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Generous support from the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation Winter 2016 “The Information Place” Volume 18 # 4 BROCK WENDEL YATES (Oct. 21, 1933 – Oct. 5, 2016) Irreverent and outspoken; automobile racing in any form - opinionated and disobedient – right up until he didn’t, that is. Brock Yates put his money where There were never any punches his mouth was. He was the elo- pulled with him – in print or other- quent rebel – hurling insults at the wise. establishment and shaking his fist “There was a day when you at the powers that be by going 150 could identify a NASCAR Ford, -plus miles an hour across our Chevrolet, or Dodge and they ac- ing into the forefront of American great nation. He was to the end a tually looked like "stock ." sports by inadvertently televising die-hard advocate of the internal Now they are pod machines, slick live the fistfight between Donnie combustion engine, and an enemy on the outside but still powered by and and Cale Yar- of anyone who admonished it or the same Neanderthal carbureted borough following a final lap colli- pushrod V-8s that have been under sion that cost them the race. He Up Coming Events their hoods for half a century. If was also executive editor of & Driver magazine. His love of auto January 14 — 16, 2017 this is real auto racing, then the racing and the edge-of-the-knife Arizona Concours d'Elagance, WWF ought to be part of the Phoenix, AZ Olympics.” lifestyles of the drivers when off- track –in short, ‘the good old days’ February 24 — 26, 2017 His words carried weight, too. - seemed to be evaporating as he BIG3 Parts Exchange, It’s not like he wasn’t speaking got older and wiser, noting seem- Qualcomm Stadium, from experience. Yates had been ingly at every opportunity that cor- , CA associated with the automobile and porate interests in a sport that he February 26, 2017 car racing virtually his whole life, once loved above all others had Annual Membership Meeting and spent a considerable amount practically castrated its character – El Cajon, CA (pg7) of time in the pits during the Win- sterilizing it to the point of a bore- March 17-18, 2017 ston Cup era reporting for CBS in dom he could no longer endure. the 1970’s and 80’s - prior to the Chickasha Pre-War Swap Meet “I realize this is blasphemy, Chickasha, OK protests from the “PC police” over its link to the Tobacco manufactur- but a few weeks ago I tried to April 6-8, 2017 er R.J. Reynolds, and its subse- watch a NASCAR race being run Bakersfield Swap Meet & Tour quent rechristening of the fran- at Talladega. I lasted about five Bakersfield, CA minutes before terminal boredom chise to the ‘Nextel Cup,’ and then April 9, 2017 finally the ‘Sprint Cup.’ overtook me. It appeared to be La Jolla Concourse d’Elagance nothing more than a high- La Jolla, CA In fact, Yates was present and freeway commute--a mob of lurid- commentating during the 1979 May 27, 2017 ly painted, identical lumps of met- – aka “The Fight,” al loping at 180 mph around the American Heritage Car Show which arguably put NASCAR rac- Grape Day Park, Escondido, CA banking, fender to fender, nose to President’s Corner… Once again the Holidays are upon us; actually we are well into the Holiday season. I hope everyone will have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. At the Library we are continuing to process donations and scan many publications. In fact this year we got behind on the donation letters since we were scanning a very large collection of publications on loan to the Library that was not in our col- lection. This collection consisted of American Chauffer, American Automobile Digest, Automotive Service Digest, Motor Car Journal, Motor Era, and Touring Topics which will allow us to provide more complete coverage of our publications. As you may have noticed there have been problems with our website which we are working on the resolve. This is a time consuming and expensive process and as result it will take some time to resolve. If you are a web designer who can help please let Mac know. If you would like to donate funds for the website that would also be appreciated. Last it is time to renew your membership with the Automotive Research Library of the HCFI, so please do this and consider upgrading to the next member level. The Library runs on donations which includes the membership fees. Thank you for your membership and have a Great Holiday!

