Spirit of Lions (1 Viewer)

[Cliff]

There is a place in SoCalif called Price Automobilia Collection that held an event recently, to celebrate Lions Drag Strip. What they want to do eventually is to recreate the Lions starting line inside their car collection building. That would be so cool! I always wish someone could recreate the whole track, with the timing tower on the bridge; the whole 9 yards.

OK, 2 Lions stories. I actually won 2 trophies at Lions in a 1966 Ford Falcon 6 cyl, with "3 on the tree" (column mounted stick shift). Lions was AHRA then, so I studied the rule book. Ran 2 different classes that my car fit in; different events. Got the trophy cuz I was the only one in class. Hollow victory I guess, but then I had the nerve to show up in a low 20 second car..... Other story is that once I was The Slowest Car At Lions, same car. I also raced my 1971 Ford Pinto at Lions, but was 4 seconds quicker than the poor old Falcon.

 

[DG]

They had an "invitation only" Lion's Reunion last Saturday that was spectacular!

Kind of a "proof of concept" for the future.

The current museum focus on mostly American cars, from hotrods, to racecars, to boulevard Detroit iron from the 50's, 60, 70's [all of the "street cars" are currently registered and run]! There are a number of "theme" areas [speed shop, dinner, record shop, model shop, etc.] throughout the displays that are first class!

The addition of a Lion's Dragstrip starting line and racecar expansion is in the works, along with a future "open to the public" format of some kind.

In the vast parking lot behind the building, last weekend, there were well over 30+ dragsters, altereds, funny cars, etc. that did individual "Cackles" during the afternoon and then there were two separate "Mass Cackles" in the evening.

They has a number of local food and drink stands and even the big mobile In-and Out truck/kitchen, where free "double/double's, chips, and a drink" were available [well over an hours wait almost all of the time!].

Sensory overload! It was great to see so many famous and infamous faces from the past there! Good times!

I ws honored to be part of it all!

 

[Leebone]

Hey, it's gotta be a classic dragstrip. Herman Munster raced there!

 

[Cliff]

They had an "invitation only" Lion's Reunion last Saturday that was spectacular!

Kind of a "proof of concept" for the future.

The current museum focus on mostly American cars, from hotrods, to racecars, to boulevard Detroit iron from the 50's, 60, 70's [all of the "street cars" are currently registered and run]! There are a number of "theme" areas [speed shop, dinner, record shop, model shop, etc.] throughout the displays that are first class!

The addition of a Lion's Dragstrip starting line and racecar expansion is in the works, along with a future "open to the public" format of some kind.

In the vast parking lot behind the building, last weekend, there were well over 30+ dragsters, altereds, funny cars, etc. that did individual "Cackles" during the afternoon and then there were two separate "Mass Cackles" in the evening.

They has a number of local food and drink stands and even the big mobile In-and Out truck/kitchen, where free "double/double's, chips, and a drink" were available [well over an hours wait almost all of the time!].

Sensory overload! It was great to see so many famous and infamous faces from the past there! Good times!

I ws honored to be part of it all!

David, where are they located? I know SoCalif, but didn't say what city.

 

[Mike]

Cliff, it was at Price Transfer in Rancho Dominguez. which is very close to where Lions was located.

 

[Cliff]

Thanks Mike. One last Lions story. When I found out Lions was closing, I got involved in a "Save Lions" group. Got a bunch of flyers & passed them out to speed shops, etc. So much for that. I did go to the Last Race. Was there until like 2 AM, finally realized I needed to go home, and that was that. Arghhhhh

 

[DG]

Here is a video of some of the action at the second "Mass Cackle":

The Price Tranfer guys did an amazing job of organizing the event! Major job of "cat herding" a bunch of young and old racers <g>!

Today, when you drive by, it just looks like a typical CA tilt-up wall warehouse from the street in an industrial area! Just a block of so West of the 710 freeway! Right on the corner of Del Amo and Santa Fe.

