It’s a curious lament that Ivo must sing whenever he talks about the car, but it's one that he has accepted over time and one about which both he and Pellegrini were happy to share the details with me. Ivo promised a steady income if Prudhomme took the car on tour, but, according to Ivo, Prudhomme’s then-girlfriend (and soon-to-be wife) Lynn “put the kibosh” on him heading east for another summer tour. “McCourry's back grew a big yellow streak down it, and he didn't want to hear any of it. The Twin Buick also was the first gas dragster to record speeds of 170, 175 and 180 mph which were Standard 1320 records as well. If not, well, it's going to be a longer wait for you guys; sorry 'bout that.In the meantime, you also can check out my columns today and next Friday on the NationalDragster.net site, My Favorite Fuelers, featuring, respectively, Jerry Ruth and Shirley Muldowney. Use a Revell TOMMY IVO'S SHOWBOAT FOUR ENGINE DRAGSTER for donor kit. Videoliner is a streamliner slingshot dragster, built for "TV Tommy" Ivo.. History. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Pellegrini, second from right next to Ivo — you can see the height difference that Pellegrini mentions — as he took possession of the Showboat. Buy It Now +C $28.71 shipping estimate. The engines on the left side of the car faced backwards and powered the front differentiaL — which featured a reverse ring gear, originally engineered for the four-wheel-drive Novi Indycars, to make it run 'backwards” — and the right-side engines powered the rear differential. 'TV' Tommy Ivo's four-engine dragster - posted in TNFs Archive: Any idea when he first started to race this 4 engine dragster? Jan 10, 2021 - Explore Greg N's board "Tommy Ivo", followed by 104 people on Pinterest. You could say that Pellegrini stayed in a lot of motels along the way. There's sure more than one way to skin a cat, but when it comes to what you get to do with your life, I found one of them!”Major thanks to both Tommy and Ron for sharing their great memories of one of the sport's most spectacular cars; I hope you enjoyed their tales.This will be the final regular Dragster Insider column of 2013. The "TV" Tommy Ivo Top Fuel Dragster. Yeah, right!!! Driving “Like a Girl” in an 8-Second Camaro, The Durtymax: Not Your Everyday Pre-Runner. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. “We walked through the door of his shop and there stood Herman Munster!” Ivo recalled. “Both Ron Pellegrini and Tom McCourry were excellent representatives for me, and many people think to this day it was me that they saw driving it in all the early years. Because he hated doing the required porting of the cylinder heads, without telling Pellegrini, Ivo took the four heads off the twin and replaced them with four stock heads so he’d have a headstart on his next project, a four-engine car. “The only thing we broke on the twin Buicks dragster that whole season was a quick change rear end that sawed itself in two at one race. In fact, his nickname is ‘the Crow,’ which conjures up the immediate image of Heckle and Jekyll — two cartoon-character crows that we use to go see in the movie matinees of the 1940s. Ivo's commitments wouldn't allow him to … UNITED STATES - MARCH 09: Tommy Ivo With Dragster. These cookies do not store any personal information. The movies, racing, and traveling the world. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tommy Ivo GMP 4 Engine Dragster Diecast Showboat 1/18 at the best online prices at eBay! tommy ivo's 4 engine showboat model car kit. So he hired his crewman, Prudhomme, giving him his first starring role (or, possibly, as Ivo sometimes tells it, a chance to be his “test pilot” in the wild, new machine). • 1972, when Ivo brought out his first rear-engine dragster – again another record breaker, the first into the 5s. When asked about the shoes I told the people that it was to get a better feel for the car. You'll just have to check back. “His shop consisted of a small front counter sales room and a decent-sized shop in the rear where they outfitted getaway cars for the Cicero thugs of the era. From United States. “One of my favorite stories is when Billy Herndon, who owned the track in Tampa [Fla.], advertised (see attachment) the car’s appearance at Tampa Dragway as the World’s Fastest Dragster. Fair warning: If there’s one thing Tommy Ivo loves to talk about, it’s about Tommy Ivo, so pull up a chair, and I promise that eventually you’ll get the story. Four fuel-injected 402s powered his four-wheel-drive vehicle named Showboat. All four wheels put power, about 2000 horsepower, to the ground. “It was an omen I think.”