370-cid, 400-hp (est) OHV supercharged V-8 engine, Cyclone in-out transmission, solid front axle with transverse leaf spring, solid rear suspension and two-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 107-inches

In 1954, James Kamboor bought a 1934 Ford three-window coupe. He wanted to build it into a competitor for the Bonneville Nationals, so he enlisted Don Alpensfel of Don’s Speed Shop in Gardena, California. Together they built the Jado (for JAmes and DOn) Special. A new tube frame was constructed, and a Mercury flathead engine with SCoT blower and four Norden carbs dropped into the rear. The coupe body was chopped and channeled, and, in the interests of weight, many of the panels were remade in alloy with the help of friends at Kamboor’s employer, Harvey Aluminum.

Racing at the 1954 National Speed Trials, the Jado Special, under number 141, was third in class at a speed of 164-mph. The following year, with a Chrysler hemi and racing as the Harvey Aluminum Special, it bettered its record at 175.01-mph.

A few years later, Kamboor sold it to Bill Stubbins, who, with his son Howard, rebuilt it with a square tube frame and a 370-cid V-8 from a 1958 Pontiac. With a Clay Smith cam, Scintilla magneto and a GM 4-71 supercharger, it ran the quarter-mile drag strip at 126-mph. Subsequent owners included Doyle Gammel and TV personality Jesse James.

Appearing much as it did at its retirement from racing, this historic competition car is a testament not only to the speed runs of the 1950s but also the drag racing scene of the sixties.