Thread: I NEED: Vintage photos of women and roadsters

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Prefer 1932 roadsters , but 1927 through 34 is OK too. Any old photo of any female standing next to, driving, racing, repairing roadster is GREATLY NEEDED.

I know they were out there those hotrod gals... Did anyone capture them on film / camera?

EMAIL THE PHOTOS TO sitarfaith@aol.com

If photos are already on the internet, just email me the link.

I need them for my video montage for the show. ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

IF YOU HAVE, OR KNOW ANYONE WHO HAS OLD FOOTAGE AT STCA MEETS SHOWING ROADSTERS, I need to get a copy somehow.. Email me and we'll figure it out. It's for a good cause

That is a nice idea but it may be difficult to find such old pictures unless somebody has some old albums. I know you want '30s stuff but if you get stuck you might get a clip of Olivia Newton John next to or in one of the cars in GREASE, but you might run into copyright problems. I only mention that because I had a '47 Ford ragtop in high school so whenever that model showed up in movies it was great for me. Maybe the best source was a movie they made about Shirley Muldowny, but again there may be copyrights and the cars are newer than from the '30s? You may find that YOU are the main Deuce Girl! Then again there must be pictures of women who raced in the Indy 500 although there may only be a few up to and including modern times; at least the Indy cars don't have fenders!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Feb '07 Rod & Custom, pages 32 & 33, Veda Orr

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

Feb '07 Rod & Custom, pages 32 & 33, Veda Orr

Am I living in the past? or are the hotrod magazines living in the FUTURE??

Is the february 2007 issue already out in December of 2006 (or are you a psychic ), if it is out I'll go get it today (thank you so much for the heads up).

Originally Posted by HiboyGal

(or are you a psychic ), .

Yes...........and don't you ever doubt it!!

I knew Bob was way ahead of us...

I've had my R&C issue two weeks and it is a great article with lots of good photos. Veda was certainly ahead of her time. "First Lady of Lakes Racing".

Is it "Psychic Bob" or "Psycho Bob"?

Not much difference sometimes.

Talk about perfect timing! I was in the middle of doing research on her life, so this will come handy and save me tons of work hehehehehehe....

Originally Posted by mopar34

Is it "Psychic Bob" or "Psycho Bob"?

Not much difference sometimes.

You've never met my cousin Guido the Kneebreaker have you?

I would like some woman and roadster photos myself

Did you notice that I did not mention the cover of the Feb. 2007 StreetRodder? I noticed it mainly because of the nice '29 grill shell! Anyway, if you have access to old Hot Rod files that magazine put out special editions every ten years and I believe it was the 20th year edition that featured a few rods of the decade. My all time favorite rod was the Bart Root '29 on '32 rails and I wanted to build that car myself, but my wife said I have to have fenders! Anyway I believe the picture of the Bart Root '29/'32 had cycle fenders and bobbed rear fenders with Bart's wife at the wheel. The article with the car said Bart's wife was the driver at the Santa Anna strip, perhaps because she weighed less than Bart. Anyway that is an image burned into my adolescent mind, an exceptional car and having a wife that would race the car for the owner! I don't know if you can find that photo or whether HRM has an archive that can be searched on line but look for the "Bart Root Roadster"and I think you will see Mrs. Root at the wheel. The '29 body was also unusual in that it had a '34 dash and gauges, all Ford of course! Maybe my memory is faded becasue I can't find that issue and I recall there was also a neat sectioned shoebox in that same edition with a woman at the wheel and maybe that is the girl driver I am remembering along with the roadster? Anybody have that issue of HRM handy?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don, Helen Root did indeed drive Bart Roots 29. She also turned better times than Bart, probably because she weighed less and knew if she blew it up that Bart would have to fix it!

I'm sure I have that HRM issue, but my hot rod room is torn apart right now so as soon as I can get in there I will try to find it.

Mick

Mick, that is amazing that you know about the Root roadster from a closer perspective than my East Coast magazine rack. Maybe there was no picture of Mrs. Root, just the car, but perhaps you know someone who knows someone who has a picture of Mrs. Root with the car. In my humble opinion that was one of the best all time hot rods and the HighBoy Gal ought to get a picture of Mrs. Root with the car somehow if it exists. Just for the record (I believe Magoo has also said this) a '29 body on '32 rails is actually better than a full '32 and you get to sit closer to the girl too! So in spite of all the hoopla about the anniversary for the Deuce, that '32 frame looks best when a '29 roadster body is mounted on there! OK, add a Deuce grill shell.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Here is what Bob called the "quintessential highboy" similar to the Root roadster seen at the recent August 2006 NSRA Nats in Richmond. The Root roadster had cycle fenders on the front wheels but similar bobbed rears as shown here. This particular car was flathead powered, maybe it is the Root roadster ( ? ), but there were many of this type and more have been recently constructed by Magoo, mostly with 327 SBC power. But where is the woman?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don, when I see that I think I just might have to build one some day.

Here's another Veda Orr.