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1961 – Rising Stars in Starliners
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“Diamond Jim” Brady takes on and defeats the
Mr. Ford of Butch Hoffman and Bruce Larson
at Mason-Dixon Dragway in early 1962. (Jim
Brady)
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This is the Front Royal Motors 1961 Starliner
of Wes Dawson and Jim Brady. The team won
S/S class five weeks in a row in 1961. (Jim
Brady)
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Early in 1961, Ford’s drag-racing fortunes where on the rise as the now race-proven FE-series
engine underwent another metamorphosis. Enlarged to 390 ci (by virtue of a 4.05-inch bore and a
3.89-inch stroke), the new engine was rated at a mild 300 hp in its standard production form.
However, just as in 1960, a dedicated high-performance version of the engine was made available.
It was rated at 375 hp with a single 4-barrel sitting atop an aluminum intake manifold, and a
whopping 401 hp when fitted with the newly developed three-2-barrel induction system.
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The Indianapolis Raceway
Park sign welcomes racers to
the biggest event of the 1961
season. (Alan Wood)
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An interesting fact comes in the form of just how the three-2-barrel-equipped cars were delivered.
Each new 390/401 car arrived at the designated dealership with the complete tri-power setup in the
trunk. Early on, the cars were only available with a 3-speed transmission; however, the
Borg-Warner T-10 4-speed came online shortly thereafter as a dealer-installed option.
The new 390 high-performance engine, like its predecessor the 360-hp 352, had little in common
with the engine in the average station wagon of the day. A high-performance cylinder block
(C1AE-V) was cast with thicker main-bearing webbing, and featured no provisions for hydraulic
valve lifters, and an oil-pressure relief valve at the back of the lifter gallery. A high-nodular iron
crankshaft spun heavy-duty connecting rods, and flat-top pistons gave a compression ratio of
11.0:1. A solid-lifter camshaft bumped the valves in special performance cylinder heads. A full
centrifugal-advance dual-point distributor fired the mixture, and gases were expelled via the proven
full-flow cast-iron exhaust manifolds that had debuted on the 1960 high-performance 352.
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When I decided to undertake this project it was with the idea that my work would not be just another
compilation of statistics, but rather the telling of a story in a more anecdotal form. Since that time I
have had the occasion to read accounts in a number of mainstream automotive publications, some
of which are reputedly devoted to the Ford fan, and I now feel compelled to cite some statistical
information in an effort to dispel published inaccuracies.
Let’s begin with the 1961 NHRA Winternationals. Les Ritchey’s 390 Starliner ran with the best the
other manufacturers had to offer before losing a close race to the eventual Super Stock class
winner Don Nicholson. Ritchey had recorded an elapsed time of 13.33 at 106.16 mph. Keep in mind
that Ritchey was handicapped by a heavier car and a 3-speed transmission at the time (the Borg-
Warner T-10 4-speed became an option later in the year). Additionally, it should be noted that
Chevrolet manufactured only approximately 115 409-equipped automobiles in 1961. Most buyers
received the 348-ci powerplant that was no match for the big Ford engine. Another competitor at
the 1961 Winternationals was future Mopar star Dick Landy, driving a brand new bright red Ford
Starliner. Ford Motor Company was beginning to take drag racing seriously. An indication was the
fact that prizes for Top, Middle, Little, and Street Eliminator went to a 390-ci high-performance
engine.
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Popular automotive publications of the day were now forced to give the new Ford engine its due.
The October 1961 issue of Car Craft labeled the 390/401 “Detroit’s hottest street engine.” A
magazine test car, equipped with a performance tune-up, 4.29 gears, and a 3-speed transmission,
recorded a best elapsed time of 13.24 at 107.18 mph. Cars magazine featured Terry Turowsky’s
Detroit-based Starliner, dubbed Worthy of Praise 1. Chronicling the minimum modifications allowed
by class rules, Car reported elapsed times in the 13.50 range at 106 mph. One feature photo
shows Terry posing with the car and a host of trophies it collected.
On the East Coast, Irv Hissim of Oxford, New Jersey, was a frequent competitor at Island Dragway.
According to a Drag News report in November 1961, Hissim’s big Starliner had been showing the
Pontiac and Chevy racers “how” by winning Top Stock Eliminator honors five weeks running. Five
straight weeks must have had some significance for the drivers of the powerful new Fords.
