Winfield High Viking Cars of the Fifties
"The Fastest Car to Ever Be on Main Street in
Winfield"

Hi Bill,
Sometime ago, I sent you a photograph of a jet car on display in front of the State Bank building in Winfield. You took my suggestion and placed it in your "Viking Cars of the '50s" section and captioned it "The Fastest Car to Ever Drag Main St." I was looking through some old microfilms at the Winfield Public Library this afternoon, and located the issue of the Winfield Daily Courier in which that photograph was published: Winfield Daily Courier, Saturday, July 18, 1964, page 5. I thought you might like to see the caption that was published under it:
"WINFIELDERS CHECK over the "Bonneville Avenger", the 10,000 horse-power car with the jet engine that will run 3 exhibitions at the Ark Valley drag raceway Sunday. Driven by Bob Tratoe, Akron, O., the car is being readied for an assault on the land speed record of over 400 miles per hour at the Bonneville salt flats in Utah. In its exhibition runs, which begin Sunday at 1 p.m., the "Avenger" will be driven in an effort to top its quarter-mile record of 242 miles per hour. Time trials at the dragway begin at 8 a.m. (Herlocker photo)
As you can see, I had misidentified this car when I sent you the photograph.
Bob Lawrence

PS: I now have a web page devoted to the history of motorcycle racing at Winfield which you can find at: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Stream/3143/index.html


They displayed the Green Monster in Winfield to hype its up-coming exhibition run a day or so later at the Ark Valley Drag Raceway west of Arkansas City. I've always thought that photo should be displayed with a caption something like "The Fastest Car to Ever Be on Main Street in Winfield".
Bob Lawrence, Feb 29, '00

For a really interesting story check out: HaveYou Heard The One About The Rocket Car!

This is from the August 2000 issue of Wired Magazine, about the 1996 winner of the Darwin Award.


Other pictures from Bob Lawrence
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bbott's Home Page

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