Just being associated with a driver of a AA/FA gawdamed near makes U a Celebrity!!!!!!
She was a California based rig. Lions dragstrip(LOW altitude, WAS the fastest 1/4 mile track in our USA) was no doubt her 'home/favored' strip. We seen her in person clear up north @ the then podunk/backwoods Woodburn Oregon drag strip. She did NOT look as fancy as in the more modern images of her, like she looked ragged & well used but was performing every bit as as good or BETTER than the local glistening/shiny AA/FD's! In the below vid @ 3:38 into the vid is how I remember seeing her that weekend @ Woodburn.
Alvin was both the brains(mechanical engineer) & PR man of the duo. Willie was the "O-N-E HANDED" SHOWBOAT DRIVER that simply overawed everyone including Don Garlits himself!
You can sell just about anything on eBay. Your KC and the Sunshine Band albums. Your collection of Beanie Babies. Your shoebox full of Honus Wagner baseball cards. What you can’t sell, however, is body parts.
www.nhra.com
Both Nanook & Pure Hell have got to be the most successful of all the EARLY(short wheel base) AA/FA's regarding both longevity & lowest ET's. Below; Nanook entering the traps @ a whopping 6.41!
Blistering 6.30 ET for Nanook in the below run, like closing in on the 5 second bracket!!!!!!!!!!
Pure Hell was in the TOP THREE AA/FA back in the day like she's capable of MID/LOW 6 SECOND ET'S as seen in the below vid;
I read a link that stated the little Bantam AA/FA was named Pure Hell because of her short tempered first owner!
The two links below give a pretty comprehensive history of the Marcellus & Borsch connection & the early days that led up to the 'Winged Express', right from ALVIN MARCELLUS' own lips that goes clear back to 1951!!!
The History of the Hot Rod as documented through the pages of Rod and Custom Magazine
hotrod.gregwapling.com
www.hotrodhotline.com
Below; first AA/FA to break 200mph in the quarter mile!
en.wikipedia.org