Brock Yates Continued from Page1 tail. Knowing the scenario would ored with their raucous life style. tion with him. surely devolve into a multicar That has all changed, with the “The whole movie thing has demolition derby that would thrill drivers of today polished and never been a source of great pride the goobers in the grandstands, I clean-cut athletes who are ex- for me, in that Burt Reynolds, who turned off the set to later learn that pected to behave like commercial starred in the picture, butchered this time it was Jimmie Johnson puppets in public.” the original script I had written for who triggered the eight-car me- It’s no secret that Yates him- the late Steve McQueen, and the lee.” self not only revered these heroes result, while a massive money- Though having once been of old, but would be inevitably maker, was lashed by the critics. quoted in the not-so-distant past as remembered as one of them for his But like the old joke about Pierre saying “Racing is bulging at the own antics behind the wheel. He the Bridge Builder, The Cannon- seams with pure nutball charac- was in it for what the racers secret- ball Run is indelibly inscribed on ters, men who can drink more, ly were in it for, although they’ll my so-called career portfolio, and screw more, fight more, laugh never say it aloud these days: it few conversations with strangers more, joke more, than practically wasn’t for the money or for the pass without the subject of the pic- any collection of people in the competition – he was in it because ture arising.” world,” he would be remiss in the it was fun - not only the racing, His career portfolio, however, latter days of his life – and a touch but the people – at least back then. was quite impressive. There argu- more abrasive than normal, stating It was a spirit that was supposed to ably would not have been the film later that “To be sure, NASCAR be captured in a film he had been had Yates not actually lived the stars were initially ex-bootleggers reluctantly associated with for story in the first place – and in the for the most part drawn from that many years, but fell short in his process inspiring others to contin- talent pool in the Carolinas hills: eyes. “Cannonball Run” was fun ue the defiant tradition even to this "good ol' boys" as they referred to for us (speaking strictly for my- day. It’s my belief that he would themselves. That's exactly how self, having seen it in the theatre have rather been remembered for they would be described in the upon its release and many times that more than having co-written press that slowly became enam- afterward), but a point of conten- Brock Yates Continued from Page2 the script of that movie – or the other movie he co-wrote with Needham, “Smokey and the Ban- dit II” for that matter. Yates – whose articles were being published in Science and Mechanics magazine as early as sixteen - was also a prolific author; his 20+books dating back to “Sport and Racing Cars” (Harper & Row 1954) which he co-wrote with his father. He dedicated the book to his auto racing hero – three-time Indy 500 winner , who contributed the for- ward to the book, and sadly died later that year while still managing head of the Indianapolis Speed- way. It was his book “Sunday that stood for almost forty years. in a most unassuming vehicle – a Driver” (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, Yates, however, was not content to full-sized Dodge van. The second 1972) that allowed him to take us simply attempt the race in order to (in 1972) was one for the record all with him to meet the characters break the record, but presented the books, and Yates was accompa- of the racing world. effort as a personal protest to the nied on the run by racing greatness looming speed limit laws that were – none other than legendary racer No stranger to the racetrack about to cast a shadow over speed . The cross-country himself, Yates actually wanted to and freedom lovers across the record was shattered by Yates and know firsthand what drivers expe- country. Yates was quoted later Gurney (35 hours, 53min.) in a rienced on the track behind the about it saying: “The early 1970s Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, re- wheel, so in his true walk-the-walk was a time when illegal acts were splendent in Sunoco Blue. Though style, he enrolled at Bob Bondu- in style. Everybody was going nuts the unsanctioned race was run five rant’s Competition Driving with causes, most of them against more times under that moniker School. Under the tutelage of Bon- the law.” It was also a protest of (1971 thru 1979), Yates never won durant and the son of the afore- the ever-growing list of personal again. “Cannonball Run” was not mentioned Wilbur Shaw, Yates not freedoms of Americans that were the only motion picture inspired by only gained a newfound respect being lost to government regula- the race either; a film titled “The for the driver and what they en- tions and bureaucracy. Gumball Rally” would be the first dured, but realized he himself had film made about the legendary a talent for the sport. He raced “Why the hell not run a race across the ? A balls- race. The European spinoff of competitively throughout his these races is still called the Gum- youth; his most notable races oc- out, shoot-the-moon, f***-the- establishment rumble from New ball, and continues to this day curring on the Trans-Am circuit in (ironically due to the relaxed speed a 475-horsepower Camaro. York to to prove what we had been harping about laws that European drivers still He would go on to participate for years, for example, that good enjoy). The ‘Cannonball’ name is in his own iconic race, ‘The Can- drivers in good automobiles could still being used, although