“Diamond Jim” Brady wheeled the Dawson and Brady 61 to five straight Super Stock wins at Mason-
Dixon Dragway in Maryland. Another New Jersey native and rising star at the wheel of a Ford was
“Crazy Nate” Cohen. Nate embarked on a long and successful career of terrorizing the opposition
during weekly drag-racing events held at Old Bridge Speedway, where the circle track’s
straightaway was utilized for the drag racers. National Dragster headlines in 1961 touted “Price’s
Ford Top in Northwest” as Jim Price drove the Pope Ford 1961 to top divisional honors. Price’s
Ford ultimately finished fifth in the 1961 NHRA World Championship points race.
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C.J. South practically owned Super Stock in Alabama with his 1961 Ford. Results posted in South
Eastern Drag News in 1961 reveal that South’s Ford copped Super Stock and Top Stock Eliminator
at the Regional Finals in Helena, Alabama, on May 28, and Lassiter Mt., Alabama, on July 22.
South struck again on July 23, this time taking Super Stock and Top Stock laurels at Helena. On the
29th it was back to Lassiter Mt. where elapsed times of 13.44 and 13.60 were again good enough
for Super Stock and Stock Eliminator. And just when the competition thought it was safe to venture
back to Helena, C.J.’s big Ford cleaned up in Super Stock again on the 30th of July.
Florida’s Vernon Jones cracked the 12-second barrier with his Super Stock Starliner, running 12.80
at 111 mph. A South Eastern Drag News issue dated May 1962 reported that Jones’ Ford stopped
Ki Kobayashi’s 409 Chevy for the Super Stock class win at Amelia Earhart Field in Miami and later
collected Top Stock Eliminator honors. A copy of the same publication dated June 1962 depicted
the “Wicked 1961 Ford” of Jones defeating Arnie Beswick’s Passionate Poncho for Top Stock
Eliminator honors. Also to his credit, Jones had a win over the 409 Chevy of Bob Fulp, who had
defeated none other than “Dyno Don” Nicholson’s 409 prior to facing Jones.
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Long time Ford racer Ted Cain shares a favorite story of the killer 1961 Ford from the Tampa,
Florida, area. It all started with a young man named Harold and the offer of a new car from his
loving grandmother. Harold subsequently found his way to the local Ford emporium and rolled out
with a plain old 1961 two-door. It had no options other than the 401-hp 390 and T-85 3-speed
transmission with overdrive. The choice of such a practical means of transport brought accolades
from Grandma (who was likely fooled by the dog-dish hubcaps and overdrive), and Harold was
soon off to the local race shop. Within a very short time, Harold had himself a crew chief, “Old
Sarge” from nearby MacDill Air Force Base, and the Ford was sporting the name Black Sheep.
(Author’s note: All racecars should have a name. The one chosen in this case was most
appropriate and would sit very well with Ford fans both then and now.)
The Black Sheep became the dominant force in Super Stock for over a year at Golden Triangle,
Harold’s home track in Tampa. But the highlight of the Black Sheep’s racing career came when
Harold answered the challenge of a match race from Harvey Crane and his feared 409 Chevy. With
slicks mounted and an Old Sarge tune-up in place, Harold rolled out to do battle with the Chevy.
Track announcer Haseley Hood hyped the Ford-versus-Chevy match and had the crowd on their
feet. When the dust had cleared the Ford had put such a hurting on the vaunted 409 that Crane
lodged a protest to contest the Ford’s legality. After a tear-down revealed that nothing was amiss,
cheers and the beers flowed in the Ford camp.
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During the early 1960s, the southern United States, particularly the area around Atlanta, Georgia,
was a hotbed of Super Stock racer activity. The opportunity to witness production automobiles,
available to the general public, face off in head-to-head competition brought the fans out in droves.
This prompted track owners to pay appearance money to drivers. As a result, many of the country’s
hottest drivers and cars could be found down south.
The lure of an opportunity to become a full-time racer brought California’s best, Dyno Don
Nicholson, to the Atlanta area with his 409 Chevy. Native Georgian Phil Bonner fielded one of the
new Fords and was soon making himself known as a force to be reckoned with. Southeastern Drag
News reported that on July 9, 1961, Bonner was victorious over R. B. Milligan’s 409 Chevy in a best-
of-three match race at the Newton County Drag Strip in Covington, Georgia. Mr. Bonner apparently
had a very busy day as the record also indicates that he garnered the Super Stock class win and
Top Stock Eliminator honors as well. Photos of Bonner’s Ford taken at the time show the growing
interest in performance sales at the dealer level. The flanks of the car bear the name of “Al Means
Ford” in shoe-polish lettering. Also appearing on the car are the letters B.B.A.R.C. for “Bonner’s
Bad Ass Race Car.”