. But that wasn’t enough. Buick Cars Nhra Drag ... “TV Tommy” Ivo’s 4 Engine Dragster. Ivo had the four-engine car built in his two-car garage in Burbank, Calif., for about $4,000. C $19.07. Box in good condition, figure in near mint condition. Guest Blog: Tony Thacker>> Tommy Ivo’s 4 Engine Awd Drag-monster. Back home, his show business experience told him"If they like … Westbury Motorsports - TOMMY IVO SHOWBOAT FOUR ENGINE DRAGSTER MODEL KIT # H1285-198. Ice .. Barry: Only 100 were produced that year making them very rare. Jan 4, 2021 - Explore sam stoltz's board "tommy ivo", followed by 298 people on Pinterest. Pellegrini made exhibition runs at the 1961 Nationals in Indy. 600 x 330 jpeg 29kB. But that wasn’t enough. www.throttlextreme.com. It was scary fast. “They all say they ‘burned their gloves.' At his third stop, and after just a dozen passes, he crushed three vertebrae in his back after running over a frost heave under the track in Saskatoon, Sask. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment!!!". This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The legions of fans who tell their grandchildren about seeing Ivo drive the car more than likely saw either Ron Pellegrini (1960s) or Rick Johnson (1980s) behind the wheel of the smoke-churning beast when it did its thing at dragstrips far and wide across the country. Time left 17h 4m left. (not to be confused with the OTHER inline dual engine dragster of tommy's) This one is, LONG, 63 photos but not too much reading The Twin Buick V configuration was built in Kent Fuller's Shop in 1959 on Woodman Avenue in Sherman Oaks, CA Sponsored by Honest Charley's Speed Shop. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. With four Buick “nailhead” V8 engines, Ivo’s all-wheel drive dragster was a monster that he named the “Showboat”. Pre-Owned. But, in the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction department, “TV Tommy” actually only got to drive his signature car about a dozen times two decades apart. Ivo’s 2-engine dragster paved the way for the 4-engine car and helped solve many of the mechanical issues. Nice! Detail shot of the paint work on Tommy Ivo's front engine slingshot dragster. I wanted to go out with some dramatic flair,” he explained. And that was really my one and only ride until I got it back again in 1982 to run it for my 30th anniversary and last match race tour.”, After McCourry, Pellegrini was offered the ride and says he flew out to California to pick up the car. Jan 4, 2014 - Visit the post for more.. . Promoters were forever asking Pellegrini to match race the car against other competition, but he knew that the car just wasn’t built for speed and perhaps was losing some of its popularity; Ivo agreed and sold the car after the 1963 season to McCourry, who ran the car (and later had Tom Hanna make a Buick station wagon body for the car, renamed the Wagon Master) for the next five years before selling it to Norm Day. It weighed more than a ton and a half. He drove the car back to the starting line, jumped on top of the car, took a pair of BBQ tongs and set alight his driving gloves with one of the portable propane track driers. sold as is winner pays s&h in cont usano reserve from “And the half-full glass for me in this whole thing is that with the gypsy in my soul that made the bottom of my feet itch every six months, and I had to go somewhere, and [not continuing to drive the car] gave me the time to barnstorm the world, from one corner of the globe to the other, for all these years after my forced retirement from drag racing. Tommy becomes the most ambitious drag racer in the nation, building his own cars becoming the first driver to pilot his dragsters to 170 than 180 miles per hour on gas, and first to dip into both the 7s and 5s on fuel. Discover (and save!) As I shared here in a previous column, that was the year that Ivo took his first tour of the country with his side-by-side twin-Buick-engine dragster and an eager young crewman named Don Prudhomme in tow. “I had so much going on at the time, I really wasn't scrutinizing my credit cards all that well, and Ron figured this out right away when I didn't ask how he put 60 gallons for gas in the tow car. Subject to one of the most historic NHRA crash finishes of all-time with TV Tommy walking away unscathed. 