SPEED ON THE SAND—THEN AND NOW PART 1

DAYTONA BEACH, PENDINE SANDS, BONNEVILLE—AND OUISTREHAM. This last named, less familiar, was described at the Classic & Sports Car website, January 17, 2024. It’s on the Normandy coast of France, where auto and motorcycle events are held at the Riva-Bella resort, just up the coast from Caen.

Another of my favorite car magazines (early R&T) wrote about similar happenings at Daytona Beach in the mid-1950s. Here, in Parts 1 and 2 today and tomorrow, are tidbits gleaned from both sources, including a rare article bylined Joe McCahill, pal of a guy sharing the surname.

Joe McCahill. This and other images from R&T, May 1954. 

R&T, May 1954, Daytona. “Cubic Inches on the Sand: NASCAR SPEED WEEK” read the title to Joe McCahill’s article. An accompanying memoriam describes, “In a time when this nation once again discovered the thrill of motoring, Joe McCahill became a recognized car tester and a first line enthusiast—because of his inborn love of things automotive. In his time this Labrador Retriever became particular friends with Ascari, Villoresi, Rex Mays, the ex-King of England, General Curtis Le May, the entire Cunningham team, all the drivers and crews at Sebring and Le Mans, in fact everyone from the Major-domo at Maxim’s in Paris (where he was invited to eat dinner) to the Bartender at Costello’s Third Avenue Saloon.”

A Way With Words. Joe reported, “Like a shot of ammonia in the eye from a forty dollar water pistol, Speed Week brought crowds and money to Daytona Beach, Florida, just as this town seemed to be sinking to the floor from non-tourist anemia.”

The National Speed Trial Championships, Joe continued, “perhaps proved better than anything else that the American manufacturers are getting out of the canal barge business and throwing together some mighty sprightly loads of steel. In 1951, just three short years ago, only one American car in the strictly Stock division passed the 100 mph mark, and this car driven by my boss, Old Balloonhead, did a very lukewarm 100.13 mph.”

Tom would have been driving a ’51 Chrysler New Yorker V-8 hemi at the time.

“In 1954,” Joe said, “14 American strictly Stock cars (fully inspected) passed the 100 mph mark, and the winning car, a new 235 bhp Chrysler, averaged 117.065 mph two-ways through a measured mile on draggy sand. In the not-officially-inspected championship group at least another dozen topped the 100 mark. These included Chryslers, ’54 Cadillacs, Buick Centurys, Oldmobiles, two V-8 Dodges and several Lincolns.” 

This supercharged Packard Panther, a “sports-type prototype,” posted an official 110.97 mph and a later claimed 131. “Packard’s guts,” Joe wrote, “must be admired for entering this speedboat-like creation….”  

Foreign Jobs. Joe showed his true colors (all black, actually): “As a sports car booster,” he said, “it was disheartening to find a number of American stock sedans outrunning a number of sport cars including Jaguars, Nash-Healeys, Allard-Cads, Corvette-Cadillacs and unadulterated Corvettes.”

Commander John Rutherford’s 4.1 Ferrari was the quickest in 1954.  

“The Sports Car Division,” Joe reported, “saw Commander John Rutherford break his own record with a 4.1 Ferrari at an average speed of 136.03 mph. In second place, a Modified Jaguar XK-120 driven by James Quackenbush got through the traps at 127.335 mph. In third place, another XK driven, by Howard Meeker, averaged 118.73.”

“In charge of the Sports Car Division this year,” Joe noted, “was Paul Whiteman, Daniel Boone’s favorite band leader, who commutes to work in a very, very hot modified Jag.” 

“Here in America,” Joe concluded, “unless you own a Ferrari, Osca, or similar top sports car rig, there is no substitute for cubic inches in a traffic light grand prix.” 

Tomorrow in Part 2, we’ll return (alas, sans Joe, R.I.P) to Daytona with an Indy Ferrari as top dog. We’ll visit Ouistreham too. ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024