As a followup to The Shelby-Gyronaut Connections: Cobra Engines and the First GT350 Rear Spoilers, some very strong connections to Vince Gardner have surfaced.  First, in looking closer at the man working on Tremulis' rear spoiler, there is little doubt that he is indeed the master craftsman, Vince Gardner:

Throughout the 1950's and 1960's, Gardner was responsible for some of the most superbly built custom cars to ever come out of the Detroit area.  Below are just four of his more noteable creations.  Clockwise from top left:  Gardner in his "Vince Gardner Special" built on a 1947 Studebaker platform won "Most Magnificent Custom Roadster" at the Oakland National Roadster Show in 1950;  Vince Gardner with Walt Woron and Ford's Bill Wagner with a model of Gardner's Anglia which won Motor Trend's design contest in 1950, funded by Henry Ford II, the Gardner Vega inspired the development of the Thunderbird;  Gardner's two-seater shortened Mustang Fastback concept built at Dearborn Steel Tubing where Gardner worked; and Gardner's modified T'Bird, the "Italien", built in 1963 while he was at Dearborn Steel Tubing.  Some of the best customs  anywhere!

Another newly-found photo from the earlier series of photos places the red Mustang, Tremulis' white 2+2, and an unidentified custom car in front of what must be Vince Gardner's home/workshop.


Below, a closeup of the cars shows a distinctive rear window treatment to the third car.

Any ideas as to which custom this might be?

Then there's the following rendering from Alex Tremulis for a Mustang-based "Coupe De Elegance" by Gardner and Tremulis.  It appears that Gardner and Tremulis were planning for a series of hardtop designs for Ford's pony car.  The Concours, Biarritz, Monaco and Landau were probably created to attempt to move the Mustang into a little higher price bracket by entering into the luxury car market.  It's interesting that Gardner was also looking into the fastback designs as shown by his two-seater above.  The illustration is undated so the order in which Gardner and Tremulis intended to build these coupes is speculation at this point, but along with the spoiler and the modified front end of the Mustang, it looks like the two designers were setting their sights squarely on improvements and accessories for the Mustang. 

Two new photographs from Alex Tremulis' files now make sense.  Surely these must be the top that Gardner and Tremulis built for the convertible Mustang:

It is pretty clear, though, that the Gyronaut's Shelby engine was delivered to Dearborn Steel Tubing where Vince Gardner built several of his Customs.  And shortly after this engine was received, Gardner went to work building the fiberglass body for the Gyronaut that was completed by July of 1964.  So another avenue for the Tremulis/Gardner spoiler getting back to Carroll Shelby may also have been through Vince Gardner through his association with Dearborn Steel Tubing.  Yet another area to search for further documentation...

July, 1964 (left to right):  Vince Gardner, Alex Tremulis and Bob Mattson working the clay body of the Gyronaut.  With only a few weeks to go until Speed Week, it's no wonder that the Bonneville runs would wait until the following year.

The completed Gyronaut tail end with its first gold paint job in mid-1964.  Credit went to Vince Gardner and Robert "Bob" Mattson.  In the first photo above, there is a young man in the background.  Could it be possible that it's Bob Mattson working with Gardner on the spoiler as well? 

Stay updated, as more historical pieces to this puzzle fit together.  Be sure to "LIKE" the Gyronaut's Facebook page to get the latest...

Photo credits in the order of their appearance:  Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Newsletter, 1973; Kustorama; Hemmings Motor News; Collectible Automobile; Barrett-Jackson Auctions.  All others, copyright The Alex Tremulis Archives.

Alex Tremulis' design philosophy had always been to strike a happy marriage between aircraft and automotive styling.  As a teenager, he already inherently knew that smooth flowing lines would not only look better but would be more efficient at slicing through the air.  During World War II he spent a great amount of time designing aircraft to fly faster than had ever been achieved through the use of wind tunnels.  It would be at Ford, over a decade later, that he'd finally be able to prove his automotive philosophy in the design for a streamlined Thunderbird capable of speeds of over 200 miles per hour.  By mid-1955, Chevrolet was already exploring design improvements to their 1956 Corvette that would eventually lead to the 1957 Sebring SS.  It would be Tremulis' competitive spirit that would bring the much-needed data that only the design refinement within a wind tunnel could provide.  Tremulis' highly modified supercharged 1956 Thunderbird Mexico was going to be Ford's reply to Chevy's racing Corvettes, including wind tunnel tests for a car incorporating ground effects now common on all high performance cars.

The following memos, tests and photographs illustrate the very beginnings of Ford's reliance on wind tunnel testing in automobile design and provides an insider's view into the making of Ford's Mexico supercar for the 1950's...

 

As the race to get the wind tunnel logistics were being worked out, another race was unfolding on the road racing circuits.  Chevy's Corvettes were extremely competitive on the track and the old adage to "Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday" was being felt in Ford's showrooms as customers were starting to gravitate towards the newly redesigned Corvette and away from the Thunderbird.  Tremulis' thoughts, outlined in the following memo, clearly bring home the message how a competitive racing program forces the evolution of automobile design:

Back at the wind tunnel, the three models Tremulis chose for the initial tests were a 1955 Ford Sedan, his Taj Mahal concept car and his Thunderbird Mexico race car.  In addition to these basic designs, by adding on bits and pieces to these models, the effects of various components intended to reduce drag could be evaluated.

The 1955 Ford sedan in its most basic form.  This would be the baseline by which all the other design changes could be compared.

"Maryland Fins" added to the rear quarters and a forward-sloping windshield addition are seen in this shot.  Presumably, the Maryland Fins were named after the location of the wind tunnel at the University of Maryland.

The hood scoop, bullet headlight covers and rear fins are shown in this iteration.

Tremulis' Taj Mahal concept car provides a comparison to the standard 1955 sedan with a more streamlined and significantly lower body shell  for a passenger car.  Already encompasing the rear fins that would grace so many of the late 1950's designs, by this time Tremulis had been putting stabilizing fins on his designs for over two decades.  "He'd put fins on a turtle!", his fellow designers would later recount.

The Mexico with an added-on rounded nose, similar to the late 1960's Chrysler Superbirds.  This clay model would serve as the basis for the 3/8ths scale fiberglass models to follow.

The following pages are just part of several reports on the wind tunnel tests from 1954 to 1957.  The team made sure to evaluate all aspects of the effect that rear fins had on during extreme crosswinds.  The results indicated more stability with fins and thus justified their existance and may have even contributed to the growth in the height of fins throughout the remainder of the 1950's. Not only stylish, but functional!

In addition, the results of other tests shown below indicated that the Mexico would only require half the horsepower to overcome wind resistance at 120mph over the standard 1955 sedan.  Another way to look at it is that the Mexico would have an additional 70 horsepower to use for acceleration and top speed over its sedan counterpart. 

The ground effects of the full bellypan of the Mexico were shown to be so beneficial to reducing drag that it was considered "well worth [the] effort and expense to incorporate as a standard feature of automobile design."  Tremulis' 1955 Mexico had proven its worth as the test bed.

 

Alex Tremulis with the finished Mexico model as it appeared in numerous PR photo shoots.  The sheer size of these 3/8ths scale models made for better data in the wind tunnel than smaller sized models, but they took up a lot of room.  It's unknown how many of these models were crushed after their useful days were complete.

The Mexico alongside a turbine concept illustrates how low and sleek it appeared compared to its contemporaries.  The man beside the model was often called "Oscar".

Another view of the 3/8ths street scene provides different perspectives when evaluating various designs from all angles.

The Mexico, along with its sister model, La Tosca, both often photographed with each other.  Romeyne Hammond (at left) is seen working on the La Tosca.  It was fitted with a radio-controllled motor that was controllable from over a mile away.  Headlights, brake lights and turn indicators were all controlled by radio.  The model caused quite a stir when Tremulis would drive it across Oakwood Boulevard.  Ford's security guards would salute it as it drove into the complex.  The fun ended when it was ordered over to the Lincoln design studio to be used as the basis for the upcoming 1957 models.