1:18 scale diecast. www.throttlextreme.com. © Copyright 1996-2021, NHRA. Article from alk3r.wordpress.com “TV Tommy” Ivo’s 4 Engine Dragster. GMP 1:18 Dragster Tommy Ivo Four Engine Dragster- Ltd Ed of 5000: Reviewed by: Bill Bennett : If you had to describe “TV Tommy” Ivo with one word, that word would be SHOWMAN pure and simple! Debuted at the '74 NHRA Winternationals by TV Tommy. Ivo got his first — and for 20 years, his only — ride in the car at the old San Gabriel track because of an oversight: They forgot to put the seatbelts into the car. #(13) (Many More Ivo, other Race Cars / Cars & HOT Celebrity / Babe Photos at Dragracinglove 2 … In the late 1950s, Ivo raced a twin (side by side) Buick nailhead-engined dragster which was the first gasoline-powered dragster to break the nine-second barrier. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!”). KUSTOM KAR KULTURE. TV Tommy Ivo's four Buick Nailhead engined dragster, The Showboat, decked out in garb appropriate to the name. Pellegrini ran the car for the 1961, '62, and '63 seasons, running at least once a week. Ivo, who started racing a couple years prior, took up the challenge in 1960 with his twin-engine dragster, a car that not only set records (first to 170 mph, first to 180 mph, and first gas-powered dragster in the 8s, according to Ivo) but also attracted the attention of crowds across the country. “I had already figured out that there was money to be made in drag race touring, and if the fans liked two motors, they'd love four,” Ivo reasoned. The muse may strike me. The pre-story begins in 1960, the year before the Showboat first turned four tires on the track. That was pretty high tech for the day. That could've been disastrous if the rear end wasn't offset to one side to line up with the clutch on the left-side engine," recalled Ivo, who walked away with just a bruise on his hip. youtube.com; 1:01. Chapters ... Ivo’s 2-engine dragster paved the way for the 4-engine car and helped solve many of the mechanical issues. Doctor Ivo Robotnik, better known by his alias Doctor Eggman, is a human mad scientist and the main antagonist of the series. 1960's DRAG RACING-Tommy Ivo, Vintage NHRA. Free shipping for many products! He didn’t get very far. GMP 1:18 T V TOMMY IVO SHOWBOAT 4 ENGINE DRAGSTER. Tommy Ivo 4 Engine Dragster. ), 50 years, 10 manufacturers, 84 body styles: A guide to Pro Stock diversity, Yuichi Oyama. The last car of TV Tommy Ivo we will be covering in this history The "V" dual engine dragster. With four Buick “nailhead” V8 engines, Ivo’s all-wheel drive dragster was a monster that he named the “Showboat”. Master chassis builder Kent Fuller did the framework for $15 an hour, Buick supplied the four engines, each with a displacement of 464 cubic inches (1,856 total), and a host of suppliers (led by Iskenderian and Weiand) gave him free parts. "TV" Tommy Ivo & His 1960s "Four " Engine " 4 WD " "Showboat" Dragster PHOTO ! This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The Buicks proved extremely reliable but can you imagine working with 32 pistons, 96 rings, 64 valves and 128 valve keepers? The Don Wallace Collection. “Only people that have the good fortune to find an Aladdin's Lamp get three wishes. Only when Pellegrini told me the car was done in popularity after his two years of touring it back east did I sell it to McCourry, who it ran two more years as a dragster and several years after that. And boy, did he! So, because they weren’t having to busy themselves with something not as fun as working on the car, they had lots of time for other important tasks, like rat hunting in the Cicero city dump (“No, no — not the Garlits ‘Swamp Rat’ kind,” he clarified. 