for a nonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea employ the American Interstate cross-country race in Australia Memorial Trophy Dash,’(or system the same way the Germans (without any ties to its namesake ‘Cannonball Run’ for short) in- were using their Autobahns? Yes, other than the premise.) spired by the legendary Erwin G. make high-speed travel by car a The Cannonball continues as ‘Cannonball’ Baker, who had reality! Truth and justice affirmed well, but has encountered many make many record-setting cross- by an overtly illegal act.” incarnations since its inception. Its country treks and held the record The first cross-country run was initial name (which was condensed for the fastest cross-country run set for obvious reasons) morphed into in 1933 (53.5 hours) – a record not actually a race, but a dry run - Brock Yates Continued from Page3 “The US Express,” then “One Lap At times, he even took shots ist-come-soldier in the race com- of America,” which was sponsored at fellow journalists for sensation- munity, but a fly on the wall of the by Car & Driver Magazine. It is alizing the darker aspects of auto automotive industry – keeping currently known as the Tire Rack racing – the crashes. “Some critics them all honest by magnifying hy- One Lap of America Presented by of racing witlessly claim that spec- pocrisies and pointing fingers at Grassroots Motorsport Magazine, tators only attend to see someone those who would blaspheme the which is now continued by his die. This is utter and complete gas engine. son, Brock Jr. The current record- nonsense. I have been at numerous He blasted all the major manu- holders of the race - which stretch- races where death is present. facturers for failing to keep up es 2,813.7 miles from Manhattan When a driver dies, the crowd with the needs of everyday drivers to Los Angeles – completed it in symbolically dies, too. They come in his book “The Decline and Fall 28 hours and 50 minutes! to see action at the brink: ultimate of the American Automobile In- But I digress. Let’s not forget risk taking and the display of skill dustry,” (Empire Books, 1983) the man behind countless provoca- and bravery embodied in the where he points out what was glar- tive articles written over the years sport's immortals like Nuvolari, ingly obvious to everyone except – not just for Car & Driver, but Foyt, and thousands of others who executives in Michigan – that the also for Esquire, Playboy, and operate at the ragged edge.” country needed to focus on better Sports Illustrated. Though he was Although towards the end of fuel-efficient cars with better styl- one of those journalists that either his life he was somewhat critical ing instead of ignoring what for- you loved or hated, you had to re- of the new generation of race car eign automakers were successfully spect the man’s opinion. driver, he was quick to defend trending toward. Still, Detroit ar- them and the sport rogantly continued churning out – usually at the increasingly ugly chrome behe- expense of athletes moths that guzzled fuel; they did- in other major n’t have the features and technolo- sports. “Unlike gy that drivers were asking for, conventional jocks, and just generally didn’t sell. It who tend to sell was almost as if the Big Three in aluminum siding Detroit was falling into the same and give canned trappings that Washington had af- speeches to paro- ter WWII; a once strong and pros- chial-school athlet- perous country becoming a bloat- ic banquets in the ed caricature of its infallible self - off-season, race and as a result, an industry that drivers never America once dominated is now a shuck their image producer of less than 14.5 percent when they leave as of 2015. the stadium. They Regardless of the fact that was are supposed to be a man of many parts: Journalist, zany, nomadic sol- Screenwriter, Author, Television diers of fortune Host, and Sports Commentator – who are involved he was also a family man who in wild endeavors lived an idyllic existence with his during every wak- wife Pamela in upstate New York. ing moment.” His life was one of legend, but It was that image even he was quick to point out that drew him into how easily legend can grow to the the sport initially, point of ridiculousness: “As the and in the end, saying goes, truth is stranger than he’ll not only be fiction. But only when the reality remembered as the has not been subsumed by foamy embedded journal- legends and fantasies that radiate Brock Yates Continued from Page2 outward from the actual event.” “The : The Photos He was dubious of his legacy Story of the Motor Speedway,” http:// as well. Even at his modest best, Yates, Brock (Harper Row, 1961) www.caranddriver.com/ he always managed to magnify the “Racers & Drivers: The Fast- features/brock-yates-a- greatness of the sport he loved est Men and Cars from Barney retrospective-feature by above all else: “I have spent -or Oldfield to Craig Breedlove,” Davey G. Johnson (Oct wasted- my life around motor rac- Yates, Brock (Bobbs-Merrill Co. 2016) ing: driving, promoting, and writ- 1968) 2) http://jalopnik.com/ ing about what Ernest Hemingway “King of the Dragsters: The what-brock-yates-and-the- once linked with mountain climb- Story of Big Daddy (Don) Gar- cannonball-run-meant-to-me-an- ing and bull fighting as the only lits,” (Chilton Book Co. 1971) 1787530843 by Ed Bollan true sports. The rest, he sniffed, “Sunday Driver,” Yates, (Oct 2016) are merely games.” The world lost Brock (Farrar, Straus, and 3) Twitter/ Kevin McMas- Brock Yates in October to Alzhei- Giroux, 1972) ter (@zmacnd) mer’s disease. He was 82 years young. – Kevin J. Parker “The Decline and fall of the American Automobile Industry,” Do your share to help