Alas, the Mexico never did get to make it to full size.  A seies of tragic racing events occured in the mid-50's and the Automobile Manufacturers Association placed a ban on support to race teams.  But the Mexico model did make it out to the public as seen in the window of a Detroit merchant welcoming the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) for their annual convention. 

A beautiful model.  Hopefully it is squirreled away somewhere within the Henry Ford Museum and maybe someday be brought back out to enjoy its reintroduction to the public.

As Tremulis put it:  "I have always considered the Mexico as a milestone.  It opened the door to the windtunnel for the first serious investigation of the new aerodynamic art of the automobile.  For many years when I thought I was on the verge of selling a wind tunnel program I was always shot down with arguments such as - 'But Alex, remember the Chrysler Airflow'.  Some even referred to it as the 'Airflop'.  Others presented arguments such as - 'If all automobiles were streamlined they would all look alike.'  I would counter their arguments by comparing the styling of two airplanes: The Lockheed Constellation and the DC7.  Both planes had the same HP, they weighed the same, they went as fast and they were as different as night and day."

Although the Mexico never made it to a full-scale model, the development of many future record-setting race cars and their drivers would benefit directly from the lessons learned by Tremulis a decade earlier.

Tremulis (at left) designed into Walt Arfons' Wingfoot express a huge tailfin for directional stability along with three front winglets to generate downforce at speed.  The fins were put to the test in 1965 when an additional 10 JATO rockets were added to the car.  A misfire in one of the rockets at over 500mph set off seven others but despite the extremely unbalanced forces, the car maintained its arrow-straight direction and safely brought Arfons to a halt.

As part of the Mexico's advanced aerdynamics, Tremulis incorporated "air extractors" surrounding the rear window to vent out high pressure air inside the car's bodywork.  The thought was that it would reduce drag by allowing the air to pass through, rather than being dammed up inside the car's bodywork.  Much like trying to wave a screen through the air versus a non-vented piece of cardboard.  He would later pass on this tip to teams running for the record at the Bonneville Salt Flats where the difference between setting a world record and going home empty handed was often just a matter of a few miles per hour...

One such team that payed attention was the Ceccato and Jones Studebaker attempting to set a world record.  By incorporating vents just below the rear window, built-up air inside the car's bodywork was safely vented into a lower-pressure area over the rear deck.  The result? More efficient aerodynamics and the first "doorslammer" to ever break 200mph!

And, of course, the "Buck Rogers" tailfin of the Gyronaut initially took the brunt of criticism from reporters without a clue as to the importance of the center of pressure of a high speed vehicle.  As Tremulis rebutted to his critics: “Until I see a demonstration of an arrow, shot feathers first, successfully going straight, the tailfin stays on Gyronaut”!

It did, and in 1966 the Gyronaut went on to set the world's record for motorcycles at 245.667mph, a speed no other motorcycle would achieve for another four years.

The connection between Andy Granatelli, the Novi engines, and Alex Tremulis is as long as it was illustrious.  Tremulis would design numerous Novi-powered proposals for both land speed records and Indianapolis race cars, and sometimes both in the same package.  The thought of so much power in such a small engine set the designer's imagination on fire.  Here's a brief look into the various projects shared by the men and the machines that were made legends at the Brickyard and on the Salt...

1946 Indianapolis 500:  Their relationship started when Alex Tremulis was invited to the 1946 race by the great Ab Jenkins. Jenkins thought that there could be a tremendous value to have Tremulis meet Lewis Welch, sponsor of the famous Novi engines that would provide the highest horsepower to weight ratio of any engine to date. 

It would also be at the 1946 race where Tremulis would meet future Tucker race program director Ralph Hepburn, driving the Novi-powered Governor Special, qualifying with the fastest lap ever at Indy.

June 1, 1946:   Tremulis proposed a jet-powered land speed record car to Lew Welch, but ended up with the super-streamlined Novi proposal shown at left.  The images of Lew Welch and Ab Jenkins are shown in the background.  Tremulis was so impressed with the power-to-weight ratio of the Novi's, that he focused on them for the next two decades.  More on the details of the Ab Jenkins project can be found HERE.

1956 Indianapolis 500:  Sam Hanks apparently had spent World War II at Wright Field where Tremulis was also stationed.  His inscription: "To my good friend Alex Tremulis.  Remember the days at Wright Field."  Hanks would win the Indy 500 the following year.

February 22, 1957:  Andy Granatelli planning for some 200mph top speeds enlists the help of the consumate aerodynamicist. 

For every illustration that Tremulis produced, there's a hundred times the pages devoted to his aerodynamic calculations.  Forever determining the coefficient of drag for a particular design and the horsepower requirements for any speed, Tremulis became an encyclopedia of facts and figures of the historical record, and used them to illustrate his streamlining philosophy.  For him, it was all in the interest of moving a car more efficiently through the atmosphere using less horsepower.

Andy Granatelli's 1957 chart apparently attempting to determine the required engine and brake horsepower to get his race car to 200mph.   It would be Tremulis' aerodynamics that could effectively lower the horsepower requirements to achieve those top speeds.
Since the Novi engines were without doubt the most powerful of the times, it probably didn't escape him that the Novi powerplant would have to eventually be acquired to get full control of the designs and gain the racer's edge over the competition. 

The following few photos come from the camera of Alex Tremulis.  It's apparent he tried to capture the look and feel of Gasoline Alley and the race.  His subjects were those he felt close to as well as capturing some outstanding views that most people never get to see.  For those that are there to see it, they are usually too busy working on the cars to do anything about it.  From the dozens of his photos, he captured moments from 1958, '59, 61, 63 and '65:

1958:  The pace cars and car No. 62(?) getting ready to start the festivities on race day.







Below, 1958: A.J. Foyt captured in his rookie Indy race.

1958, Below: A view across from the pits from down on the field.

1959: In 1959, Bowes Seal Fast sponsored two cars that qualified for the 500 mile race.  One with an Epperly chassis wasw driven by Johnny Boyd.  The other with a Kurtis Kraft chassis was driven by Jud Larson.  This unidentified crew member was probably on one of those two race teams, unless another Bowes car did not qualify.  Any ideas?

1959: The same crew member as the previous photo, possibly the Bowes' Kurtis entry of Jud Larson?  The crew uniforms look like Bowes...

Any help in positively identifying individuals and cars in any photo is greatly appreciated, as these vintage slides may have had erroneous information written in their margins.

1961: Joe Granatelli working on the 75 car.

1961:  The No. 35 car of Dempsey Wilson getting pushed into place.

1961:Alex Tremulis (right) with an unknown racer/builder/owner/fan in Gasoline Alley.

Anyone know who this may be?

UPDATE:  That's Peter DePaolo, the winner of the 1925 Indianapolis 500.  Out of Tremulis' Advanced Styling Studio at Ford came the DePaolo in his honor, as well as Tremulis' concept car called the DePalma in honor of DePaolo's Uncle, Ralph DePalma, the winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500.  DePaolo would also head up Ford's stock car racing program in the mid-50's, including the 1957 "Battlebirds", and must have worked closely with Tremulis on his 1956 Ford Mexico Thunderbird intended to compete with the Corvette.   Thanks go to Jerry Castor for the I.D.

1963: Vince Granatelli contemplating one of the many issues that's sure to arise when working with cars designed to spend hours at the very edge of control.  This engine appears to be one of the supercharged Novi's.

1963:  Vince Granatelli steering the Novi-powered No. 56 car through Gasoline Alley.

1963:  Back to the drawing board, Tremulis and Andy Granatelli teamed up to design the 4 wheel drive Novi's for 1964's race:

Above:  Two of Tremulis' proposals for the 1964 Studebaker-Novi race cars. 