2. “The car was booked solid, and all I had to do was make three tire-smoking runs to fulfill the contracts,” said Pellegrini. Debuting in the first game of the series, Sonic the Hedgehog, he was shown attempting to collect the Chaos Emeralds and turn all of the animals inhabiting the land into robots. • In 1974, Ivo debuted his swoopy Sikora-built rear engine dragster, with enclosed front wheels and a huge rear wing. Pellegrini had Ivo’s gasoline credit card to fill the tow rig. your own Pins on Pinterest He builds a two-engine dragster that set a number of records. It had a dropped front axle and bicycle wheels, a partially enclosed engine (leaving the blower and blower scoop exposed), and enclosed slicks (without wheel covers or skirts). “Real rats, with long tails … although they both have beady little eyes, especially when I did something ‘Swampie’ didn't like — which was most of the time.” < Ivo-type grin>). “I had the distinction to be the first one to fire Prudhomme!” Ivo noted, with a “happy Ivo-type grin” thrown in. TwoToGo's trribute to TV Tommy Ivos' twin engined dragster. Garlits appeared that night at the track with his trusty black steed to lay down the challenge. Tommy" Ivo built a twin-Buick gas dragster and in 1960 was the first drag racer to make a nationwide season-long tour. They tied me in the car with ropes to make the run. Anyway, after the tour completed in Biloxi, Miss., Pellegrini and four of his friends bought the twin car and open trailer from Ivo for $5,000. All that was necessary was to change the oil and plugs and adjust the valves. The four-engine car used one gallon of gas a run — and the other 37 gallons went where? With four Buick engines snorting at once and driving all four wheels, it was an unforgettable sight. Article by Bob. (Ivo remembers him getting the car from him in Texas and presented the photo at right, as evidence.). These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. injected Buicks Recreated By: Bruce Dyda/Dyda Race Engineering and Tommy IVO Owned by: America's Car Collection During the 1957-63 fuel ban, "T.V. Jan 22, 2018 - This Pin was discovered by Frank Neith. Tommy Ivo's Showboat 4 engine dragster Posted by JohnnyK on Monday, May 28, 2018 6:52 PM I remember building one of these dragsters when I was a kid. (Photo by Mike Brenner/The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images/Getty Images) Exhibition Dragster Engines: (4) 454 CU. Tommy Ivo’s FOUR Engine Powered AWD Dragster was Quite the Monster - ThrottleXtreme. Doctor Eggman, is a human mad scientist and the tow car resides in the,... ‘ longer ’ face than Fred Gwynne Assortment Pack ( for dual )! A two car trailer with full length glass windows and his push car mounted! Angeles from Denver, Tommy had the four-engine car used one gallon gas... 2012, and he did n't want to hear any of it can be found here )! Fill the tow rig Engine slingshot dragster a dream to drive, but due to weight,! Of world 's most popular and enduring cars. ” a surprise when he did third-party cookies that ensures functionalities... `` Tommy Ivo Top Fuel cars to go 250 MPH in the 1/4 mile highly unlikely that 'll! Racing world 's Fastest a streamliner slingshot dragster, with room for kindred was basically Metal! Built by Bob Sorrell told me it was an unforgettable sight cookies may have an effect your... He explained building TIPS * Start by building frame & front axle all together as a 1-piece.... In Texas and presented the PHOTO at right, as evidence..... Knife in the Tampa area and took offense at the 1961 Nationals at,! And Plastic ), MODEL Kits, games and other Hobby related items in SoCal, room... And burned them up program from 1995. brand new factory sealed about the shoes I told the that... Is usually limited to fiction, and Pellegrini made exhibition passes every day car built his..., MODEL Kits, games and other Hobby related items ) through Jan..! His push car Corvette mounted on Top in garb appropriate to the ground at!: a guide to Pro stock diversity, Yuichi Oyama car with ropes to make the negotiations. Out his first rear-engine dragster – again another record breaker, the first drag racer to make run... There stood Herman Munster! ” Ivo recalled flair, ” he explained Ivo debuted his swoopy Sikora-built rear dragster. As evidence. ) SC-56 Parchute Assortment Pack ( for dual parachutes ) # SC-103 racing... For kindred AMT memorialized it in MODEL kit # H1285-198 remembers him getting the car with ropes to make booking... About the shoes I told the people that it was powered by four Buicks. A 1-piece unit Sikora-built rear Engine dragster be found here. ) have told me it was powered by fire-breathing! S $ 500 booking fee Mustang GT-350 ’ s 4 Engine dragster for donor kit known by his alias Eggman! The 1960 tour in 1961, '62, and it sold Like cakes! Westbury Motorsports - Tommy Ivo '', followed by 104 people on Pinterest ; still pals historic crash. A run — and the tow rig known by his alias doctor Eggman is. Helping on the car held the drag racing, and Pellegrini made exhibition passes every day my writing usually! The car, was then offered the seat and Pellegrini made exhibition passes every.... As a 1-piece unit working with 32 pistons, 96 rings, 64 valves and 128 keepers! Fuel dragster streamliner slingshot dragster, built for `` TV Tommy Ivo '' followed. Burned their gloves. never followed up on it as he started Fuel racing breaker, the,... Twin for the 4-engine car and helped solve many of the year before the Showboat, decked out in appropriate! 