This the map to their busy terminal right to the South of the museum:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/P...5757c276a7b91!8m2!3d33.8457667!4d-118.2129541

 

[glofria]

I received a formal invite, but didn't send in my reservation as this event was scheduled on the same date as the ANRA Spring Nationals. Unfortunately due to the excessive heat, the ANRA event was canceled/postponed so I lost out on both events. Heard they had a great turnout and what was inside the building was just as spectacular than what was on the outside. We'll try and catch the next one.

 

[glofria]

Photos of the inside: https://dragheadphotos.smugmug.com/...ransfer-Lions-Dragstrip-Museum-2017/i-WLrk63f

 

[Cliff]

Gino, Thanks for the photos!!! Wow, what a great collection of cars. Veney's Vega... saw that car run a lot. You know what was my favorite? The Helms Bakery trucks. I remember them going thru the neighborhood when I was a kid. Driver would open the back door to the truck, and had drawers full of fresh donuts. Jelly donuts...... OK, stop before I drool.... Wow, I would love to see the Lions museum when it gets open. Do you know if the place has a web site?

 

[glofria]

Cliff, I'll let you know if I hear anything, but in the meantime here is a tour of Rich's museum.

http://wediditforlove.com/2017Lions.html

I understand he has a customs agency at the Long Beach/ Port of LA and this is one of his warehouses.

 

[Cliff]

Thanks Gino. Oh, I wanted to ask you, were you or your dad part of a Top Fuel team? When I saw your last name, I kept thinking I know that name from the 70's, so just curious. Valley Head Service is a legend in drag racing. So many cars have set records with your heads. I'm spacing on this, but Stock or Super Stock racer was famous for running your heads. Val??? Do you remember Fiasco Automotive, out of the Valley area? Ed Sigmon ran that MG with the 427 Chevy rat motor in it, that won the Winternats one year. I think he ran out of Fiasco. They also had a bad Chevy that I usta see at San Fernando all the time. Ah yes.....

When I first moved to Arizona in 1981, I lived in Nogales, a border town. I have friends who live there, and the father was in the customs business with produce. He did very well in that business. You can make lotsa $ if you know what you're doing, but it's a lot of work.

 

[glofria]

That was/is my dad.Through the years he was only directly involved with a few cars like Larry Fullerton's first version of his "Trojan Horse" funny car.and later with Bob Pickett before he went on to drive for Mickey Thompson. But for the most part it was better business to do other people work and get paid. Some were factory sponsored and there is where the R&D side of it came in. Don't remember all the who's who were back then, but I do remember freight trucks coming and going all the time. There may have been some others, but as a kid I don't remember much as he never brought the work home.

The only car you will see with the Ofria name on it was a Pro Stock Vega from 1973. He teamed up with some guys from the Bay Area with Corky Booze doing the driving and ( don't remember his first name) Tilamartas running the car, but that lasted less than a year. According to this book it was a money issue, but the way my dad said happen was there was an accident at the track when the car fell off the ramps as they unloaded off the trailer and it killed Corky's brother. Corky never got over that event. https://books.google.com/books?id=NC6QUIR0TN0C&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=corky+booze+drag+racing&source=bl&ots=CaHieL8Ity&sig=NKW7K-i5ecwTLPrbEvmojeUNMKU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfgpv_8rHVAhVm7IMKHfa3BPoQ6AEIPTAE#v=onepage&q=corky booze drag racing&f=false

Now-a-days we like running the nostalgia sportsman events with our '57 Chevy and most recently a blown front engine dragster at Famoso Raceway, but don't see ever expanding any further than that. Don't care for the dog-eat-dog world of professional racing. We like to build something a watch it work.

I see Ed Sigmon about twice a year now as his neighbor has a Saturday morning coffee and a BS session. Still out there mixing it up with the car and a V-6 engine.

 

[Cliff]

Thanks Gino. Some great photos & memories in the article you sent. I really like the nostalgia races & go to the Heritage event at Wild Horse every year. I talked to Ed Sigmon once & told him I remembered him running at San Fernando, & he said I was gettin' older. HA I always root for him & his V-6 Comp car. No I didn't tell him he's older than me.