Left:  Tremulis' June 4, 1963 rear-engined Novi design foreshadowed the end of the front-engined Indy cars, but was considered too radical for the times.

As the 1964 season drew close, Tremulis had already set his sights on capturing the absolute land speed record for motorcycles with the Gyronaut X-1.  By this time, the proposed gyroscopes had been dropped in favor of the twin Triumph engines, and the team of Alex Tremulis, Bob Leppan and Jim Bruflodt worked tirelessly to get the bike built from scratch in time for the August 1964 Speed Week at the Bonneville Slat Flats.  But that didn't stop the efforts to get the Gyronaut project funded, and Andy Granatelli's STP looked like a perfect fit for both STP and the Gyronaut.  The following few letters illustrate the good-natured ribbing that both Tremulis and Granatelli clearly enjoyed, even with the seriousness of the business endeavor at hand:

The Gyronaut as it appeared with the STP sponsor decals on its side and tail throughout 1965 and into the first half of 1966:

The STP sponsorship was not renewed for the 1966 race season.  For the Gyronaut's record-setting runs in August 1966 all the way through 1969, the Gyronaut ran with the Castrol logo on its sides.  But true to his word, Andy Granatelli didn't let that stop him from having Tremulis design several more Indy race cars:

1967:  With the end of the Novi's,  one of Tremulis' Chrysler-powered proposals for the STP Special.

April 28, 1969:  Proposal No. 1 incorporating front and rear wings for more downforce.

June 10, 1969: Proposal No. 2 taking on a more radical shape and incorporating air flaps for improved braking and cornering, an effort to get more miles from the Indy tires.

June 20, 1969: Proposal No. 3.  The rules stated no wings may be attached to the bodywork of the car, so Tremulis suggested bolting them directly to the exhausts.  He was never one to strictly follow the rules.

For over a quarter century Alex Tremulis and Andy Granatelli helped each other.  By far, one of the longest and most rewarding experiences in Tremulis' 50+ years of automotive design.  Back in the day, these guys traveled in very small circles where everyone knew everyone else.  It's just that for Tremulis and Granatelli, theirs happened to be 2 1/2 miles as a D-shaped oval in the middle of Indiana.

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I'm trying to correct any factual inaccuracies that may have been posted, so please forward any corrections or additional information by using the CONTACT form.  All comments are greatly appreciated...

Alex Tremulis and Carroll Shelby both had an unbridled passion for automotive performance.  So it's not surprising that the two would continually cross paths in each of their individual quests to become the fastest in their respective fields - Tremulis on the salt flats at Bonneville and Shelby on the race tracks (and streets) around the world. 

The following letters, accounts and photos come directly from Alex Tremulis' archives and show rare glimpses behind the scenes on two different but inter-related facets to the Gyroanut story.  The first part illustrates how the Gyronaut was initially to be powered by one of Carroll Shelby's race engines.  The second part, shows Tremulis' efforts to create a rear spoiler for his wife Chrissie's 1965 Ford Mustang and how it may have influenced the design of one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time: Carroll Shelby's Mustang GT350's and GT500's.  The Gyronaut reigned king as the World's Fastest Motorcycle throughout much of the production runs of the Shelby Mustangs...

On September 8, 1963, several Shelby Cobras were entered in the USRRC Road America 500 race in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  The result was an oustanding day for Shelby where his Cobras came in first and second in the GT class, and second, fourth and sixth overall.

A quick note from Tremulis who already saw that in order for the little Cobra to make full use of its potential, it was going to have to be seriously streamlined.  Peter Brock's stunning Cobra "Daytona" Coupe was a full 20mph faster than its roadster counterpart, enabling it to finally beat its Ferrari competition the following year.

Just a few months following the first meeting between Tremulis and Leppan at the 1963 Speed Week, Ford had already agreed to send Tremulis his requested powerplant for the Gyronaut.  It would naturally have to come from Carroll Shelby as his engines had already proven to be both reliable and unbeatable.

Between Frank Zimmerman and Don Frey, Ford had already placed their "go-to" guys for the project.  A high-horsepowered Christmas present from Santa was in the works.  These were the days when a man's word and a handshake were the only things required to begin a major project.

A short while later, Tremulis sketched out the basics for the Gyronaut layout.  Care was taken to ensure his best-guess for the possible placement of the stabilizing gyroscopes in both the front and rear of the motorcycle. 

In typical Tremulis humor, the exhaust was to be routed out "der lauden boomer" ports just behind the engine bay. 

Gaining support for the gyros, however, was not going to be easy.  Two companies, Lear and Sperry, were both approached, but neither was yet convinced that getting a speed record with the risks involved was going to be a worthy project.

By early 1964, Tremulis' Gyronaut rendering proudly carried Carroll Shelby's Cobra logo emblazoned on its side.

The project had the blessings from Tremulis' old boss at Ford, Henry Ford II.  At Ford, Tremulis had headed up the Advanced Styling Studio and was responsible for many of Ford's most notable concepts cars from the 1950's and '60's.  The "999" reference on the Gyronaut was to honor Henry Ford's original race car that wore number 999 as it set a world land speed record of 91.4mph in 1904.

By March of 1964, the Gyronaut's engine was on the dyno and was being readied for shipment from California to Detroit.  The rest of the Gyronaut was taking shape as well.  Issues with the gyro sponsorship was still not resolved and was starting to be of serious concern.  Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats takes place in August, and the design of the frame and body can't be completed without knowing exactly which components are going to go where.

April 1964:  The Shelby-prepped engine, Ford transmission and differential have all been delivered to the Gyronaut team.  At this point, the only thing on the critical path was support from the gyroscope manufacturers.  That support never came, so by June 1964 it was clear the gyroscopes would have to be dropped and so would the Shelby engine.  After restrategizing, the team decided to run first with the ultra-dependable twin Triumph setup that Bob Leppan and Jim Bruflodt knew so well.  This effort became the "Gyronaut X-1" to break the absolute motorcycle record of 230mph.  They decided to use the Shelby engine and gyros for the "Gyronaut X-2" at a run for over 400mph, and then, ultimately, use a jet engine for the Gyronaut "X-3 Sonic Boom" to break the sound barrier at over 760mph. 

Only the twin-engined Triumph-powered Gyronaut X-1 was completed, becoming the World's Fastest Motorcycle in 1966.  What became of the Shelby engine?  After sitting in the shop at Logghe Stamping, it presumably was used in another race car.  It's fate is still unknown.  Efforts to track its history through Shelby American have so far been unsuccessful.

The second half of the Shelby-Gyronaut connection revolves around Tremulis' attempts to create a more stable Mustang in high speed situations.  The fastback design had a tendency to have its front end become very light at high speeds.  Tremulis had reasoned that a spoiler placed on the rear deck would create the necessary downforce to hold the Mustang's front end down and provide stability during racing on tracks where higher speeds could be attained.  The following photos document his efforts to both create the spoiler for the 1965 Mustang, but also his first hand account of presenting the concept to Carroll Shelby and then finally proving out his high-speed spoiler on the Bonneville Slat Flats.

Mid-1965?  The first spoiler being shaped in clay.  Fiberglass molds would then be taken directly from the clay in order to make a "negative" of the desired part.  Then a "positive" fiberglass part could be molded from the plug, making an identical duplicate of the clay piece, now in fiberglass.

The man sculpting the spoiler looks to be Vince Gardner, who had also worked with Tremulis at Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg in the 1930's.  Gardner would also go on to build the Gyronaut's fiberglass body as well!

In the following photos, the red Mustang is an unknown owner's car.  The white Mustang 2+2 was owned by Alex Tremulis' wife, Chrissie.  It would be her car that would eventually be the test mule for the high speed runs.

Chrissie Tremulis with her pristine-looking Mustang 2+2.  She had no idea what was in store for her new ride.

