A Piece of History

The 240-mph Supercharged Hemi-Powered Belly Tank From the '50s Returns

- By Tim Bernsau. Photography by Wes Allison

A record-setting belly tank race car from the '50s and early '60s is now carefully stored in a New England barn. Almost 60 years since its last race, this historic hot rod survivor awaits a return to its early racing condition, complete with the supercharged and injected Hemi engine that carried the tank to speeds of 200 mph and faster on the Bonneville salt flats.

The belly tank is one of numerous significant cars owned by Dave Simard. Dave has been professionally building and restoring early-style traditional rods at his shop, East Coast Custom in Leominster, Massachusetts, for almost 40 years—in addition to curating his amazing personal collection. Among the rows of time-honored prewar Ford street rods, race cars, and customs in his barn, this belly tank stands alone.

In the '90s, Dave was searching for historical Bonneville race cars and had a lead on this belly tank. He found out that it was a the record-setting car that Ted Frye had raced on the Southern California dry lakes and on Utah's famous salt flats.

The term “hot rod” wasn't in common use in the '30s when young gearheads started stripping down and hopping up Model Ts, Model As, and Deuces-roadsters mostly—to race on the dry lake beds in the Mojave Desert. The creation of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) in 1937 brought together the area's many car clubs and speed shops and organized racing events on the lakes. It was a huge step toward promoting and publicizing the hobby in its earliest days.