Yates, Brock (Empire, 1983) end Alzheimer’s Bibliography and Photo Cred- “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the its: Cars, the Races,” Yates, Brock “Sport and Racing Cars,” (Doubleday, 1991) Raymond F. & Brock Yates Wikipedia (Harper Row, 1954)

COMPLETE SETS OF HCCA’S PLATINUM LIFE MEMBERS GAZETTE & FORD MODEL T Don & Becky Sable Gifts In Memory Of: CLUB’S Nicholas Fintzelberg Ph. D. David Ayers Gordon & Carolyn McGregor VINTAGE FORD Santa Cruz RG HCCA Gail Garrison FOR SALE. Walker & Paula Woolever Art & Gail Wilson Ken Ruyan * deceased The HCFI has available for sale com- Santa Cruz RG HCCA plete sets of the above magazines. Robert Robinson We also have many duplicates so if LIFE MEMBERS Clinton (Sam) & Anne Gurnee you need to fill in your collection give Dr. Merl* & Joy Ledford Santa Cruz RG HCCA us a call. Philip & Joy Reed Win Shaw Duplicates run 1939-1949 $15.00 Steve & Blanche Gordon Modesto RG of HCCA 1950-1959 $10.00 Paul* & Dorothy* Kettenburg Chuck McMahon Thomas* & Kris Kettenburg San Diego RG HCCA 1960-1969 $ 5.00 George & Frances Sherman Connie McNeil 1970-1979 $ 3.00 Jack* & Gail Garrison San Diego RG HCCA 1980 up $ 1.00 Edward* & Jean Johnson Nicholas Fintzelberg, Ph.D. The full set of Gazettes through Don & Becky Sable Gail Garrison 2010 would be $1200. and the Nicholas Fintzelberg Duane Ludke Vintage Ford through 2008 would be Charles Test San Diego RG HCCA $900. Edward Meanley*, Wally Goldie Please contact “Mac” 619-464-0301 or Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation San Diego RG HCCA * deceased [email protected]. Gifts in Kind: HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS Going to car shows Philip & Joy Reed Ted Davis Marian Teague G. A. Clapp or other events? Jeanne Deringer Gary Walcher Peggie Eccles* Greg Long You can help support the Library by Bill & Loraine Cuthbert Jodienne Gresens Paul* & Dorothy* Kettenburg distributing Brochures and/or Jack* & Gail Garrison Larry Hansen Newsletter at you booth, car, or provide Mr. & Mrs. Ross Bewley Richard Erfert for goodie bags. David & Sondra Gast Vic Terrell Donald & Margaret Miller Email—[email protected] *deceased Call 619-464-0301 Cash Donation: 2107 Duplicate Books Central California R. G. of HCCA The Library Nicholas Fintzelberg, Ph.D. and we will supply them. for SALE Karen Bitzer

Call or email to get your list. New HCF Members: Craig Pettibone, Raleigh, NC Annual Membership Meeting Ed Barr, McPherson, KS of the Chris Bracher, Campbell, CA Jodienne Gresens, La Mesa, CA Automotive Research Library Gregory Jones, Pineville, LA James Richardson, Long Beach, CA of the Horseless Carriage Foundation, Inc.

2:00 pm, February 26, 2017 Next Board Meeting The next Board Meeting will be on Johm Adam’s Hanger & Bill Allen’s Hanger At Gillespie Field, El Cajon, CA January 17, 2017 9:00AM RSVP to: [email protected] at the Library Office: Or 8186 Center Street, Suite F Call the Library at 619-464-0301 La Mesa, CA 91942 LIBRARY INFORMATION Chronicles of the Automotive Industry in America, For 1946 Production this Year: 2,148,699 passenger cars, 940,851 trucks and buses. Wholesale Horseless Carriage Foundation value of replacement parts and accessories produced thai year: $1,7563,000,000—a 8186 Center Street, Suite F 73.2% increase over 1945 La Mesa, CA 91942 Correspond to: January — Kaiser and Frazer car were displayed. PO Box 369, La Mesa CA 91944-0369 Crosley Motors, Inc. was Organized, and displayed product.

Phone/Fax: 619-464-0301 February — Chrysler, DESoto, Dodge and Plymouth cars were displayed. E-mail: [email protected] General Motors strike ended. Web site: www.hcfi.org April — Coal strike impeded production. HCFI 2016 Board of Directors Experimental “Stout 46,” a car with a Fiberglass body, was shown. President Greg Long, CA Vice Pres. Roberta Watkins, CA May 29 to June 9 — National Automotive Golden Jubilee was celebrated. Treasurer Gordon McGregor, CA May 30 — International Sweepstakes Race was resumed at Indianapolis Speedway; Secretary Gordon McGregor, CA George Robson won. Director Gail Garrison, CA Director Nick Fintzelberg Ph. D., CA August — Bendix introduced power steering for trucks.

Director Emeritus David Gast Ed. D., CA September — Radio telephones went into service in motor vehicles. October 4 — died. Executive Director D. A. “Mac” MacPherson

Additional Volunteers & Consultants Disabled veterans were supplied with cars equipped with mechanical aids developed by Society of Automotive Engineers. Jay Watkins, Sr. Boyd Goddard Diane MacPherson Gail Wilson Vacuum operated windows introduced by Trico Clyde & Sandy Jurey Goodyear developed plastic trunk lides. Newsletter Editors Of the following newcomers announced this year, only Kaiser-Frazer was in production at year end: Kaiser, Frazer, Tucker, Darrin, Playboy, Bobbi-kar, Mororette, Rocket, Brogan, Publix, Comer, Super-Kar. Established 1984 From: A Chronicle of the Automotive Industry in America, Published 1949.

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