the most comments on stories about you. It seems readers really like to hear what the rest of you have to say and what stories you have to tell. Do you have a special story about your Talladega or Spoiler II? How you found it or maybe its about the one you didn’t get? Perhaps you have finally purchased your dream 428 SCJ…..or maybe you had to sell your  Cale Yarborough because you had a new baby on the way. May be Vietnam was calling. Maybe your dad got you hooked on cars with a father son Talladega project car. Did the young guy down the street have a new SCJ that he raced on weekends?

We know that there is at least one story for every reader out there, and we want you to share yours! E-mail us at RFleener@comcast.net to submit your story with the following criteria.  You can write a beautiful short story or you can provide us with the basics and we will edit it into an article for you. We may need to contact you to get some more details so here is what we need:

Your E-mail Address

Year, Make, & Model of Car.

Your story; it can be fun, sad, inspirational or just interesting. It can be about finding the car, restoring the car, selling the car, you get the idea.

We love photos, the more the better.

Where is this car now and who owns it?

A lot of you already know Lou and his wife Erin. They have been into the Ford aero cars for a very long time. Lou and Erin have built some great cars over the years and have never been hung up on driving the cars or building them to drive. Their most recent project a Dan Gurney Spoiler has been covered on this site in the past but the project has turned a corner and starting to provide hints of the final product. The goal is to have the car completed by next year and drive it and their other car from their home in California to the Talladega Reunion!

This is a 351 Windsor with Air! Now this is going to be one sweet street machine.

Here are the most recent photos provided by Lou.

The following article was “lifted” from the Hemmings web site because it provides an excellent overview of Who Dan Gurney Is!

Racing Heroes – Dan Gurney

 Cale Yarborough Spoiler:

We are starting with a typical 1969 Mercury Cyclone Cale Yarborough Spoiler Marti Report since this is the same as the misrepresented car that recently sold at Mecum’s Palm Beach Auction and currently is for sale on eBay. This Marti Report is for a REAL Spoiler. Note that the correct MT paint code is shown in the “Color” position on the Data Plate. In the Options list it clearly lists “Two-Tone Paint”, ”Cyclone Spoiler” and “Cale Yarborough Special”. You will not find either of these on a Color Code car Marti Report.

Dan Gurney Spoiler:

I have included a Marti Report for a Dan Gurney Spoiler Special to demonstrate the difference in the Paint Code identification. We are unaware of any Color Code or Pre-Spoilers in the Dan Gurney colors. You will note that the Marti Report shows the correct “MX” for the Paint Code on the Data Plate.

Dan Gurney Spoiler II:

On both Dan Gurney and Cale Yarborough Spoiler II Specials Marti Reports you will see the Paint Codes shown on the Data Plate. You will also see the Spoiler II option and either “Dan Gurney Spoiler Special” or “Cale Yarborough Spoiler Special” options shown under the options list. The Data Plate will also have the “Special Performance Vehicle” statement and special 7024 DSO (last 4 digits).

Color Code or Pre-Spoiler:

This car is often misrepresented as a Spoiler. All such cars have been in the red/white Cale Yarborough colors. We have never found a Pre-Spoiler in Dan Gurney colors. The Marti Report found below is very similar to the REAL Spoiler Report but differs in that it does not have the Spoiler option listed nor does it have the Cale Yarborough Spoiler Special option listed. The best way to tell the difference on the car without a Marti Report is to look for the Data Plate found on the driver’s door. The Paint Code will be blank on a Color Code car but will have the MT Code on a REAL Cale Yarborough Spoiler. You can also look at the Date Code on the Data Plate. If the build date is December 31, 1968 or before it is a Color Code/Pre-Spoiler. If the build date is January 1, 1969 or after it is a Spoiler (assumes all the other items are correct for a Spoiler but there is no way to confirm it without a Marti Report).

Ford Talladega:

The following is a proper Marti Report for a 1969 Ford Talladega. Note the option “Talladega Package” as well as the special DSO with the last 4 numbers being 2500. The Data Plate will also have the “Special Performance Vehicle” statement.