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Nicholson, who was sponsored by Nalley Chevrolet, tells of facing Bonner in match races on
numerous occasions during those early years. Following these meetings, it became sport for
Nicholson to anonymously phone the Al Means Ford dealership on Monday to inquire as to the
winner of the Nicholson-Bonner match race. Nicholson recalls that no matter what the outcome on
Sunday the cheerful voice at Al Means always reported a Bonner victory. Winning on Sunday was
indeed beginning to relate to selling on Monday.
Bonner’s recollection of the 1961 Starliner (he actually had two different cars) was the propensity
for the column shifter to bend during speed shifting (later photos of Bonner’s driving style would
reveal that he utilized a lot of body English in his gear changes). This problem was eventually
corrected by welding a reinforcement on the shift lever.
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During this same period, Indiana native Dick Brannan, who was serving a tour of duty with the U.S.
Navy, purchased one of the hot new Fords from his favorite dealer, Romy-Hammes in South Bend.
Dick’s early successes with this car would lead to many great things for Ford racing in the coming
years.
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Dick Brannan brought his street-
driven Starliner to Indy to compete
in Super Stock class. He acquitted
himself quite well at this event.
Brannan would go on to become
Drag Racing Coordinator at Ford,
and one of the nation’s top drag
racers. (Alan Wood)
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At the close of the 1961 season, Don Turner wheeled the Ed Martin Ford Starliner to a class win in
Optional Super/Stock Automatic competition at the Indy Nationals.
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Previous | Next
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This has been a sample page from
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Total Performers: Ford Drag Racing
in the 1960s
by Charles Morris
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The 1960s was arguably the most important decade for
drag racing. It had exciting cars, thrilling races, and most
importantly, factory participation. Among the best high-
performance cars and engines were those coming from
Dearborn, Michigan. Ford Motor Company’s “Total
Performance Years” saw a breakthrough as drag racing
helped the younger, performance- and style- conscious
consumer to begin receiving some recognition.
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Factory participation in drag racing pushed the
envelope for high performance developments. Ford's
FE-series engine, Police Interceptor, GT 390, Single
Overhead Cam, Cobra Jet, and Boss 429 are all
covered in detail. See the cars and the drivers that
made them famous – Dick Brannan’s Goldfinger, Bill
Lawton’s Mystery Mustang, “Dyno Don” Nicholson’s
Eliminator Comet, Gas Ronda’s stretched Mustang, Al
Joenic’s Batcar, and more.
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Click here to view sample pages from
each chapter.
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Chap. 1 - 1960 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 2 - 1961 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 3 - 1962 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 4 - 1963 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 5 - 1964 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 6 - 1965 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 7 - 1966 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 8 - 1967 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 9 - 1968 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 10 - 1969 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 11 - 1970 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap 12 - Ford of Canada Drag Racing
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Accomplished journalist and life-long Ford aficionado
Charles Morris takes you back to the Total
Performance Years through first-hand accounts as well
as over 400 rare photographs. A drag racer since
1966, Morris has run cars in both Stock and Super
Stock classes. He is currently the owner of the original
Norristown Ford 1963 _ lightweight Galaxie and races
the car in Nostalgia Super Stock as part of the 422
Motorsports Drag Racing Team. This book is a must
read for all drag racing fans, not just Ford enthusiasts.
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Hardbound
10 x 10"
192 pages
130 color & 290 b/w photos
Item # CT407
Price: $Discontinued
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Click here to buy now!
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This is a great book any Ford
enthusiast will love!
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Other items you might be interested in
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Gasser Wars: Drag Racing's Street Classes: 1955 to 1968
Author Larry Davis combined his own image archive with many rare,
never-published images from racers, fans, and track photographers all
over the country. He also did extensive research and interviews with
former drag racers. The result is a comprehensive, entertaining, and
nostalgic look at drag racing history.
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Price:
$22.95
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Factory Lightweights: Detroit's Drag Racing Specials of the '60s
Among racers it has never been a secret that a lighter car is a faster
car—particularly in drag racing. When Detroit’s automakers got
involved in organized drag racing, they paid heed to this principle,
issuing a series of rare race-only cars that became legends in their
own time. Factory Lightweights: Detroit’s Drag Racing Specials of the
‘60s chronicles these rare cars that still inspire admirers and imitators
today, like the Ford Fairlane 427 Thunderbolt.
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Price:
$22.95
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Ford Galaxie & LTD Gold Portfolio 1960--1976
Contemporary road and comparison tests, specification and technical
data, driver's reports, long-term tests, new model introductions. 176
pages, 475 pictures and illustrations. Softbound.
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Price:
$29.95
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