Early Days of Hot Rodding and Racing in Santa Barbara and beyond.

[khyndart in CA]

The Buellton Speedway didn't last long and was closed by 1953, partly because of crashes like the one shown here.
The flat oval made the top-heavy coupes more prone to rollovers, creating liability for the landowners and sponsors.

Today it is land for farming and the racing is a distant memory.

(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

Just past the old raceway one can still see the Buellton sign that has also been there for over 70 years.
With the famous sign on it for the well known Andersen's Pea Soup showing "Hap-pea" standing over "Pea-wee"

The earlier mentioned Jack Mendenhall was friendly with the Andersen family and they sponsored Jack as he built specials to go racing after the local raceway closed down. The first creation was this dragster which was the original "Pea-Soup" Andersen Special. Along with Bob Joehnck's engine preparation this dragster was very competitive at the local quarter mile drag strips at Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo.

It ran originally as a flathead-powered gasser and like most dragsters it went through a variety of engine changes. In this photo from the early sixties it powered by a fuel injected Cadillac engine.

Jack doing some tire warming on the San Luis Obispo drag strip, smoking out the 1942 Buick ambulance.

Another view of Jack Mendenhall leaving the start line at Santa Maria.

Jack Mendenhall's dragster can be seen today at his collection. (More on that later.)

(Ken H)

[Roger Dowding]

Share with what you know about the Mt Wellington circuit when you can please Roger.

Allan,
Have posted the information on Mt Wellington on the NSCC thread, as it was an NSCC event.
Don gave me some results initially and later a description of where the track was - " Commissariat Road " was the start finish straight.
A friend of mine lived on this road in the 1970's - 80's - never knew it had been part of a race track.

Cheers

Roger

[khyndart in CA]

The boys from Buellton had a need for speed.
Jack Mendenhall appreciated the Andersen family sponsorship and the Andersens enjoyed the advertising on what became known as their
"Pea Soup Specials" mostly prepared by Jack and his team at his Buellton Garage that has now the site of the Mendenhall Museum.
In the sixties Jack headed down to Mexico to race through the Baja Peninsula.-Described as a tough, enjoyable and unforgettable experience.
[video=youtube_share;e4sprcpQx3A]https://youtu.be/e4sprcpQx3A[/video]

From Motor Trend Sept. 2013
"But there were other daring souls willing to put their driving skills to the test in less customized machines.
Jack Mendenhall is just such a person. Jack had already been successful on the salt, strip, and dirt oval. In 1968, he entered a 1958 Chevrolet Pickup, #212, dubbed Baja Piranha, in the Baja 1000. Jack's sponsor for this event, as with his Bonneville trials, was the ubiquitous Andersen's Pea Soup, a business neighbor in his hometown of Buellton, California. He partnered with body shop owner Bob Rowe as co-driver.
The truck's exterior looked remarkably stock with the exception of the roll bar and roof-mounted lights. The most notable off-road accessory was the aircraft-style high floatation tires.
Though Mendenhall had victories in previous endeavors, he didn't grab a record this time out. He didn't even finish within the 50-hour time limit. Still, putting a mostly stock 10-year-old 2WD pickup through a grueling off-road race takes more than a bucketful of grit and determination. Jack went on to compete in the 1000 with other vehicles, including James Garner's radical Olds. Our hats off to Jack."

1968 in Mexico

Off at the start, out into the unknown. 1968

(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

In 1970, Jack prepared in his Buellton Garage, an Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 for the Baja race.

# 117 Cutlass cut loose.

Today this machine is on display at the Mendenhall collection at the site of the original garage in Buellton.


(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

During his Baja racing episodes Jack Mendenhall became friends with movie actor, James Garner. James had enjoyed racing and the filming of the movie, "Grand Prix" but his contract stated he was not to drive in any racing events. But Garner noted the restraining order did not mention off-road racing !
Some interesting quotes." In the '69 Mexican 1000, Garner piloted the '70 Grabber 442, which was one of three preproduction cars built by off-road guru Vic Hickey.

