Trip to the Gilmore

[Poor Ron]

[Poor Ron]

[5S545]

Sweet!!!! 

[Poor Ron]

More pics from this morning. Learning all about electrons and posting and stuff this week.

more of Gas Ronda's CobraJet



Arnie the farmer's Judge



EJ Potter's Chevy powered bikes

[Poor Ron]

If you live in Michigan, northern Indiana, or northwest Ohio; try to make a trip.
The history of dragracing displays are over in September I think.   On M-43 in
southwest Michigan.  gilmorecarmuseum.org for more info

[shelby69500]

i live a couple miles away from ej potter.. also what were the tucker boxes?

[GT200 Pinto]

Loved seeing Gas's old car. I went to Covina HS and 68 was my senior year. I was working at the Chevy dealership across the street and Gas would park the car in Russ Davis Ford's showroom if it was a non-race weekend.

[Bill Collins]

There was also a Gilmore oil company (About the 1930's, I think) and their advertising slogan was "Roar with Gilmore" and had a lion mascot. Cool stuff, for sure! Thanks for the photos.

I saw that very Garlits top fuel car run at the '72 Indy Nat's. We all marvelled at the pioneering "back motor" layout. Built models of a few of those gassers as a teenager. And now I know that Gas Ronda's '68 Winternationals Drag Team car had red lettering! (Strange, but I always kinda assumed it was blue....)

I believe the Tucker boxes are radios. I recall reading something about a large quantity of them having been ordered by Tucker in anticipation of full production. Turned out there are more radios than cars!

I'd like to get out there and see this before it closes. Now I need a reason to go to Michigan. Maybe I can find something to buy....

[Poor Ron]

The Tucker boxes had labels for radios, seat covers, and instrument clusters.
The museum is open all year, but the drag racing displays are only through September.
There is a muscle car meet on Sept-13 at the museum.
Mr Potter has a shop on the very north edge of East Lansing. I don't know if he still lives
by Ithaca or not.  There is a jet engine from a helicopter hanging from the rafters.  A few
Army tanks, halftracks, and 10 wheel trucks are parked around the outside.

[Poor Ron]

Bill, this Gilmore was president of the Upjohn pharmacy company in
the 1950s and 1960s.  I saw many cars I wanted to buy, 427-Cobra and others,
but settled for t-shirts for the family.  There is a giftshop with the usual
shirts and books, and stuff.

[GT200 Pinto]

There was also a Gilmore oil company (About the 1930's, I think) and their advertising slogan was "Roar with Gilmore" and had a lion mascot. Cool stuff, for sure! Thanks for the photos.

Gilmore was a complete oil company from the ground to your tank. Everthing was done in LA they drilled, pumped, refined, distributed to company stations. Their headquarters was at Fairfax and 3rd in LA - there is still a Gilmore lane that enters the square block their company occupied. On that block was their headquarters (still there) and a lot of entertainment - the owners liked to spend their money on fun things for themselves and the neighborhood, Farmers Market (still there), a race track - orig a board track then dirt - Gilmore Field where the Hollywood Stars of the West Coast League played (Marilyn Monroe and several other starletts were bat girls), CBS built Television City on the site of the ball field after they were sold to Seattle (now the Mariners, I think) so the new to LA Dodgers could get more butts in their stands, The art deco Pan Pacific Auditorium (which mysteriously burned down after a demolition permit wasn't issued due to the city wanting to preserve it for historic reasons) the upscale Grove shopping center is there now, Gilmore drive in theatre was still there in the early 80's. Now Gilmore is mainly a holding company for all their real estate assets. But as you can see a lot of history from a family that liked to play hard with the money they made fueling cars. There are still active oil wells in the area hidden behind facades that look like office buildings - this area is about 3 blocks north of the La Brea Tar Pits (and the Petersen Museum - which is a must see before of after SAAC2010).

[fordflashback]

Ever seen a 8F02W Mustang? 

Whatever happened to the big neon Ford sign that was in a storefront window in Portland? I wonder if this is it.


The Gilmore exhibit runs thru Oct 31 according to their site. I need to get over there soon. Nice pix!! (I might steal some of the Ronda shots  )

http://www.gilmorecarmuseum.org/html/content_page.php?content_id=7&

[Poor Ron]

This summer they will have a special display on the 'History of Stock Car Racing'.  Starts on May-1 till October.
Just put Gilmore Car Museum into google.   gilmorecarmuseum.org