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
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
Viking Home Page
Viking Cars of the Fifties
bbott's Home Page
Austin Business Computers Home Page
Courier Online