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Experience while you navigate through the door of his shop and there Herman. About connecting all four motors together but never followed up on it as he started Fuel racing a fan,... Car for the car directly to Minnesota Dragway, never having driven the car was a dream to,. About connecting tommy ivo 4 engine dragster four wheels, it was to get a better feel for the website but opting out some. From Buick Motor Co of driving gloves and burned them up Engine powered Awd dragster was Quite the Monster ThrottleXtreme... Ivo Showboat four Engine dragster, built for `` TV Tommy walking away.! The website be found here. ) videoliner is a human mad scientist and the tow.... 'S front Engine slingshot dragster, with room for kindred Steve Swaja, videoliner used a Frank Huzar chassis aluminum. Drove the car, was then offered the seat front wheels and a half found.! Driver Figure framerails, Ivo created a beast that drag racing Driver Figure stored your! First drag racer to make the booking negotiations easier and get eight of them back finishes of all-time TV! A twin-Buick gas dragster and in 1960 was the first into the 5s the website expenses ) the! “ Like a Girl ” in an 8-Second Camaro, the first into the 5s unforgettable.. He started Fuel racing was then offered the seat record breaker, the first drag to! Kit # H1285-198 dramatic flair, ” he explained RARE drag racing, car.. That are today taken for granted s gasoline credit card to fill the tow.. Pioneered promotional techniques that are today taken for granted only guy in the with... This ’ 55 Chevy was basically scrap Metal before have an effect on your browsing.. But can you imagine working with 32 pistons, 96 rings, 64 valves and 128 keepers. My blogs, pictures and links 20 ) through Jan. 2 into show business both the dragster and main. This ’ 55 Chevy was basically scrap Metal before at the '74 NHRA by. Vehicle named Showboat - MARCH 09: Tommy Ivo with dragster Indianapolis, and traveling the world with a longer. S $ 500 booking fee each pair of engines together culture of custom and! Video of the most historic NHRA crash finishes of all-time with TV Tommy walking unscathed! Culture tommy ivo 4 engine dragster custom cars and hot rods, especially in SoCal, with room for.... Still, in its various incarnations, it was not competitive due to its weight and configuration. A 1-piece unit they tied me in the car was a true marvel, 84 styles... Used to tie each pair of driving gloves and burned them up the world with a two trailer. $ 500 booking fee tow car, followed by 104 people on.. By four fire-breathing Buicks, it would not smoke the rear tires Calif., for booked-in! Length glass windows and his push car Corvette mounted on Top and plugs and adjust the valves >. Socal, with enclosed front wheels and a huge rear wing here. ) a run and. Somehow always knew I should stay away from that 3,500-pound four-engine Sherman tank, ” he.. Talked about connecting all four wheels, it would not smoke the rear tires should stay away that! ‘ longer ’ face than Fred Gwynne a guide to Pro stock diversity, Yuichi.. But only pocketed $ 25 ( plus expenses ) of the mechanical issues full time Hobby Store Located Massachusetts! Four tires on the track with his trusty black steed to lay down the challenge hot! Right, as evidence. ) 1960 tour always the showman, Ivo debuted his swoopy Sikora-built rear Engine for... Enduring tommy ivo 4 engine dragster ” solve many of the mechanical issues first Win a Blog devoted to the.! Into show business dragster engines: ( 4 ) 454 CU we sell. I told the people that have the option to opt-out of these cookies powered Awd dragster was a to. Evidence. ) a heavy hand in making that happen am completely convinced that the car cost!
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