The spinner hubcaps seem to be the only non-stock exterior addition at this point.

Below, both cars would eventually get the spoiler treatment, but it's clear that the red car was first.  Chrissie's car appears to be stock at this point.  A closer look at the front end also shows a reworking of the front grill and a hood scoop that appears yet to be integrated into the hood of the car.

The following photos have the appearance of a marketing effort directed at the new spoiler(s).  The white Mustang in the background looks to be Chrissie's car, still appearing stock.  The man in the photos is Jim Gaylord, a long-time friend of Alex Tremulis.  Jim Gaylord's father had invented the bobby pin which allowed his sons to pursue their dreams without worrying about financing.  Gaylord would go on to build his own car, the incredible 1956 Gaylord Gladiator, of which 3 were built.  In the 1970's Tremulis would become Gaylord's marketing man in charge of advertising Gaylord's "Compu-Spark" electronic ignition modules.  So it is possible that the red car was owned by Gaylord and the spoiler was intended to be co-marketed by the two entrepreneurs.  More research is definitely warranted.

Gaylord and Tremulis during the same photo shoot, with Tremulis appearing to illustrate how the airflow over the spoiler creates downforce at high speeds.  The hood scoop looks to be removed for these photos.

In a strikingly similar photo, Jim Gaylord (left) inside the Tucker styling studio in 1949 getting an education from Alex Tremulis.  Gaylord's passion for automobile design and enthusiasm made a lasting impression on Tremulis and the two kept in touch ever since.  Gaylord approached Tremulis to design his Gladiator in the mid-'50's, however at the time Tremulis was deep into advanced car concepts at Ford and wasn't permitted to freelance.  Tremulis put Gaylord in touch with fellow designer Brooks Stevens for the job.  Tremulis would be instrumental in getting the Gladiator inducted into the Milestone Car Society twenty years later.

The red spoilered Mustang doesn't seem to appear in any more photographs, but Chrissie Tremulis' beloved Mustang certainly does.  Below are probably the first photos of the spoiler on her car.  In addition to the new spoiler, her car is sporting new rally stripes, one down the center in front, and two down the deck in the rear.  The stripes were most probably added to highlight the profile and contour of the spoiler on the white paint, something Tremulis was very familiar with in his then three decades of automotive design.

Clearly illustrating the molded-in deck caps and the keyed entry, these photos appear again to be aimed at a brochure to highlight the new body pieces.

July-August1965? 

Chrissie's bespoilered pony car makes an appearance at Walt Arfons' place where the Wingfoot Express II is being readied for a trial run at an airstrip in Ohio.  By September 1965, the Wingfoot Express was at Bonneville undergoing its final land speed record attempts.

In a special arrangement with Goodyear, Tremulis helped with the design of Arfons' record car in exchange for private salt time at Bonneville for the Gyronaut runs.

September 1965?

Above and left, Chrissie's car alongside Bob and Bill Summers' Goldenrod streamliner during what looks like a preliminary trial run.  Except for the spoiler and the stripes, the 2+2 still appears stock. 

The final runs for the Goldenrod were made in November 1965, but these photos appear to pre-date their final record-setting run.

In 1974, Alex Tremulis recounted his reasons for building the spoiler and the meeting he had with Carroll Shelby.  The following excerp comes directly from his memoirs where he told of his adventures and mis-adventures:

In trying to solve the suspension problems of the Gyronaut X-I, it was necessary to make a number of trips to the shops and experts in the Los Angeles area. Tremulis was driving a 1965 Mustang that belonged to his wife, Chrissie, who was driving his Thunderbird at her job in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Tremulis was experimenting with a spoiler, a horizontal air foil at the rear of the car, which he hoped would serve to hold down the tail at high speed. He had run it at 125mph on the salt and it handled beautifully, but that's not fast enough for the real test.

While he was in the Los Angeles area he decided to show the spoiler-equipped Mustang to Carroll Shelby, designer of the famed Shelby American, a really fine racing car. Shelby and Tremulis disagreed over the effect the spoiler would have on the Mustang.  Shelby felt it might tend to push the tail down and confound the already bad habit of Mustangs to get airborne in the front at about 130mph. Tremulis theorized  his spoiler would create a new, high velocity vortex that would tend to suck air underneath the car and hold the nose down. It was a theory at this point and to test it required greater speed.

First, he got some big tires to step his gear ratio up from 3 1/2 to 3.  Then he went to see Joe Granatelli, one of the big forces in developing fast cars. He asked Granatelli to supercharge the Mustang. Granatelli suggested as a friend: "Look, Alex, you're 52. Why go out there on the salt flats and kill yourself?"  But he agreed to supercharge the Mustang and did.  Three days later, Tremulis is back at Bonneville. 

"Wow, the Mustang had zap! I take it out on the 10-mile circle and it can move. I do the last five miles coming in at 145mph and it handled like a dream. I begin thinking about a speed run for it."

In the meantime, Tremulis uses the Mustang as an observing chase car as Leppan puts the Gyronaut X-I through experimental runs.  He easily glides along the salt at 145mph in this Mustang that is still a streetable car. The Gyronaut is having problems, now mostly transmission difficulties in trying to harness two Triumph engines, but also continued breaking of chains. Leppan has had runs of 227mph and on this particular day it appeared that maybe everything is ready for a run that will put it over 230mph, but Leppan has spent about all the time in a hot fire suit he can stand for the time being and decides to call it a day, try again tomorrow.

"I'm down at the 10-mile markers and I wanted to salvage something out of the day, so I called into the timers and tell them to get ready, I'm coming through for a shot at the class B record. I've had runs of 152 and 154mph and I'm confident that this 271 hp Mustang, now supercharged to 420 hp will do it. If I hadn't been such an amateur, it would have, too."
 
What happened was he started too fast, poured too much coal to it, revved the engine to 6,800 rpm on the tachometer. At 155 mph the aerodynamic drag hit its maximum for the body design.  The engine was now turning 7500 in 3rd gear and Tremulis wasn't into his speed trap yet. Smoke trails poured out of the exhausts, tbe temperature gauge climbed. 

"By this time there are two jet trails of smoke pouring out and I throw everything into neutral and coast to a stop. I've punched two holes in pistons."  He was pushed back into the pits, Chrissie's Mustang, all super-charged and spoiled, is now also burned out.

Chrissie's car now has the hood scoop, Shelby/Crager rims, and presumably the larger rubber.  And, no doubt, the Granatelli supercharger is now under the hood.

So, according to Tremulis' account, this would have followed his meeting with Shelby about the spoiler.  It would appear that Tremulis did some shopping at Shelby's plant. 

Back at the hotel in Wendover with the new Shelby accessories. Chrissie's car is looking every bit the high-performance racer that it has gradually become.  The Gyronaut's support van is parked beside it.

Alex Tremulis looking proud of his new creation.  No sign of trouble under the hood at this point.

Looking like he's getting ready to make a run down the salt, that's Tremulis sitting in the driver's seat.  This probably is not at the 10 mile markers as it looks like the burm alongside Highway 80 is on the right.  Note the radios that the men beside the car are holding, possibly waiting for the timers' "GO".

In any case, after stable runs in the mid-150's, the Mustang's spoiler concept was finally proven to be of use at high speeds.

November 1965:  Tremulis' Mustang sitting next to the German NSU team's streamliner.  The Mustang is either back to its skinny tires or hasn't yet received the Shelby/Crager rims.  Of course, it's also possible that there were two sets of wheels, one for racing and one for driving. 

The height of the little streamliner is deceptively low: Most of the car sits just above the axle height of the Mustang.

Bob Leppan standing beside Chrissie's salt-encrusted chase car.  The car still appears driveable at this point.

Where this car is today is unknown, but the Bonneville salt combined with Detroit's harsh winter probably didn't bode well for its survival...

