Speedsters from all over the country are in Lincoln this week for the third annual International Speedsters Trials and Reunion — a combination of events, tours, seminars and souped-up fun.
ALGIS J. LAUKAITIS / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, July 10, 2009 12:00 am
It's hard to describe the grin on Olive Moore's face when she races her purple souped-up 1927 Model T on West Fletcher Avenue.
It's the biggest grin you ever saw. The kind you think would hurt. The kind you wish you had.
"She has it the whole day," said Mark Nelson of Polson, Mont., who had just watched Moore complete her second timed run Friday.
Moore and about 35 other racers competed in a special hill climb event, part of the third annual International Speedsters Trials and Reunion.
"I've always liked speed and it's legal, and it's safe," Moore said.
Her car is hard to miss. It has a purple 1927 Model T body - and long black eyelashes on the headlights.
"Every lady has to have eyelashes," she said.
Think of speedsters as the original hot rods. They're Model T or Model A Fords from the early 1900s, modified to go fast.
When Dad's Model T stopped running, he bought a new one because Henry Ford made them so cheap - about $250 each by 1927.
The broken-down jalopy often went to a son - often a son hellbent on building a fast car like the ones they raced at Indy.
"A lot of this is the celebration of what they called the speedster guys," said organizer Rich Johnston of Lincoln. "These are the guys that took a car, cut the body down, took speed parts and modified them to make them faster - just like the guys do today."
The speedsters came from all over the country to attend this year's reunion, sponsored by The Smith Collection Museum of American Speed, and the Bill Smith family.
They arrived Wednesday for a series of events, tours and seminars, which wrap up Sunday. None of the events - including the hill climb - were open to the public.
"We didn't know if we could handle a lot of spectators," Johnston said. "We're kind of learning."
(Note: You might get a chance to see some speedsters Saturday at the Midwest MCA Mustang Roundup & All Ford Car Show in Ceresco.)
On Thursday, the speedsters took a 90-mile road trip through several Southeast Nebraska communities.
Dave Coleman of West Virginia and his friend Sam Myers of Virginia won't soon forget the trip.
After Coleman's yellow 1925 Model T torpedo-style roadster threw a rocker arm, they tore apart the engine by the side of a road, put it back together and drove on three of four cylinders.
They made it to Pleasant Dale, where they found a place with a fully-equipped shop, including a welder.
"I figured they could take care of themselves by their car and their demeanor," said Leroy Trease, owner of T & S Service.
The pair fixed the rocker arm and were in his shop for a couple of hours.
There was no charge.
"That's typical of what these guys (speedsters) would have done in the '20s," said John MacKichan, curator of The Smith Collection museum.
Back then, speedsters would have made temporary repairs until they found a shop down the road.
The hill climb is also part of the speedster legacy. In the 1920s and '30s, communities would close off parts of town and host races, Johnston said.
In Lincoln, organizers found a perfect hill on West Fletcher Avenue near Nine-Mile Prairie.
The speedsters had to climb a hill that was one-tenth of a mile or 530 feet long. The main rule: all engines must be four-cylinder flatheads built before 1935.
Some speedsters zoomed up the hill at more than 65 mph. Some were a bit slower. And some with passengers were a lot, lot slower.
No prize money or trophies were awarded.
Said Olive Moore: "We don't need the money. What's fun is the time and the applause - and the thumbs up!"
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 402-473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.