Rocket Rod...Speed King Harold Johansen..... Drag Racing Art

The Art Of David Carl Peters

$ 25.00

Limited-Edition Print o f 500 (13x19) prints
Signed and numbered by the Artist. 
"It is easy to see by this image how Hot Rodding got its start. After WWII there was relatively no media to speak of compared to today. We had News Papers, Magazines, Radio, and the occasional News Reel at the local Movie house, but none of the distracting loud media like we have today. With that being said, it is my contention that the most profound images to influence the young men of that time, were the sights and sounds of jet aircraft streaking through the skies!
 By 1950, Jet planes were a new phenomenon, and I doubt if there was a single young man in this country who didn't dream of flying one after witnessing one of these swift beauties ripping through the clouds.  The raw power and speed brought goose bumps and smiles of admiration to those who witnessed these modern marvels,,, and the quest for Speed, became the new frontier...
For the men who had no intention of joining the Military Services to satiate their newly acquired appetite for speed, they found a new venue to explore this latest frontier,,, that was "Land Speed" racing.   
If you didn't have a pair of wings and a jet engine, you could always find,  strip-down, and soup-up some old jalopy and head to the Bonneville Salt Flats for some high-speed thrills...
To me, this painting captures the allure of tempting that demon of speed, and running flat-out like a earthbound jet pilot...
 Here we see the is the second annual Meet at the "Flats" in 1950, as starter Bill Burke gives last minute instructions to "Speed King" Harold Johansen.  Harold is piloting his "Rocket Rod" which is a ’29 Ford Model A, on ’32 frame rails, powered by a 300 cubic inch Chevy engine. He ran in the C and D  Roadster class, and set a record of 194mph that stood for 20 years.  
I don't know about you? But I wouldn't want to go 194 mph on those tires!
I hope you enjoy my tribute to where it all started!"  DCP

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