In 2010, a 1965 GT350, number 5S319, was first publicly displayed (and auctioned off) with a factory prototype rear spoiler.  At the time, its unique spoiler was marketed as potentially being the first spoiler ever placed on an American production car.  One thing is for sure: The Mustang was a very popular car to personalize with various add-ons from all sorts of manufacturers - both high quality and some of dubious quality.  It seems three other 1966 GT350's ended up with similar rear spoilers and then all of the '67 to 70's had rear spoilers as well. 

More research is certainly warranted to determine which spoiler was, in fact, the very first and if Tremulis' had any influence whatsoever on the Shelby Mustang prototype that incorporated the first factory-installed rear spoiler.  Or was it just another attempt to provide customization at the very start of the pony car wars?  Has there been any new information that's been found in the historical record that sheds new light on these designs? 

Interesting... 

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Please CONTACT US if you have any further information or any observations that may help to answer these historical questions...

Today we lost a true American hero in Neil Armstrong.  Being the first is never an easy task, especially if it's walking on the moon located some 240,000 miles away!  An unbelievable analog accomplishment, especially when viewed in today's digital age.  But getting to the moon has probably always been on the minds of Man from the first time it was seen high in the pre-historic sky.  Most of us have wondered what it would be like, but few have ever seriously attempted to create the vision.  It became a top priority, though, for one of the automobile industry's top designers.  During World War II, getting to the moon became almost an obsession for Alex Tremulis.  Stationed at the top aircraft research lab in the United States, Wright Field, Tremulis was exposed to the state-of-the-art in jet propulsion and he would create some of the most influential illustrations that ultimately led directly to the Space Shuttle program.  And just a quarter century after his early shuttle concepts, he again set his sights on the lunar surface with an advanced two-wheeled Gyronaut lunar rover during the Apollo program.  In today's rememberance of Neil Armstrong, it's worth reflecting back on some of the outer-space concepts that contributed to Tremulis' more Earthbound concepts for automotive design, including the Gyronaut X-1...

It was at the Aircraft Lab at Wright Field where Alex Tremulis first learned of the benefits of using gyroscopes to not only provide stability to an object, but also to allow for exceptionally accurate directional control.  In 1943 he designed what was perhaps the first concepts for a guided missile, using gyroscopes to maintain its heading towards a predetermined location.  The flaps on the fins of his missiles were controlled by the gyros, keeping the missile on target.  The various configurations of his fins would be seen on Nike missiles for several decades, a true testament to Tremulis' understanding of directional control.

In December, 1943, Tremulis created his "Lady in Red" in a design competition for a super-sonic jet aircraft capable of plus Mach 1 speed.  Pre-dating the Bell X-1 by several months, both Tremulis' design and the Bell design incorporated the vision of a "bullet with wings".  Powered by four TG180 jet engines, at that time the top engine available, the Lady in Red also incorporated somewhat unconventional swept-forward wings and the Bonanza-style rudder/tail, similar to that of the 1939 Bugatti Model 100 racer, yet updated for the jet age.

It was Wright Field where the wreckages of downed and captured German advanced aircraft were sent for evaluation.  Part of Tremulis' responsibilities included illustrating what the aircraft looked like prior to its damaged condition.  One of his projects was to illustrate one of the first V2 rockets that had been captured.  The gyroscopically controlled V2 represented an almost undefensible attack once it was launched towards a target.  At left is Tremulis standing at the base of a captured V2 rocket, taken at Wright Field in October, 1945.  A captured Me262 and the Me163B2 Komet, #191301, can be seen in the background, both Germany's top jet/rocket aircraft.  As part of the "War Games" at Wright Field, aircraft designers were tasked to come up with ideas that would leapfrog Germany's next-generation designs. 

At left is what is now considered to be the very start of today's Space Shuttle program.  It started with Tremulis' vision for an interceptor that was to be launched by a rocket booster located in a subterranean missile silo.  The booster would launch the aircraft vertically into the upper atmosphere where the booster would be jettisoned.  The interceptor would then carry out its mission with the help of what Tremulis termed "jeterons" on the flaps of the wings.  He reasoned that with little or no atmosphere, conventional flaps would be useless, so jet-powered ailerons would be needed for control.  After its mission, the jet would land back at the base like a conventional aircraft.  It could then be re-armed and loaded onto another booster rocket for its next mission.  Truly ground-breaking concepts for 1944!

In the May issue of Air Force, Tremulis was featured illustrating (or re-illustrating) his interceptor concept.  Victory in Europe (VE Day) was on May 8, 1945, so there was probably little concern for disclosing confidential plans to the enemy. 

In October 1945, just two months following the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Tremulis' interceptor illustration took on a much more sinister use.  It was featured on the front page of the Chicago Sun and was described as a rocket-propelled, radar controlled, atomic bomb.  Chester Holifield, the state representative from California, is also shown holding a miniature model of Tremulis' "Lady in Red" from 1943.  In the 1950's, Holifield would go on to be a presidential advisor on both the atomic energy commission and nuclear weapons testing.  He also advocated that the United States build an infrastructure of underground nuclear fallout shelters, but also became an advocate of nuclear disarmament.  But these headlines probably did little to slow the arms race in 1945.

October, 1944:  Despite the politician's use of his ideas for nuclear warfare, Tremulis saw a greater potential for good in the ability to use rockets and jet propulsion to one day land a man on the moon.  Here, his futuristic illustration for a moon-bound spaceship again makes headlines just at the beginning of the jet age, and surely influenced many aircraft designers into thinking about how to accomplish such a lofty goal.  Included in this advanced rendering are the Tremulis "jeterons" necessary for directional control in outer space.  No doubt, this illustration sparked imaginations around the world.

By the late-1950's, serious plans were in the works to bring the aircraft/booster rocket project to fruition, mainly spurred on by Russia's successful launch of the Sputnik satellite.  Dubbed the "Dyna-Soar" project, its goal was most probably to launch a nuclear bomb halfway around the world with just a few minutes of warning.  Headed up by none other than one of the V2's original inventors, Wernher von Braun, the Dyna-Soar project lasted until the very end of the 1960's with hundereds of millions of dollars expended.  The lessons learned from the project would be used in the development of the next generation of rocket-boosted orbital aircraft, the Space Shuttle.

Tremulis and von Braun would both correspond to one another throughout the 1960's, each one encouraging the other to look past the moon towards the stars and other galaxies - both true visionaries!

By the early 1960's, with the help of then-president Kennedy's address to Congress, it was clear that landing a man on the moon was going to happen.   All the magazines and newspapers carried news of the Apollo program and captivated a nation in a race with Russia to put a man on the moon.  One of Tremulis' fellow designers at Wright Field went on to become one of the most knowlegeable authors on the Russian space program and often wrote articles for leading publications of the day.  It would be Donald J. Ritchie who would bring the attention back to his former colleague during one such article for Popular Mechanics.  Outstanding recognition for Tremulis from one of the most respected authorities on the space race.

So just how did the Gyronaut end up in plans to become a motorcycle for the lunar landscape?  You first have to revisit the history of the Gyronaut:  The first concept for the land speed record motorcycle was to incorporate Tremulis' stabilizing gyroscope, both at the front and rear of the bike (hence the name "GYROnaut").

In 1964, the Gyronaut team of Alex Tremulis, Bob Leppan, and Jim Bruflodt obtained a war surplus gyroscope and fitted it to one of Leppan's conventional motorcycle frames.  In a demonstration for the stabilizing power of the gyro, press photos captured the bike standing on two stools, all the while remaining motionless in an upright position.  Unfortunately, the needed support from the gyro manufacturers for this part of the Gyronaut remained ellusive and the gyroscope for the land speed record bike was dropped in favor of a more conventional setup.  But Tremulis never let his dream die, and soon he would have his working prototype for a gyroscopically stabilized automobile.