The Mendenhall Cutlass is in the middle and identified by the central roof light. The Garner car is on the right and the Hickey Olds Cutlass is on the left.
" Vic hickey operated Hickey Enterprises, a GM-backed team. He also had a personal relationship with famed shifter mogul George Hurst, who kindly provided Vic with three of Lansing's muscle cars: two production 1969 4-4-2s, and the aforementioned '70. "The latter was actually a pre-production version, specially prepared by George before it was shipped to Vic. Vic then prepared the car for James Garner for the '69 NORRA (Baja) 1000 off-road race.
Vic had the ability to turn any car or truck into a competitive off-road racer within an average of 30 days. As for the 4-4-2, a lengthy list of modifications was made, beginning with enlarging each of the wheel openings a full inch. To allow enough travel and wheel clearance, the chassis was lifted three inches. From there, Vic and his team installed custom ball joints (upper and lower), modified the upper and lower control arms and installed ¾-ton Chevy pickup truck spindles up front, which were far stronger than the stock 4-4-2 spindles.
A special roll cage was installed, and a 50-gallon fuel cell replaced the stock tank. Racing seats for Garner and his co-driver(s) were installed, a custom instrument panel fabricated, and a stock W-31 Olds 350-cu.in. engine was warmed up. Also among the changes was the addition of custom-made Cragar wheels clad with Goodyear off-road rubber. Painted blue and dubbed the Goodyear Grabber, due to the rubber company's backing, the highly modified Olds was ready for competition."

Garner raced his first modified Olds Cutlass in the 1969 Baja 1000. (October 1969.)

(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

Jack Mendenhall prepared his Olds Cutlass for desert racing in Southern California, Baja Mexico and Nevada at his Buellton garage.
it may not have been the best looking machine and looked a bit out of place amongst the other desert racers.

Jack had some sponsorship from our local Los Olivos Tavern.
This shot shows James Garner checking out Jack's Cutlass in Buellton

The car had paint jobs so it could be spotted easier out in the wild desert!

(Ken H )

[khyndart in CA]

As can be seen from the previous shots that the Mendenhall Cutlass could be refueled from either the left or right side depending on how the gas pumps were set up whereas the Garner car just had right rear refueling.
Here is a shot of one the special 50 gallon fuel tanks built for the Baja Cutlasses.
Just in case the fuel gauge quit one could check the sight tube as a back up.

(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

Now it is time for a bit of a movie interlude from YouTube.

The first shows Garner in both the 1970 Cutlass # 25 and the 1972 Cutlass "Banshee" # 30
[video=youtube;BFrNbifXrLI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFrNbifXrLI[/video]




(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

The other modern day clip is of Jay Leno having fun in the restored off-road 1972 Olds Cutlass known as the "Banshee"
[video=youtube;UmfdNrolRDg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmfdNrolRDg&t=871s[/video]





(Ken H )

[khyndart in CA]

Jack Mendenhall would compete in the Cutlass in desert and other off-road races until about 1975.
The Cutlass looked a bit out of place as it checked in amongst the VW desert specials.

In the later years he had the pleasure of having his son Mark along as his co-driver.
(The car was now painted white.)
The numbers always changed as the number was how they qualified for an event.
The Buellton boys had fun as they "cut loose" in their Cutlass.

Today this car sits in the Mendenhall Museum just across the alley from where it was first prepared over 50 years ago.

(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

Jack and Mark Mendenhall also liked to build cars and enter into "acceleration meets" across the dry lake at El Mirage and then later they moved on to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
They had a 1932 Ford Roadster known as "Sally the Salt Dancer".
They both went above 210 MPH in this car over the timed mile during the 1990s.

Mark has been rebuilding this car in honor of his dad who passed away in 2005.

(Ken H )

[Roger Dowding]

Good stuff Ken H,

News of the Motoring Moment here is that " Pukekohe Race Track " will close for Car racing in April 2023, as the Horse racing fraternity need it for their own use.
A Sad day for New Zealand Motorsport - not the greatest Track but all we had in the North of the North Island in 1963.

Off to your part of NZ tomorrow - Matamata and environs, Te Poi,. [ " Oldfart " has lived there too !! ].

This should be familiar ... maybe someone can recognise the heads in the picture - now much older and grey-er or balder !! ..

A John Larry Lawton photo- before he cropped it.



Forty years ago this Young Fella was arriving in L A California for the first time, and went to Santa Barbara and other places near to you.

