Oh to be 50 years old and look like you did when you were in your prime! Such was the case over April 20-21, 2012 at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California, where an assemblage of Cobras and pertinent celebrities heralded the 50th anniversary of Carroll Shelby's Anglo-American giant killer. Of course, only the cars looked to be ageless, and yet the original Shelby American drivers and other personalities who showed up are clearly kept young in spirit by continued involvement with the cars of the Total Performance era. Needless to say, it was an event to remember.
The NHRA Museum is located at the Los Angeles County Fairplex, also home to the famed Pomona dragstrip, and site of untold numbers of sports car road races in the '50s and '60s. Cobras and other Shelby products have a long history of running on Pomona's well-used pavement, and the scene was recreated in mid-April thanks to the organizers of the event who worked with the guys at Marlen Motorsports to coordinate the road course action. While the track surfaces presented some challenges, it didn't keep an enthusiastic group of 60 cars from participating in full-bore activity throughout the two-day event.
The static displays for the Cobra celebration were no less impressive. Day two marked the debut of a special "Speed Merchants of Venice" display inside the museum, coordinated by Cobra enthusiast extraordinaire Lynn Park. Yet another highlight of the day was a panel discussion and Q&A session with movers and shakers of the era, which included the likes of Bob Bondurant, Jerry Grant, Parnelli Jones, Peter Brock, and many others. At the same time, the museum parking lot played host to a car show which brought in performance Fords of all shapes and sizes, along with vendors such as Ford Racing, Shelby American, and numerous others. Since we know a picture is worth a thousand words, we'll dispense with any more narration and let you peruse our images of this special event. Enjoy!
Parnelli Jones was at the...
Parnelli Jones was at the helm of the No. 94 King Cobra during several parade laps of the historic Pomona road course. Jones won the 1964 LA Times Grand Prix in this very car.
Pomona's signature road course...
Pomona's signature road course fixture is the bridge, which has been a favored framing point for photographers for decades. Here, Bob Bondurant and his GT40 lead a pair of Cobras.
For those not running hot...
For those not running hot laps, parade laps offered the opportunity for many of the high profile cars in attendance to lap Pomona once again.
Bondurant at speed.
While not of Cobra lineage,...
While not of Cobra lineage, Ron Myska mixed it up on track with his NASCAR Talladega Torino. The Boss-429-powered stocker sports a Holman Moody chassis and Junior Johnson lineage, and was a pleasure to watch in action.
We enjoyed a peek into the...
We enjoyed a peek into the rear wheelwell of Myska's Torino during a tire change, and noted the twin shocks, full floating axles, diff cooler pump, and big drum brakes that were standard fare for Grand National stock cars of the era.
Paul Westberg was running...
Paul Westberg was running hard in his Trans-Am–inspired Cougar, followed by a good looking, Shelby-themed fastback.
Fellow racers Bob Bondurant...
Fellow racers Bob Bondurant and Dick "Mr. Corvette" Guldstrand chat it up between track sessions at Pomona. Bondurant spent a day making hot laps in the new GT40 his wife recently purchased for him, while Guldstrand wiggled into the parade laps in what else--a Corvette!
This flamed fastback out of...
This flamed fastback out of the Maeco Motorsport camp scorched the Pomona pavement in more ways than one. It was clearly one of the fastest cars on the track.
Here's one smooth-talker trying...
Here's one smooth-talker trying to finagle his way into the parade lap driver seat of Gordon Gimbel's factory competition 289 Cobra CSX2514.
In the end, you can see he...
In the end, you can see he was successful. Wouldn't you let Don "the Snake" Prudhomme wheel your valuable snake?
The show field had Shelbys...
The show field had Shelbys of most shapes and colors, including Gary Goeringer's recently completed '69, a B-Production racer during the 1970s with Boss 302 power. Look for a full feature on this car in the coming months.
Left to wander the aisles...
Left to wander the aisles of Cobras, we pondered some of life's more important questions.
For example, what's more appealing,...
For example, what's more appealing, a Weber-inducted small block, or a dual-quad FE?
While not a high performance...
While not a high performance rig, one of the most impressive displays on the show field was this Gilmore Oil combination of a '53 Ford hauler and '56 Panel. Thankfully, the dog isn't real.
The Carroll Shelby Engine...
The Carroll Shelby Engine Company and DenBeste Motorsports were displaying the new Shelby Hemi heads for 351 Fords. Very cool pieces for sure, though wide enough to require engine bay surgery akin to a mod motor transplant in many applications.
Ford Racing was on display...
Ford Racing was on display with its wares, including this 5.0L Coyote crate engine M-6007-M50. You'd be hard pressed to find a smoother or more reliable 412 horsepower anywhere!
We marveled at the brilliance...
We marveled at the brilliance of Darren Friedman's Kirkham Cobra, but even more so the polished and injected 427 SOHC motorvation. Stunning!
KABC newsman Dave Kunz interviewed...
KABC newsman Dave Kunz interviewed a number of Cobra racers over the PA system, including Parnelli Jones, John Morton, and pictured here, Allen Grant. Interesting stories were related by all!
Lynn Park's independently...
Lynn Park's independently campaigned 289 Dragonsnake, known as El CID, greeted spectators as they entered the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. It is part of the special Cobra exhibit titled "Speed Merchants of Venice," on display into August.
Just 29 427 Cobra S/Cs were...
Just 29 427 Cobra S/Cs were built, and two were inside the museum in stark contrast to one another. This unrestored example wears the S/C designation for Street/Comp or Semi/Comp--in short, a street-legal race car.
Of course the NHRA Motorsports...
Of course the NHRA Motorsports Museum had more than just Cobras on display. Ford fanatics will love this '65 Falcon match racer that was driven in the day by Bob Thomas, Howard Neal, and Hubert Platt. It's thought to be the first car to run a Hilborn injected 427.
This Mickey Thompson Mach...
This Mickey Thompson Mach 1 Funny Car was Boss 429 powered and driven by Danny Ongais and Mike Van Sant. Thompson's ingenuity and out of the box thinking is clearly reflected here, as rather than a traditional tube frame, this car employed a stressed-skin monocoque construction that saved roughly 300 pounds. The Mach 1's best e.t. was 7.40 at 196 mph.
Two "snakes" pose in front...
Two "snakes" pose in front of the NHRA Museum at Pomona. Don Prudhomme is of course a fixture of NHRA history, but also a big fan of all things Cobra. The King Cobra sports racer was one of two on exhibit over the weekend--this one the winner of the 1963 LA Times Grand Prix in the hands of Dave MacDonald, as well as the 1963 USRRC championship.