Never published anywhere until now, here’s a big gallery of original hot rods from the early days—just as they were. Check this out.
First, Mac’s Motor City Garage would like to thank Gordon Nunemaker and Mike Evanoff for this great collection of photos. These guys were there back in the ’50s when it all began, and they’re still active on the hot rodding scene today. If we are following correctly, Gordon originally took the photos and Mike digitally scanned them. Thank you, gentlemen.
As told to us, the photos were taken in three venues around Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan in the mid-to-late 1950s:
+ Toledo Municipal Airport, today known as Toledo Executive Airport, which hosted Sunday drag racing under various names, including Greater Toledo Dragway and Vettes-Ville. Concrete and exceptionally wide, the Toledo strip often featured four-wide racing. Note the crowds in the photos—in the thousands.
+ The airport in Tecumseh, Michigan, around 25 miles southwest of Ann Arbor and 35 miles northwest of Toledo, which also hosted drag racing.
+ An actual public road in Oregon, Ohio known as the Starr Avenue extension. A notorious street racing venue, on at least one occasion it was blocked off by the local police for semi-official legal drag racing.
It’s a funny thing. Try as they might, the retro rodding crowd has never quite captured the special, almost magical look and feel of the early days. Needless to say, if you have any info to share on the cars and people in the images, shout out. Enjoy the photos.
Thanks for some great pictures. This was before my time, but it’s fun to look back at how guys spent their free time. Retro rodding will never re-create this, because they have to try too hard. This stuff was in piles all around them, and they cobbled it together under a tree, and if they needed something, a quick trip to the junkyard was all that was required, look at the headers in picture 9, beautiful. And some of the later model cars, I’m sure, were Dad’s daily driver,on a detour to the library. Is the ambulance a Packard?
I believe the ambulance is a LaSalle — similar to the one in The Godfather.
All amazing pics but that Hemi powered Model A roadster is stunning in its raw elegance.
Like you, I was gjglotptitufmv,.( Ooops, sorry, had wipe the drool off my keyboard)
Nice cars, but the A model with the Hemi is awesome.
Great photos, thanks. Not to knock todays “retro rodders”, because they are keeping the tradition alive, but sometimes their focus is too much on tattoos and pomade rather than the cars. It’s all fun though, the lifestyle, the cars, motorcycles, even the Pompadors and tattoos, and it IS a link back to the days of our youth. Well, our parents youths, I’m not that old either!
I use to run out at Toledo back in the 60’s while I was in college. At that time it was the start of the Super Stocks. A lot of the Factory cars from Detroit showed up on Sundays. My friend Tom Wechtel bought a brand new 66′ Nova tudor sedan with the 350/350. This became the first car sponserd by LOU’S SPEED SHOP. I think that was A/S back then and ran against the Mopars. I still have a trophy that I won for 2nd place win in my ’56 Ford. Great times and so simple. and easy to have fun…….
I used to walk the length of Droulliard Rd. every Sunday a 9-10 yr old to watch the racing in 1964-65. Wish I’d taken a camera, ALWAYS on the lookout for photos.
Wechtel was my neighbor,did many a test run with him down the trail in the”Syndicate of Speed Nova.Were (are)you Greg Tobias’s brother-in-law?
Terry…I was a schoolmate of Greg Tobias. I remember your “Blue 62 Impala Super Sport”…I had a black one. Do you by chance know where your 62 Super Sport may be these days??? I am also a friend of Gary Roberts. Any info on your 62 drop me a note @ scalenut@hotmail.com or call 419-823-1538. Thanks Steve Higgins Bowling Green Ohio…ps I lived @ 1620 Wildwood Rd. as a kid.
A lot of those cars are new cars. 55 Chevs in 56.
The hemi A is the prize though. Though probably very scarey!
The current ratrod scene is far too freaky for most people
And yes those 30s cars in the 50s were easy to build and get parts for
A bit like 80s stuff is now. Though most 80s cars have no character in the least, but are already nostalgia for the youth of the 80s.
I remember tom and his 66 nova,he would drive it to church, solid black w/ cragar ss wheels and class on windshield.also Jerry Rable had a 66 black ss 396 chevelle he raced at this track,thanks for the memories.
I was one of the Groves Bros team. We ran Toledo just about every weekend. First we were Olds powered then aBig ol semi. Have some 8 mm film of the good old days. Would like to see any pics taken at Toledo!! Remember Hot Rod Harry??? We put some glycerine on the tires to make a lot of smoke for the crowd. Those were the days when ingenuity was king..not money!!