Living with Worlds Fastest Corvair

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UNSAFE
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Living with Worlds Fastest Corvair

Post by UNSAFE »

Car Life Magazine July 1968
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Kevin Willson
1965 Monza 3.1
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SSpeed66
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Re: Living with Worlds Fastest Corvair

Post by SSpeed66 »

Thats really Cool, I knew who it was going to be about before I even looked at it :rafman:
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Phil Dally
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Re: Living with Worlds Fastest Corvair

Post by Phil Dally »

A gentleman and a scholar Mr. Keosababian is indeed.


-----Original Message-----
From: philvair@netzero.com <philvair@netzero.com>
To:
Sent: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 5:39 am
Subject: Landspeed Corvairs

TOM: It was an honor and a privilege to speak with you at the convention. I feel as though now I have an obligation to continue the tradition of Corvairs in LSR. I will respect your F/CBGC record and go faster elsewhere.
Our historian Jim Miller and I are vairy interested in your notes. We will gratefully accept any information you are willing to share. In my case especially F engine class speeds. Jim is also the historian for the American Hot Rod Association. Any drag racing info from back in the day will also be welcomed. Please get back to me at your leisure.

PHIL DALLY (661) 433-3664

Hello Phil,
Thanks for your kind words. I've been looking through some of my old B-ville/Lakes stuff looking for Corvair information and have found some you might be interested in. Since I stopped running the lakes in "67, I didn't keep track that closely of what was going on. I'm also having some trouble with my scanner but as soon as I get it straightened out, I'll send you some copies. In the mean time, I found the results of the May 1969 meet. There were 2 cars running F/ supercharged coupe: Joes Garage ('61 coupe, 1800 lbs., paxton, etc.) and Perkins & Sons. Jim Perkins was an aerospace engineer and a very strong competitor. He ran a Studebaker with a 170 cid Chrys. slant 6 with a Garrett turbo. At that meet, Joe ran 145.86 and Perkins ran 146.57. I don't know what the record was at that time, but one of those 2 guys probably held it.
I wasn't able to find any more results until September, 1973, ( I may have more, but can't find it now). Anyway, sometime during 1972 or 1973, Perkins set the record at 154.10 mph for F/SC (supercharged gas coupe/sedan). Jim Perkins died from a heart attack some time after that and it's too bad. He was a really smart guy. Joe Albert also had many personal problems. I don't remember the date, (sometime before 1973 season), the police came out to El Mirage and took him into custody because they found his wife murdered. He never raced after that as far as I know.
I did find something I didn't know until now. At the September, 1973 meet Ron Cohn set a new record in the E/CC with his '65 coupe with his GMC blown fueler. (Blown engines advanced 1 class in fuel classes at that time.) He set a 162.74 mph speed record for the class. (It had an open record with a 160 mph minimum.) You might ask Ron about that run. When I saw him at Bonneville at the '74 meet, I don't remember him saying anything about it. At the salt that year, I helped him set up his car after I got my record and he made a single 178 mph pass that burned up a bunch of cylinders in the process. I think that was the last year for Ron's Corvair at the Salt..

Speed Thrills,

Tom Keosababian
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CA Central Coast
Vairy V8 Rides Again.
LA Angels fan since 1978
World Series Champs 2002
Only Own 10 Corvairs Today
Been Associated With Fifty!!
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flashpoint
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Re: Living with Worlds Fastest Corvair

Post by flashpoint »

I'd love to see this car run in person.
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Phil Dally
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Re: Living with Worlds Fastest Corvair

Post by Phil Dally »

I'd love to see this car run in person.
Mine or Tom's?
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CA Central Coast
Vairy V8 Rides Again.
LA Angels fan since 1978
World Series Champs 2002
Only Own 10 Corvairs Today
Been Associated With Fifty!!
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