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Archives for : History Lessons

In Memory of Maynard A. Albertson

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Maynard Albertson, owner of the nationally-known Konocti Motor Company in Lower Lake CA. was killed in a fatal crash in one of his custom hot rods.

Von Dutch Goes French

The Von Dutch Brand has been sold to a French discount shoe company named Royer. Here and here are links to the translated articles. One states the American Von Dutch brand was started in the 30’s and mentions Kenny Howard by name several times as part of the branded name. 

Kelly & Son Article

SearchAutoParts.com has a nice article about the Mitch Kelly of Kelly & Son. if you haven’t read Rumpsville’s bio on the Kellys it is located here.

“My junior year in high school I was working at a cabinet shop for six hours after school and four hours at the paint shop,” Kelly says.

 

A Mint of a Kookie Kar

Danbury Mint will produce a metal replica of the famous Kookie Kar until Dec 2009. Be sure to get them while you can. The limited edition Kookie Kar is Norm Grabowski approved and detailed all the way down to a skull shifter. In addition Aug. 2009 Rod and Custom has a short article about the scale replica.

Dean Jeffries: 50 Fabulous Years in Hot Rods, Racing & Film

I recently read a review of the book Dean Jeffries: 50 Fabulous Years in Hot Rods, Racing & Film at Speedtv and then followed it up with a 2003 article from Motor Trend. Both talked about James Dean’s Spider but it seems the book touches a little more on the long feud between Barris and Jeffries with some straight forward mythbuster statements.

“Jeffries designed and trademarked the famous flying eyeball logo that Von Dutch is famous for and Dean airbrushed T-##### at car shows long before Ed “Big Daddy” Roth started doing so.”