A barnfind Diamond T that's been buried since 1965 among a families things in their barn brings a Bonneville connection

 Not very clearly written out on the webpage with these images is that this barnfind Diamond T was one of a few sold by the Utah dealership that was Ab Jenkins sponsor and trucking help during his Mormon Meteor II Bonneville record setting runs.

Above is from the same dealership, and since I've never posted a Diamond T tow truck, I had to do it.

Ab Jenkins on his Bonneville reocrd setting Allis Chalmers tractor

and above you see the hauler on the right

Thanks to Don! http://imageevent.com/shaggy/lsrdiamondt

the last 4 are from my post about the movie "Boys of Bonneville" http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/07/movie-review-of-boys-of-bonneville-in.html?showComment=1366481639147#c7656346948366419572

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Funny Car Summer, documentary movie available from Netflix, follows Jim Dunn through the 1974 funny car races, and gives a good look at 1974

the car he raced was this rear engined Barracuda, one of only 2 rear engined funny cars racing in 1974

his ordinary job for 47 weeks a year was as a firefighter

the movie covers the drag strips in So Cal mostly, but also Oklahoma and Utah

and I've no idea why the races at El Mirage and Bonneville are in the movie, or even if they are from 1974

Carl and Veda Orr!

and no shit, they lit the back tire on fire to race bicycles with small chutes that were pulled in a parking lot race

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Nudie Cohn (Nuta Kotlyarenko) customizer of Bonnevilles to the western movie stars

Stars of the then popular western movies were no exception to the taste for extravagance in rolling stock. Indeed, with many of them having added a film career to their stardom as singers or rodeo performers were well used to glitz and glamour in their garb and extremes in what they drove. And indeed in the case of one Nudie Cohn who first put rhinestones on cowboys it was the same designer who decorated cowboys who also slathered their vehicles with western iconography. Silver six-shooters might be door handles or gear shift levers and silver dollars were imbedded in leather upholstery. Kiddie seats were little saddles. (All pre-seat belts and car seats obviously.)

 Nudie Cohn fled the anti-Semitism of the Ukraine as a pre-teen. A custom official in New York decreed that the shorter name was better for the lad's life in the new world than Nuta Kotlyarenko. He was probably right. Anyway, after wandering about the country, improving his English by going to western movies, Nudie ended up in the Hollywood area as a tailor and was soon turning his taste for westerns and an in-born imagination into fabulous costumes.

 Cars caught his fancy and since a publicity-aware General Motors favored him with a free Pontiac Bonneville every year to "dress", his Nudie Mobiles became as famous as his suits, boots and hats.

 Some seven or eight Nudie Mobiles may still be in running order. Certainly the best is one that Nudie presented to his friends and clients Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, two of the most popular country and western singers and "oater" stars ever. DeWayne Deck, a Denver business man with an eye for the unusual bought the car at a July 2010 auction when the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans museum closed its door in Branson, Mo. It was not that the stars had run out of fans so much as the fans had run out of mobility. The auction was a great success.

 DeWayne Deck knew what he wanted and what he wanted to pay for it. He made one bid and the world's most dramatic Bonneville was his for a total of $254,500. 

The Santa Fe Concorso tracked down the ex-Rogers and Evans car in Denver and invited its new owner to let it be one of three Cowboy Cars to be shown at the third edition of the Santa Fe Concorso. And thus its lane-wide steer horns mounted on the radiator will grace the greenery at the Club at Las Campanas Sept. 30.

 But not all cowboys in those days equated glamour with glitz. Call it perhaps a taste for exaggerated elegance; Tom Mix was attracted to the 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton with its unique coffin-nose and buttery color. It was just one of three made that was outfitted similarly (an exterior tire mount in the back for instance.) Bob White of Scottsdale AZ acquired his elegant Cowboy Car at a 2010 auction and oversaw a meticulous frame-off restoration before showing it at Amelia Island Concours of 2012. Bill Warner, founder of that fine Florida event 15 years ago said of the car: "The 812 Cord is rare, technologically advanced and extraordinarily desirable."

above article from http://santafeconcorso.com/about.html

 read more at http://mrkicks66.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/rhinestone-cowboy-nudie-cohn-pictures-new-western-cowboy-boot-tips-in-store/ which has more photos 

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Gunter Maier, photographer of hot rods at Bonneville, featured on 8 Negro (black eight ball)

It's been said and repeated that no where makes hot rods look as good as the salt of Bonneville

just 2 images from the gallery at http://www.8negro.com/2012/04/gunther-maierroadhouse.html#more

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Craig Breedlove – the first person to exceed 400, 500, and 600 miles per hour on land – was the recipient of the fourth annual “Spirit of Competition” Award

The Spirit of Competition Award that Dr. Simeone presented to Breedlove featured a model of the Museum’s Cobra Daytona Coupe CSX 2287, the car Breedlove co-drove to 23 international records in 1965, shortly before breaking the 600 MPH barrier in his Sonic I jet-powered car . This was also the barnfind Cobra Daytona http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/stop-if-youve-heard-this-one-before.html

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011. Breedlove joined drivers Mario Andretti, Janet Guthrie, and John Fitch as an Award recipient.

“Craig Breedlove represents what you can achieve if you have a clear vision and determination,” 

“With only a handful of volunteers and a shoestring budget, he was able to accomplish what many others could not. His achievements captured the country’s imagination and made him a household name.” commented Fred Simeone, executive director of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.

His quest for a speed record captured the imagination of the nation and his technological feat became a symbol of national pride during the Cold War. His achievements made him a household name in the 1960s, and the Beach Boys even wrote a song about him. Shortly before exceeding 600 mph in November, 1965, Breedlove set 23 international speed records – including averaging 150 mph for 12 hours - co-driving the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (CSX2287) that is on display at the Simeone Museum.

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