National Dragster readers choice: Drag racing's masters of hands-on artistry

Before computer-- generated graphics, drag racing artists helped promote the sport's visual appeal

Hot rods over the years have generated as much attention for their flashy appearance as for their spectacular performances, and before computer-- assisted graphics arrived on the scene, the art of painting and decorating a car by hand was mastered by a select few of the most talented individuals. This photo essay is a tribute to those whose artistic efforts contributed so much to the visual advancement of the sport and a bygone era in which their skills, admired by so many, flourished.

(Above) The first painter/pinstriper to gain national acclaim was the eccentric Von Dutch, who established his trademark "Flying Eyeball" logo on such cars as the Reed Bros. belly tanker, pictured here at Bonneville in the early 1950s. That's Jim Dunn standing second from left. (Below) Lou Baney's and Don Rackemann's '29 Ford highboy roadster also bore the distinctive artwork of Von Dutch.

(Top) Famed customizer Dean Jeffries was also known for his innovative painting and pinstriping skills. (Above) His work on Manuel Gonzales Jr.'s 1959 Californian dragster, with its pearl white body and candy apple red chassis, was considered very wild for its time.

Junior Conway, who has operated the very popular Junior's House of Color since the 1960s, was responsible for such famed efforts as "Big John" Mazmanian's first candy apple red paint scheme on his '62 Corvette (above) and Dean Lowe's candy persimmon multipurpose 79 Ford roadster pickup (left), which earned trophies at the drugs, dry lakes, and car shows.

Detroit's famed Alexander Bros. shop applied the paint for such entries as Connie Kalitta's candy gold SOHC Ford-- powered '65 Top Fueler (right) and Al Eckstrand's Lawman (above), one of the first factory-backed Super Stockers to attract attention with its professionally designed color scheme. Alexander Bros. also painted the famous line of Ramcharger Super Stocks, A/FX, and Funny Car entries.

During the mid-1960s, West Coast artist Joe Andersen applied the exquisite red and silver metal-flake colors on the Stellings & Hampshire Red Stamp Special (above) and the twin Garden Grove. Calif.-based Top Fuelers of Ward & Warye (left).

Perhaps no racer has been more popularly associated with candy apple

red paint schemes than Mazmanian. Gil Ayala pointed Mazmanian's '41 Willys (above), and his later Plymouth Barracudas were pointed by Ruben Palazuelos (right), who worked out of Ayala's shop in East Los Angeles.

(Left) One of the first lettering artists to gain national often. tion was Tom Kelly, whose notable efforts included the "it Padrone" artwork on the Panella Trucking Anglia, which Ken Dondero drove to a Super Eliminator win at the 1969 Winternationals. Bertolucci's Body Shop did the paint work. (Below) A well-- known figure from the East Coast was Philadelphia's "Jim the Painter." His works included Serge Arciero's beautiful Jade Grenade, which many considered to be the best appearing Top Fuel dragster of the 1970s.

Few painters had a bigger impact on the Top Fuel ranks than the father-son team of George Cerny Sr. and Jr. The elder Cerny was a veteran customizer who had worked with Dean Jeffries. Among their more famous examples were the cars of Beebe & Mulligan (left), the Larry Dixon Sr.-driven Howard Cams Rattler (above left), and the beautiful Keeling & Clayton entry (above right). Many of the Cernys' point schemes were lettered by Tom Kelly.

When lace-adorned paint jobs became the style of choice in 1968, one of the best known examples of the genre was Nelson Carter's Dodge Charger Funny Car, which originally bore the name of Imperial Kustoms, the paint shop headed by Ron Perau.

One of Don Kirby's more unique efforts was Schumacher's Wonderwagon Funny Car, which was painted to look like a Wonder Bread delivery panel truck.

One of the East Coast's more famous painters is Bob Gerdes of New Jersey-based Circus Custom Paint. Gerdes, who began painting professionally more than three decades ago at the urging of Don Kirby, painted such memorable vehicles as "Jungle Jim" Liberman's Chevrolet Funny Cars (above right) and Al Segrini's beautiful Black Magic '74 Vega from a Kenny Youngblood-- designed paint scheme. During the early 1970s, Gerdes' shop was open 24 hours to paint only drag racing vehicles.

Kirby, whose shop was located in Bellflower, Calif., was easily the most prolific painter on the West Coast during the early 1970s. This cover shot on the June 1971 issue of Car Craft featured five Kirby-painted cars campaigned by Don Schumacher, Tom McEwen, Don Prudhomme, Roland Leong, and Gene Snow. The lone exception was the Detroit-based Ramchargers Dodge, painted by Alexander Bros. Before becoming a paint-scheme designer and illustrator, Youngblood spent many hours airbrushing headlights and grilles at Kirby's shop. Many other Kirby cars were lettered by Nat Quick.

Gary Burgin's Orange Baron '83 Pontiac Firebird (right) was one of many Pro cars painted and lettered by prolific Pomona artist Tom Stratton (far right) during the 1970s, '80s, and '90s.

Copyright National Hot Rod Association Apr 11, 2003
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