Back in the day, when it came time to figure out the performance numbers, simulators weren’t an option. Rather, speed freaks had to go out and actually run what they brung – flat out. One of the most famous destinations for such activities is the Bonneville Speedway at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, an open expanse of crusty dry ground that has served as the venue for innumerable land speed records over the years. The 1937 Chevy Master Deluxe featured in this video is among those record-setters, and now, this Chevy has been rediscovered after being lost for nearly half a century.
Coming to us from YouTuber Ben Kahan, the video goes in-depth in recounting how this 1937 Chevy Master Deluxe was rediscovered and story behind it.
The story of why the car was originally built is pretty interesting. According to the vehicle’s new owner, Justin Arias, the car was originally built as a tribute to Kenny Bigelow, who was killed in 1951 while racing his 1937 Chevy at El Mirage in Southern California. At the time, Justin’s grandfather, Nick, was serving in the Korean War alongside his friend Bob Toros, and upon returning to the U.S., the two friends decided to build this 1937 Chevy Master Deluxe in honor of their mutual friend, Kenny Bigelow.
After salvaging what was left of the wreck, Nick Arias and Bob Toros built this 1937 Chevy Master Deluxe for racing, achieving a top speed of 150 mph at Bonneville with a 270 GMC running a 50-50 mix of nitro fuel.
Interestingly, the car in this feature is actually a ’38, but according to the new owner, it’s possible that the builders fitted a ’37 front end to it as part of the tribute.
All told, there’s a ton of interesting stories behind this thing, so hit play for the full feature video:
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Comments
Awesome find! Thanks for the story. Betcha the “infotainment system” won’t lockup the vehicle on this one.
Very cool! I love old race cars.