Speed wars: the early days
Speed wars: the early days I was just recently reading an older copy of Camaro Performers and the article was about a rebuild of an early 2Gen Camaro they nicknamed the "Orange Krate", naming it after a Schwinn bicycle of the early 70's. It got me to thinking, "When did this competition between rides actually start?" After thinking about it it started much earlier for my friends and I, before we could ride bikes. It started out with the legendary "Big Wheel".
We all remember that toy, right? It was cooler than anything, had a "big" front wheel, and on slick surfaces you could pedal a pseudo-burnout all day long! That was as cool as it got! Or so we thought.
Then came out the ultra-cool "Green Machine", a sort of Mopar looking answer to the Big Wheel. It was hella-cool because you had 2 "joysticks" to steer the rear wheels with. You could cut some amazingly daring "drifting" maneuvers with this bad boy. Plus, the chicks dug the snazzy bright green and black paint job and the unorthodox look of the thing. It was a real "girl next door" getter!
If that wasn't enough to contend with, somebody came out with the ultimate 3-wheeler. This one wasn't just bad, it was bad ***! A stylishly raked front fork, 2 pedals that you powered the metal drive ropes with. You could blow it away off of the line but NOTHING ever beat a Cheatah at the end of a race, it's top end was seemingly unlimited. It didn't look as cool as the Green Machine but the front fork and the top speed was what everyone wanted. It was the SS of it's day!
So when you think about it, the business of "Who's the fastest?" has been with us for a very long time! Just something to ponder.
We all remember that toy, right? It was cooler than anything, had a "big" front wheel, and on slick surfaces you could pedal a pseudo-burnout all day long! That was as cool as it got! Or so we thought.
Then came out the ultra-cool "Green Machine", a sort of Mopar looking answer to the Big Wheel. It was hella-cool because you had 2 "joysticks" to steer the rear wheels with. You could cut some amazingly daring "drifting" maneuvers with this bad boy. Plus, the chicks dug the snazzy bright green and black paint job and the unorthodox look of the thing. It was a real "girl next door" getter!
If that wasn't enough to contend with, somebody came out with the ultimate 3-wheeler. This one wasn't just bad, it was bad ***! A stylishly raked front fork, 2 pedals that you powered the metal drive ropes with. You could blow it away off of the line but NOTHING ever beat a Cheatah at the end of a race, it's top end was seemingly unlimited. It didn't look as cool as the Green Machine but the front fork and the top speed was what everyone wanted. It was the SS of it's day!
So when you think about it, the business of "Who's the fastest?" has been with us for a very long time! Just something to ponder.
Yeah, but I had an original Green Machine. Not one of those newer ones.
I had one with plastic handles. Eventually the bottom rails broke off the plastic, and there was no more green machine for me.
My dad wasn't very mechanically inclined, so out in the trash it went.
These days, I'd mill new arms from billet and the machine would be back on the road.
I had one with plastic handles. Eventually the bottom rails broke off the plastic, and there was no more green machine for me.
My dad wasn't very mechanically inclined, so out in the trash it went.These days, I'd mill new arms from billet and the machine would be back on the road.
That pic you posted is like the ones we had as kids. Better than that odd ball one I found. Loved the honeycomb wheel! All of the dad's of the kids I grew up with were engineers of some kind of another so all of our rides got "modded". No limit to the dad's pride, "No one's going to beat my son in a race!" HAHA, oh those were the days!
