CAR HISTORY

October 2007:
 
    At the end of the 1962 racing season, Ralph and Jim started to build a radically new car for the 1963 season.    This car advanced the team into the super-modified field.  The car was built with a chrome-molly tube frame with a fiberglass and aluminum body, open tube rear axel featuring Halibrand wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes and powered by the Flathead Ford.  The 1963 season was sponsored by Weldco Limited and Intercity Express and the car was painted Intercity Express Blue.  In 1963 the team raced at Haney all year and won many main events, Barry’s Trophy Club Championship, the Bardahl Trophy, the point championship and the Ken Kester Memorial Trophy.  This year the team also ran limited CAMRA (Canadian America Modified Racing Association) races.  This car raced in the first race ever sponsored by CAMRA in Naniamo. BC.  Ralph finished 10^th overall in CAMRA standings in spite of the limited schedule.

    1964 brought many changes to last year’s great car.  This year debuted the first ever (in Canada) 289 cubic inch high performance Ford COBRA engine. Sponsorship remained the same but the color changed to red.   With Haney closing down mid-year - Ralph was leading in points – the team raced a number of times at Prince George and limited CAMRA events. At the end of the 1964 season, the car was sold to allow the building of a new car for 1965.  This car (body, frame & limited running gear) went to Prince George, bought by Bill Dagg.  Bill raced out of Prince George as #77 but he did not run the CAMRA circuit.

    Other owners included: Mike Shapely who ran the #69 in Prince George but not the CAMRA circuit; followed by Ron Lamont, who ran the #35 as a B Modified at Langley Speedway; then Dennis Goldstraw who raced #47 at Langley Speedway in 1972-73.  Dennis added the wing and some body modifications.  We believe we have acknowledged all the owners to this time and the car was parked in dry storage in 1974.
    In 2003 the car was for sale on E-Bay and caught the eye of car buff and racing fan, Dave Dowler of Delta, B.C.  Dave’s dad drove the tow truck at Digney in the late 1950’s and Dave and his buddy were at Haney many times to see the coupe run.  The E-bay description:
    
Vintage sprint car, this car has been in dry storage since 1974, this was a record holding car, and was raced at many tracks through out the northwest provinces and states. It has a cyclone clutch, disc brakes on the front, torsion rear, headers, good tires and a Halibrand rear end; the engine (it has a small block Chev), radiator and flywheel are missing. This car has great potential and could be running easily when an engine, rad a few parts and TLC. The car is located in Surrey BC.  

    Dave was excited to own a car previously driven by Ralph Monhay. After an exchange of a number of e-mails – Dave, Ron (Michaux), Jim (Marchant), Barry (Youngston),  & Ralph - it was confirmed through pictures that the car on E-Bay was the coupe Jim & Ralph built for 1963-64 and Dave became the new owner.  A short time later, the car’s ownership returned to Ralph Monhay.  The car is currently in Courtney, BC, restoration work being done by Ron Michaux.

    Ralph & Maureen want to thank everyone who has had a part of this car and we look forward to racing again, attending a few car shows and seeing all our friends.