Petersen Automotive Museum Vault tour with some early American racers | Gracie Mitchell

Video Description from YouTube:

These three cars represent a side of American racing history that doesn’t get enough attention.

The yellow car is the 1959 Ol’ Yaller Mark III, one of an estimated ten cars built by Southern California hot rod pioneer Max Balchowsky. Balchowsky was known for building race cars from practical parts and proven engineering rather than large budgets. Despite being called “Junkyard Dogs,” his cars earned victories against Jaguars, Ferraris, and Maseratis during the sports car racing boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The orange car is the 1957 Teverbaugh & Kirkland Bonneville Special. Built for land speed competition, it featured a supercharged 6.0-liter Mercury V8, an aerodynamic fiberglass body, and was reportedly the first Bonneville car equipped with a parachute to assist its braking system.

The white Corvette roadster is another example of the lightweight American sports racers that helped shape postwar competition before factory-backed programs became dominant.

Which of these approaches to racing interests you more: road racing or land speed racing?

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