FAST !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over the last two weeks I've been in California and I'd like to tell you about the most fabulous four days of the trip. Growing up I was always interested in cars and had a few heros that drove them. Don Garlits, Jim Hall, Don Prudomme, Carroll Shelby, and Mickey Thompson. After Karen and I got married I found out that Mickey Thompson and his sister Collene were first cousins of hers. I couldn't believe it. Four of the days we spent in California were with Collene and her husband Gary. We had a fantastic time. Karen and Gary spent their time doing geneology and Collene and I talked of cars, speed records, and Mickey.

I had the mistaken belief that Mickey was a mechanic that put together his cars with all kinds of corporate backing and had an education from some school or corporation dealing with automotive tech. Was I ever wrong.

Mickey didn't particularly like school, in fact, struggled to get through it. When he was eight or so his family went to Yellowstone and made a brief stop in Bonneville at the salt flats. That was when the seed was planted that he could go fast. From that time on no machine was safe. Mickey took apart engines, motors, anything he could get his hands on and tried to figure out how to improve them. After high school he went to work for the L.A. Times as a pressman which required a considerable amount of mechanical knowledge. He also continued to build hot rods, a passion he developed in high school. High Boys, and what would now be looked upon as "Vintage Old School" cars. Years earlier, shortly after the trip to "the flats" he told his Dad, Marion who was the Chief of Police for Alhambra California, that he was going to break the Land Speed Record for cars. Marion asked him to describe the car and Mickey explained it to him. Marion then put the idea into reality by carving a wooden model of Micky's description as shown to the right. A true vision of a historical Motoring legend. ( to be continued )