150 MPH In A Flathead Ford... [PIC]

Before the Pierson brothers' 1934 Ford starred at El Mirage dry lake, the prestigious Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) wouldn't even accept a coupe to run let alone have a class for them. It was all roadsters and streamliners in the day and the roadsters were barely able to hit 130 mph. The brothers, Bob and Dick, along with master engine builder Bobby Meeks created this chopped and channeled custom beauty with its beautiful paint scheme and chromed suspension in an era where salt flat racers were mostly unpainted rust buckets. Their collision with Vic Edelbrock put his company on the map. While developing the car, they basically shook it out on Southern California boulevards and disappearing when the  police showed up. The world of Salt Flat Racing opened up to the boys when they were timed at over 140 mph and after that coupes had their own class. With its custom built nose reworked frame and Meeks and Edelbrocks heads and intake manifold and tuning, topping it off with triple Stromberg carburetors. The gutted interior featured a single bucket seat from a WWll tank. Bob Pierson, who had worked for Douglas Aircraft used his knowledge of aerodynamics created the foil shaped rear that allowed the air to exit while creating down force. The car went on to exceed 150 mph under the Pierson's ownership and by the mid fifties it ran just under 200 mph. It's last record was set in 1991 at 227 mph but that was with a Chevy V8 under the hood. The car was ultimately restored to its original configuration and was the first dry lake racer inducted into the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame. Here's a pic with Bob Pierson:

 This is a great model by GMP/Acme and I shot it with their accessory 'salt bed' base with figures and a period backdrop.