Keep up the West Coast posts, lots of stuff I never knew about.

[khyndart in CA]

Thanks Roger.
I think it might have been Jim Boyd in the Lycoming that almost went up the front steps of that church at one of the Matamata meets I was at.
Perhaps Rhys has the correct story to tell ?

(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

As I mentioned earlier some things don't change much here in the Buellton and Los Olivos area.
Although Mattei's Tavern in Los Olivos is being renovated for the first time in 100 years the Garland Garage building is just the same.
1970 at Buellton across from the Garland Garage.

July 22 2022 at Buellton across from the Garland family building.

( Ken H )

[khyndart in CA]

To tell of racing folk from Buellton would not be complete without mentioning the aptly named "Slick" Gardner.
He purchased the off-road Cutlass from James Garner and then he crashed it heavily at a desert event almost destroying himself and the car.

Slick's need for speed led him to the Winston Cup Grand National circuit in 1973
.

Some 1973 information about Slick.

(He lives near here and he is always an interesting person to talk o even if the stories might be perhaps a little stretched ! )
Note his son's name is Racin .


(Ken H )

[khyndart in CA]

Gardner's need to go fast took a big step in 1978 when he purchased the jet powered "Green Monster" from Art Arfons.
Slick wanted to be the fastest man on wheels on earth! At least he is still around to talk about his attempts.
This is a brief description from a "Hemmings" article about how Arfons built this machine.
"It was called Green Monster for the surplus green paint he had laying around that he used to spiff them up) and apply that knowledge to a land-speed racer. For the Green Monster, he'd essentially build up a vehicle from parts he had laying around his Pickle Road farm - an axle from a Dodge truck, a steering assembly from a Packard, the instrument panel from one of his old airplanes - around an afterburner-equipped J-79 from the F-104 Starfighter, good for about 17,000 pounds of thrust."

Another quote regarding the Green Monster and which engine was in the 2nd version, both built by Art Arfons.
" The most famous "Green Monster" was powered by an ex-F-104 Starfighter General Electric J79 jet engine, producing 17,500 lbf (78 kN) static thrust with four-stage afterburner, which Arfons purchased from a scrap dealer for $600 and rebuilt himself, over the objections of General Electric and the government, and despite all manuals for the engine being classified top secret.!"


Whatever, these guys were brave !

Slick Gardner's optimistic announcement of his upcoming land speed attempt.

Slick about to enter the course at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

Here are some quotes of Slick Gardner and the Green Monster speed attempts in1978.

" Slick Gardner never set a land speed record, but in 1978 he announced that he would attempt it driving Art Arfons' J-79 powered Green Monster, soon to be renamed the "Andersen's Pea Soup Monster". With Arfons' assistance Gardner was actually on the salt in 1979, but no record, or even recorded speeds, came, although he claims that he did go faster than the current Blue Flame record during tests, then lack of money and loss of interest had him quit the attempt. Other sources suggested that maybe he lacked something else...

By the way, the car we are talking about, which Gardner bought and ran ... is not the famous Green Monster that set the record several times in 1964 and 1965 and was destroyed in 1966, but a similar, more refined car Arfons had built immediately afterwards, tested extensively, and even set a FIA standing start quarter-mile record with, at Fort Stockton, Texas in 1969.

Arfons always regretted selling that car, which he did only because he was desperate for money: he also says that he was not very comfortable with the responsibility of somebody else without his experience driving it and that he was relieved that the project had eventually been shelved."

Getty images of Slick in 1978.

The last 20 years have not gone well for Slick and much of what he owned has been taken but he will not be soon forgotten in this area

(Ken H ).

[Ray Bell]

For all of his years in the high speed business, Arfons wouldn't have had a lot more experience than Gardner in cars like this...

Maybe an hour or so?

[khyndart in CA]

Off to Laguna Seca on Saturday just for one day of practice and qualifying this year for the Pre-Reunion Event.
They are doing this format as last year so many cars did not make it to the following weekend which was the Monterey Historic Reunion.
As you can see it is a fast moving day with about 5 minutes between each session.
Here is a list of this Saturday's schedule.
If any of you want a particular group photographed let me know and I will see what I can achieve.

(Ken H)