In 1966, the same year the Gyronaut X-1 became the world's fastest motorcycle, Tremulis joined Tom Summers who was also pursueing a gyroscopically stabilized two-wheeled car.  With Tremulis' styling and Summers' knowledge, a working prototype of the car was built.  Named the Gyron at one point, it would later be known as the GyroDynamics Gyro-X and proved out the concept that a small car could start, stop and corner without falling over on just two wheels.  Another outstanding achievement in automobile design.  Tremulis would be named to the Gyrodynamics Board of Directors.

The main concept that Tremulis would pursue to place a Gyronaut on the surface of the moon was based upon the GyroDynamics "Trailmobile", a two-wheeled gyroscopically stabilized transport built for the US Forestry Service.  With just two inline wheels, very narrow trails could be scaled and with the gyroscope there was very little risk of the Trailmobile falling over, even at very slow speeds.  Steadier than a mule without the stubborness and able to traverse ground that would be unpassable to four-wheeled vehicles.

As luck would have it, also on the Board of Directors for GyroDynamics was Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford.  This set in motion a means for Tremulis to sketch out plans for designing a Lunar Rover vehicle based on a two-wheeled layout, using a gyroscope to maintain stability.  He reasoned that the lunar landscape was going to be very rough and treacherous and there wouldn't be enough smooth ground for a conventional four-wheeled setup.  To conserve space, the rover was to begin its mission folded up, and then just prior to landing on the moon's surface, it would unfold into the lunar motorcycle rover.

Tremulis would get his chance to present his concepts to the NASA space teams during an invitation to several of the Apollo launches.  As usual, his rendering of the lunar module and the two-wheeled Gyronaut rover was spectacular and illustrated well his creative vision for not only landing a man on the moon, but by this time, driving (or more precisely, riding) on the moon.  The concepts were first discussed with Stafford at the pre-launch parties for Apollo 7, where Stafford was the backup commander for the mission.  Emblazoned on the side of the rover was the identical "G" that the earthbound Gyronaut X-1 carried in 1964 and 1965. 

October 1968:  The GyroDynamics company and spouses (8 total) visit Cape Kennedy as distinguished guests of astronaut Tom Stafford.  It was hoped that GyroDynamics would eventually be contracted to build the prototype for the two-wheeled Gyronaut concept for a Lunar Rover. 

And back to the sketches...

Tremulis' scale drawings for the existing lunar lander and his folding Gyronaut lander illustrates the compactness of its design.  In automobile design, he had often showed his lowered designs next to the profile of the existing cars, a technique that exemplified the sleekness of his new concepts.  This technique worked well in selling radical styling to his superiors back then, and he used it once again to get the point across with his folding rover concept.

The folding Gyronaut rover, tucked into position for space travel, took up little space within the capsule.  Tremulis' concept was ingenious, but the timing and logistics of carrying out such an ambitious feat would prove to be a little too late for the planned rover missions just around the corner.

Always refining and redefining the concept, Tremulis bent the ear of anyone willing to hear out his unconventional concepts.  However, the discussions with various other astronauts and experts led to further space concepts, but would eventually lead Tremulis to the conclusion that his gyroscopically stabilized motorcycle was probably impractical for traversing the lunar landscape with just too many unanswered questions remaining about its feasibility.  Additionally, plans were already well-underway for a four wheeled lunar rover that would eventually be the chosen design for the first "car" to drive on the moon.

However, one particularly notable project did come to fruition through Tremulis' efforts to put the Gyronaut design onto the lunar surface.  Brand new Corvettes had always been "donated" by GM to the astronauts all throughout the 1960's and the Apollo 12 team was no exception.  At the pre-launch festivities Astronaut Alan Bean and Tremulis discussed the "AstroVettes" that his team were soon to receive from General Motors.    It was Bean's idea to have all three painted in the same color scheme for the other two astronauts, Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon.  Their discussion led Alex Tremulis to derive three similar but different proposals for the crew's much anticipated Corvettes.

Bean had already ordered the three 1969 Corvettes in "Riverside Gold" so Tremulis devised the black wings as the color combo.  On the side of proposal number 3 was also a red/white/blue logo that would delineate the identity of each of the crew members.  Tremulis had used the identical color scheme of gold and black and the identical logo ID's for the Gyronaut X-1 and its crew of Tremulis (red), Leppan (white) and Bruflodt (blue) on the side of the motorcycle projectile back in 1964.

It would be Alan Bean who would choose a combination of the three Tremulis proposals and had the paintwork carried out by Jim Rathmann, the 1960 Indy 500 winner and a Chevrolet dealer in Melbourne, Florida.  The cars were delivered on time and painted up as proposed, including the red, white and blue logos for each of the drivers.  Bean's was blue with the initials LMP signifying his capacity as the Lunar Module Pilot for the Apollo 12 mission.

So, even though Alex Tremulis never had the astronauts ride his Gyronaut motorcycle concept on the surface of the moon, he was able to create a roadgoing look-alike modeled after his Gyronaut's 1964 color scheme.  And what better way to illustrate the World's Fastest Motorcycle than to have it envelope the brand new 1969 Corvette "AstroVettes" for Astronauts Alan Bean, Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon?  In his own way Tremulis shot for the moon and landed with the stars!

This short preview captures just a small part of the Gyronaut X-1's history.  We're
looking for sponsors to help bring this historical bike back to its former glory and
the Bonneville Salt Flats.  It deserves a complete restoration and to have its story
told. A big thanks to both Curt Wallin and John Greene, the filmmakers who brought
you the award-winning documentary "The Boys of Bonneville: Racing on a Ribbon
of Salt", about legendary racer Ab Jenkins and his one-of-a-kind racing Duesenbergs.

Burt Munro (1899-1978), the slightly eccentric motorcycle racer from Invercargill, New Zealand, was one of the most likeable guys to ever grace Bonneville.  Starting in 1962, at the age of 62, Munro visited the famed Salt Flats for another ten years, and in the process he set several world records and became a legend.  Forever upgrading his 1920 Indian Motorcycle, which he bought new in 1920, he would often forge his own pistons, grind his own components and hammer out the forms for his streamliner known as the Munro Special, Number 35, until nearly every part was his own creation.  His accomplishments as a motorcycle racer are far too numerous to get into in these pages, so here's just a glimpse of a few of the interactions between The World's Fastest Indian and The World's Fastest Triumph.

By 1965, Munro had befriended the Gyronaut's team of Alex Tremulis, Bob Leppan and Jim Bruflodt.  Often pitting side-by-side and sharing tools, knowledge, and manpower, they quickly found they had similar interests in coaxing the most out of their rides.  But the friendship forged was much greater than the expanse of salt they raced upon.  Munro would meet up with Tremulis upon his arrival to the States, stay over at Tremulis' apartment in Ventura, and work on improving his bike on the same balcony that Tremulis often shared with countless other legends in the automotive and land speed circles. 

The following photographs are all from the camera of Alex Tremulis with some clicks by his wife, Chrissie.  They provide a more personal view into the life of one of land racings' most colorful characters, both on and off the salt.  If you get the chance, be sure to check out World's Fastest Indian, a full-length feature film starring Tony Hopkins as Burt Munro.  You won't be disappointed and with Bonneville's Speed Week just around the corner, you may even catch that same salt fever that keeps racers returning year after year in pursuit of their own dreams of being the world's fastest.
 

August 1965, Bonneville Speed Week:  The Munro Special pitted next to the Gyronaut. It's old versus new as nearly every piece on the Munro Special was hand built by Munro.  The Gyronaut, on the other hand, was put together using state-of-the-art technology:  Full chromoly chassis tubing welded by the best in the business - the Logghe brothers, Ron and Gene.  The twin Triumphs had the best of factory support with the top-of-the-line speed components available.  And its body was shaped by long-time streamliner Alex Tremulis and master craftsman Vince Gardner.  Both old and new would go on to set new world's records in their respective classes, a testament to and bookends for all the various innovative ways that land speed racers find to go the fastest. 

