c. 1965, this lakester, made from a surplus World War II belly tank, caught the eye of Alex Tremulis.  At the time, most bellytanks remained true to their original form with only some modification to enable a driver to get in and out and usually some openings for exhausts.  Not this one, however, with its squared-off top half and specially formed engine cover.  It's unique shape surely was a topic of aerodynamic discussion which prompted Tremulis to take a full complement of photos from each angle.  Not only looking fast standing still, this little racer evidently stood up to its critics with a top speed in the vicinity of 300 miles per hour, apparently urged on with the help of a supercharged Chrysler engine, and driven by Howard Johnson.

Fast forward 40 years or so and Mel Hoy's lakester shows up at a swap meet in Portland, Oregon, where it was photographed by land speed racer Mike Kelly.  It looks to be in amazingly good condition with most of its unique bodywork appearing intact and unblemished. 

These newest photos and the latest updates on Mel Hoy's creation can be found on the landracing.com website HERE.  Let's hope that this little lakester with a speedy past gets the restoration it deserves and maybe someday it will make a public re-appearance for all to enjoy...

Innovation at the Bonneville Salt Flats comes in all shapes and sizes.  In 1965, two very fast cars couldn't have been more different in their approach to going fast.  Yet both were together in line, one right after the other.  The Redhead, an icon on the salt since 1962, had some of the most beautiful lines that ever graced Bonneville.  Right behind it was the Offutt-Richards-Boschetti twin-boom streamliner who's design origins went back to 1948's twin-boom streamliner penned by Piero Taruffi.  Both would go extremely fast:  The Redhead set records over 300 miles per hour, while the twin-boom streamliner cruised to 194 miles per hour.   Both continued to race for many years.  The Redhead ran almost continuously through the 1990's while Offutt's 'liner ran through the 1970's, eventually upping its top speed to 267 miles per hour under Mark Dees' ownership. 

Both cars were captured in photographs by Gyronaut designer Alex Tremulis during 1965's Speed Week.  The following still photographs of both cars all came from his camera.  The two videos were taken by Bonneville official Bob Higbee with his ever-present 8mm movie camera.  Special thanks to Mark Brazeau of landspeedracingvideo.com for granting permission to use these segments.  The "Good Old Days" 2-disk set contains tons of actual vintage footage of both Bonneville and drag racing at its absolute best.  A must have!

In the following undated footage, Bob McGrath(?) is getting ready to run, probably in 1969, but no doubt it was a similar scene that was repeated over and over for decades.  In the background is Alex Tremulis and his wife Chrissie.  Tremulis is wearing the Gyronaut 245mph T-shirt, so the footage is definitely post-1966, and another photo of Alex and Chrissie with the Gyronaut in 1969 shows them in the same clothes.  In any case, these are both great vehicles that naturally caught the attention of the famous designer, enjoy! 

...And don't forget to "LIKE" the Gyronaut Facebook Page to keep updated on this story and the restoration progress of the Gyronaut X-1!

Next in line is the Redhead with one of the most voluptuous shapes to ever hit the salt.  Sometimes criticized for its extreme coke-bottle shape, there's no denying its eye appeal. 

Starting life as a "slingshot" dragster, it would prove its worth on the salt, first in 1962 and then setting numerous records over the next three decades.

Looking fast just standing still...

Back in the saddle again...

Getting ready for the next run...

Next in line behind the Redhead is the twin-boom streamliner owned and driven by Fritz Offutt.  The Redhead's new bubble canopy sits between the two streamliners.

Buckle up, it's the law...

Plenty of guages to keep your eyes busy at over 300mph...












...and then it's off to another record-setting attempt:

Still waiting behind the Redhead, driver/owner Fritz Offutt is shielded from the blazing sun by a crew member.

The push truck from Auto Parts Performance lines up behind the engine side of the streamliner.

Dick Boschetti built the 183cu Chevy by sleeving and de-stroking a 250ci V8.  Ultimately turning in a run of 194.800 miles per hour, the twin-boom proved to be plenty fast.

A special thanks to Dick Boschetti for all the comments on this unique streamliner...

Owner/Driver: Fritz Offutt
Chassis: Alan Richards
Engine: Dick Boschetti

Builder Alan Richards is probably much better known for one of his other "cars", a 55mph, 2.8ci, bicycle-wheeled, mini-streamliner that would be the smallest entry ever on the salt.

Back in the pits, the Gyronaut's body parts are seen in the foreground.  The Offutt streamliner just a few steps away...

A beautifully diverse lineup illustrates the amount of ingenuity to be found side by side at Bonneville, limited only by the builder's imagination...

Back in line, the twin-boom is seen above another legendary racer, the Reynolds Aluminum streamliner of Bill Burke and Clarke Cagle. 

Directly behind the twin-boom's push truck is the Studebaker of the Pisano Brothers...

...and directly behind the Pisano Brothers is the Gyronaut X-1, patiently awaiting its turn for a record.  The Gyronaut wound up with the fastest ever record time for a motorcycle running gasoline at over 212 miles per hour. 

In the next lane over, beside the Gyronaut, is the beginning of Jack Lufkin's sports racer, another legend on the salt, at that time painted white with red wheel disks.

Back in Ventura on Alex Tremulis' patio, Redhead builder and driver Bob McGrath and his daughter paid a visit to the designer with a new streamliner model in hand.  An ambitious project, the Olympian had all the ingredients for success with a Who's Who of team members.   Ak Miller, Jerry Winchell, Bob McGrath and Jerry Spotts all were slated to contribute towards the effort to capture the fastest wheel-driven record then held by the Summers Brothers' Goldenrod.  The following press releases detail the progress made from 1969 through 1970...

What ultimately happened with the Olympian effort is still unknown at this time.  If you have any information on its fate, please let me know...