 

One of Tremulis' best black-and-whites, this shot just screams "Bad to the Bone" and commands respect for the 65(ish) Munro.  With the mountains on the left, it appears Munro is about to begin an assault on the record. 

 

Not only a racer, but obviously a fan of superb craftsmanship, here Burt Munro is seen looking over the exquisite streamliner built and raced by the legendary Bob Herda, next in line for a run towards "Floating Mountain" in the background.  Noel Black, builder and driver of the twin hemi-engined streamliner, Motion I, stands in front of Munro by the streamliner's tail.

 

The cruise ship Oriana sailed between New Zealand, Australia and Los Angeles during the 1960's.  Probably during a dinner date on board, Chrissie Tremulis is on the right with what would most likely be a Manhattan in hand, a Tremulis staple.  And surely that's Burt's grease-laden thumb holding up the photo of his streamliner.  He cleans up well, although you don't see too many photos of Burt Munro in a coat and tie. 

 

Back at the Tremulis' apartment at 275 Kalorama in Ventura, Munro works on his rear tire, apparently shaving it down with a razor blade.  Shoe polish appears to be smeared on the plaid shirt rag, a trick he supposedly used to fill and hide the age cracks in his tire from the Bonneville inspectors.  The discussions between Tremulis and Munro must have made for some great memories for each of these larger-than-life characters.

 

"He's a dirty old man, but he's nice with it." is how one woman described him in Roger Donaldson's documentary, Burt Munro: Offerings to the God of Speed.  Chrissie, having been involved in the male-dominated automotive industry for over a quarter century at this point, had already heard it all, but surely Burt put a charming twist to it.  That's Pete Politis in the tie, Chrissie's brother, who was also one of the Gyronaut crew members.  No matter how you look at these pics, they convey the love and affection that followed Burt Munro wherever he went.

 

Gentlemen,

During the first week of January [1956], Mr. Ford and members of the Product Planning Committee are scheduled to visit the Advanced Styling Studio.

As acting chief of the studio, I am expected to present the case for the Advanced Styling Studio.  I am sending you for your inspection a transcript of what I plan to say.  At this time I would deeply appreciate any criticism or suggestions.  After welcoming the Product Planning Committee I shall take them through a planned tour of the exhibits and this is what I will say.

Gentlemen, on your right we have for your inspection several design themes. You will notice that on this panel we have covered several phases of design. As an example, we have several sketches here that are highly suggestive of a continental type of car.  Another interesting car here, known as the Ventura, is worthy of your attention as this design clearly shows a parallel in the thinking that led the Packard Styling Section to the development of their Balboa Sedan.  

We also have here several sketches depicting the rocket school of thought, such as this sketch on the wall.  It is an airborn type of vehicle; the absence of wheels here clearly illustrates one point. The artists here are all trainees and we allow them at this early stage of development complete  freedom of expression. This freedom sometimes evolves in refreshing new basic shapes and forms that would never have been discovered had their designer been geared to thinking in terms of a conventional four-wheeled automobile chassis.  This car is quite obviously powered by some unknown propulsion system as yet undiscovered on Earth.  There is no doubt in our minds  that most of these designs can be readily refined and developed into successful automobiles. 

To your left we have another interesting exhibit in which we would like to show how a design is born, nurtured and sometimes refined to use in a production automobile.  As an example, here is a sketch of a B-36 or B-47 jet pod, which is one of the most inspiring component parts to be found on an airplane. 

The next logical step was to place the jet pod in a very advanced design, such as this sketch shows.  We then refine this pod to show a more conventional type design, such as this sketch clearly shows.  After further refinement the jet pod may resolve itself as a bumper ending on a production car such as this 1957 Lincoln proposal suggests.  It is quite obvious from this design that the B-36 jet pod originally inspired this sketch.

We have some charts here for your inspection.  Here is a list of the contributions that the Advanced Styling Section has made to the production cars.  I will read down the list and then go on to the next chart in which I will read off the items that we are now exploring.

Here we have a chart that shows the degree of training that we give to all the men in this studio.  We have listed several different phases of design, such as ideas, 3/8th rendering, full-size rendering, layout and perspective rendering.  The first chart shows the evaluation of experience of the trainee when he first enters the
studio.  The second chart here clearly shows that designer “X” has increased his experience considerably in the three months he has been with us.

The third chart shows the experience that designer “X” has amassed after he has been with us for six months.  If all the bars here in this chart are reasonably full, designer “X” is ready for work in one of our production studios.  From this chart it is quite obvious that he can be expected to do all the phases of work required in the production studios, such as full-size air brush renderings and most important, design.  One alternative would be to send him downstairs prematurely and let him sink or swim.  Unfortunately, by so doing he would only tie up experienced design personnel, who would have to neglect their duties to train him.  We would much prefer that if a designer is to do any floundering that he do it here in this studio where we have the time, facilities and patience to correct his faults.

I would like to show you the Terra-Cobra.  This car merely illustrates an effort in approaching the maximum lowness possible in a car design, while keeping the driver and front passenger in a sitting position. 

Before we arrived at a 40 inch height we made sure by the contour seat study here that such a car would be feasible.  The tractor unit of four small wheels is necessitated by the fact that the cowl height of 27 inches is approximately 9 inches lower than the GM LeSabre, and it might merely be a study of minimum frontal area.  I might even justify this sketch by saying that a stylist should on occasion be allowed to blow his top.

With the Terra-Cobra we might have said, how low is low, and in this design, the Calcutta, we might say, how small is small.  This original model was done by one of our trainees as a school project. It clearly depicts a very interesting swept-back feeling of canopy design.  By designing  around larger wheels this design was improved with the following results.  We like to call this car the Calcutta because it suggests the car for undeveloped countries.  I can see further refinement of this design winding up with relatively few stampings and a three-wheel chassis powered by a scooter-type power plant.  It could also be readjusted into larger dimensions and still become a very attractive car.

We have here to our right a hood ornament exhibit.  The rough sketches on the floor were the first days’ attempt in ornament designing.  We then selected a simplified rendering technique used by one of the stylists downstairs and insisted that our trainees illustrate their best design in this technique. It was totally strange to them and illustrates the flexibility of their talents.  I would like to point out here, as shown on  this sketch, that a hot car can be inspired by a hood ornament or vice-versa.

We also have for your inspection a series of steering wheel and instrument panel designs.  

We have here for your inspection a car known as the bikini. This car shows a violent study in its side treatment.  The next logical step would be to move the canopy rearward in a more conventional position and by subduing the violence of the side treatment to evolve into a very attractive conventional type of automobile.  Incidentally, this was the second and last full-size drawing that designer “X” made.  The experience he derived on this sketch proved to be invaluable as he reported to the Ford Studio in the midst of a blitzkrieg program and handled himself very commendably. 

If you will step around to the side of the board, gentlemen, I would like to present the case for Athodyd Mark I.  In this design we were exploring new shapes and forms.  This treatment again might be considered severe and violent, but again I might say, that its basic theme suggests innumerable possibilities for effective side treatments on production cars.

Now, unfortunately, we are limited in our displaying facilities, may I suggest that we inspect the clay models in process while my men set up a display of twelve 3/8th size sketches that we will come back to inspect.

This model is known as the Galax.  In this design we have explored two entirely new approaches in fin designs. On the right side of the model we  show a fin that is louvered in order to create a new identity.  The other fin shape suggests a very strong canted feeling that creates a very pronounced mark of identity.  The handling of the side treatment, in my opinion, does an awful lot to accentuate the length with this design.  Another interesting feature of this car is the exposed oil cooler mounted in the concave surface and protected by a rub-rail.

I would now like to show you the Transonic Coupe.  This design features a built-in wind-brake similar to the type of dive brakes used in aircraft. This car being highly streamlined might have a tendency to coast further than a conventional type car. This brake would be used merely to assist the wheel brake deceleration.

The third model that I would like to show you, which we call the Athodyd Mark II.  In this design we are exploring the possibilities of blending a turnover structure into a unique fin shape.  It is quite obvious from the rear of this model that we are exploring new rear-end shapes that I am sure you have never seen before.  The value of these models is indispensible for design study.  They also serve a valuable function in public relation affairs.  Many of the models  created in this studio have appeared in many magazines in the past and have successfully conveyed a message to the motoring public that we at Ford are leaving no stone unturned.

I see that the other sketches are now ready for your inspection, and if you will please step this way, gentlemen, I would like to tell you of a very interesting experiment we conducted.  We pitched out the names of twelve geographical locations and each designer drew out of a hat a name of a car and he was expected to portray the feeling of environment that the location would inspire in a car design.  As an example, in the case of the Taj Mahal, here we have a car imbued with oriental splendor.  The black and maharajah gold augmented with a touch of cane work suggests a car befitting the name; the ivory encrusted medallion certainly brings out the personality further in this design.

Here we have the Hong Kong.  The beautiful reds and stunning gold appliqués certainly are suggestive of oriental inspiration.

Here we have the Mikado.  This one I consider very successful and it is quite obvious that the usual roof treatment could have only been arrived at because its very name suggested a pagoda-like influence that could never have been suggested any other way.

The Matador presents another successful venture in its design.  One might say that the reds and the swept back fins might have been inspired by the thrust of the bandalleros of Manolette, the greatest of all bullfighters. 

Similar descriptions will follow on cars such as the Aurora Borealis, the Sahara, the Pygalle, the Monte Carlo, the Congo, and the Texan.  The results of this venture in our opinion furnish food for thought for management in the planning of interest in future show cars, much as new colors and names.

May we now retire to the showroom.  There I will describe various models that we have on display. 

After a few minutes of time in the showroom we will then return to the design room and we will then show twelve more 3/8th size sketches mounted on the same board over the other drawings because of the lack of space.  These designs will be inspired by the planets.  In this program we shall show many new variations in new forms and shapes of a very advanced degree.

I would like to end this meeting with a statement such as:  These men, if allowed the freedom of expression, plus the courage of their convictions, in our opinion can make a tremendous contribution to the art.

I graciously thank the Committee for their time and tell them that we await with great pleasure their next visit, in which we promise more interesting developments.

I thank you.

Alex Tremulis

At left is Bill Martin's record-setting Triumph Cub.  At only 200cc's (just 12 cubic inches, about the same volume as a stack of 15 Oreo cookies) it was able to achieve a remarkable speed of 139mph in 1959.  After this feat, Martin set his sights on the absolute speed record for motorcycles, then held by Johnny Allen in the "Texas Ceegar" at 214mph.  He built a new streamliner with two 500cc Triumphs, but it's ill-handling at speed needed too much work to fix.  In 1962 he decided to sell it to Bob Leppan who had also set his sights on the absolute land speed record.  Leppan and his machanic, Jim Bruflodt, were able to make the "Cannibal V" driveable and took their new machine to Bonneville to see how it would run.

Unable to get to Bonneville in time for most of 1963's "Speed Week", the team from Triumph Detroit were able to get one run in before their chain broke, ending its short debut on the salt.  Leppan and Bruflodt were able to fix the bike and return to the salt, but Speed Week was over.  Instead, Stormy Mangham, then running a small block Chevrolet in his motorcycle streamliner, shared his salt time with Leppan on a 10 mile circle he had set up for long-distance high-speed endurance runs.

Leppan gained valuable seat-time learning how to steer his new bike at speeds well over 200mph.  It was also where the Gyronaut team was complete, with the addition of stylist Alex Tremulis.  Upon their return to Detroit, it was clear that their shoestring budget would need a boost in the form of sponsors and cash.  In order to generate some sort of income, Tremulis pursued sponsorship money while Leppan decided to do a series of exhibition runs at the drag strips where his twin-engined Triumph Cannibal II had won many of its races. 

Leppan installed his Cannibal drag racing engines in the streamliner and contacted several of the drag strips about getting compensated for exhibition runs.  In 1964, a couple hundred dollars could buy plenty fo speed equipment for their Triumph engines.  New Harmon and Collins camshafts, S&W valve springs, Barnett clutches, Lucas Racing magnetos, German-made Molly forged pistons, and Amal GP2 carbs were just some of the off-the-shelf speed parts that were fitted into their racing engines.  All bought with valuable exhibition run money.

The end of the line came for the Cannibal V when it hit a bump on the dragstrip at over 100 miles per hour.  The clearance for a salt flats streamliner is no match for the often uneven pavement of a drag strip.  Rather than repair the Cannibal V, they decided to start from scratch with an entirely new, purpose-built streamliner.  With new sponsorships from Tremulis' old employer, The Ford Motor Company, a brand new chassis was designed around an entirely new ultra-streamlined body.  This new ride was named "Gyronaut".  Carroll Shelby himself would provide a race-prepped Fairlane Cobra 289ci, while Ford sent along a close-ratio 4-speed transmission and rear differential.  Eventually the Ford components were dropped in favor of two Triumph Bonneville mills, and soon the record for the World's Fastest Motorcycle would be in their hands...

It was 42 years ago that Bob Leppan left Bonneville in an ambulance, his arm severely damaged from a crash at well over 270 miles per hour.  Last week, both Leppan and the partially-restored Gyronaut returned to the same salt that nearly cost him his life... 

It was in 1970 that the Gyronaut's reign as the World's Fastest Motorcycle came to an end.  First, Don Vesco upped the Gyronaut's 4 year old record to 251 miles per hour and then, just a few weeks later, Denis Manning's Harley-Davidson ridden by Cal Rayborn added another 14 mph on top of Vesco's speed.  In an effort to reclaim their title, the Gyronaut team joined the Harley on the salt for a run on pure methanol and managed to trip the clocks at 264.437 mph.  At left, a confident Leppan signals his initial success, knowing that the addition of nitro to the fuel mixture should provide the necessary added horsepower to reclaim its crown.  But the hopeful celebration was short-lived.

As Leppan reflected back on what went wrong, he thinks the long run-up to get to the starting line at speed contrbuted to the front suspension failure.  In order to get a head-start, he had begun his run almost a mile away from the starting line.  This allowed him to get to the starting line at about 200 mph, but the rough terrain probably cracked the axle support. It decided to let go 5 miles later within the measured mile.  The USAC timer, the legendary Joe Petrali, had timed Leppan's wreck going through the clocks at over 264 mph. 

Leppan was rushed to the hospital, five pints short, but in a remarkable marathon surgery lasting 10 hours, his arm was repaired with muscle and skin grafts.  Today, those scars are a graphic reminder to the courage and drive that all the Bonneville racers share.

As for the Gyronaut, it sustained some minor damage, but remained virtually intact. The most damage was to the fiberglass canopy and tail.  Those pieces were retrieved from the course and used to repair the body like a giant jigsaw puzzle.  The canopy was deemed beyond repair.

Returning to the scene of the crash with the Gyroanut brought back dramatic memories of that fateful day.  Fortunately, Leppan's recollections of his many years at Bonneville have been captured for an upcoming documentary about the Gyronaut and the unique team that brought their vision to reality.  At left, "Boys of Bonneville" director Curt Wallin captures Bob Leppan recounting his moments on the salt with Steve Tremulis, nephew of the Gyronaut's original body designer Alex Tremulis. 

You can help be a part of this remarkable story.  If you have any vintage photos or film of the Gyronaut, Bob Leppan or Alex Tremulis in action, please contact us.  We'd love to include it in the film...