Owners: Mac Jameson, Dave McClellan & Ron Koontz from Santa Monica, California

1960-1961

Owners:

Malcom (Mac) Rey Jameson

Born:  May 24th 1937 Lompac, CA -July 27th 2001 Tulare,CA

Bio:

Mac grew up in Tulare CA, then later on moved in 1954 to Santa Monica to go work for the Edison Company. Mac built an awesome 1937 Chevy coupe that he had Dave drive in D-Gas. This Chevy coupe ran a best of 12.52 at 110mph at San Fernando in Nov 1959. Mac end up buying a bone stock 1937 Fiat Topolino which he than started to build into what would become the Lee's Speed Shop Fiat by using the motor from the '37 Chevy. Mac also joined the Santa Monica charter of the T-Timers car club along with his childhood friend from Tulare Gene Mangrum. Mac eventually became the president of the T-Timers car club of Santa Monica. Mac was the builder & mechanic for the car.

David (Dave) Gene McClellan

Born: Sept 30th 1938 Comanche ,TX -June 18th 2006 Thousand Oaks, CA

Bio:

Dave McClellan moved from De Leon Texas to El Monte, CA when he was 3. In 1956 Dave meet his new co-work at National Glass Company Gene Mangrum. Gene introduce Mac to Dave which they hit it off to become best friends/roommates. In 1959 Dave & Mac went on to build & race a 1937 Chevy coupe in D-Gas.  In 1960 Mac & Dave pulled the motor from the coupe before selling it. They used that motor in the newly inquired Fiat they bought which became the Lee Speed & Reath Automotive  Fiat that Dave piloted. After the 1963 Winternationals they end up selling the Fiat to Joe Davis. Dave went on to race a 57 ford car & then a rail dragster. One day in 1964 at Lions Drag Strip Dave was in his rail dragster. He went to make a pass & at the big end the parachutes never deployed. He ran through the sand trap headed towards the road. Once the car came to a stop, he handed his gear to Mac, then walked to his car & drove home 35mph the whole way. That’s the day he walked away from the sport of drag racing. He never drove fast anywhere, never had anything with a big motor & never talked about his drag racing early days after that point. Dave was also at one point the president of the T-Timers car club of Santa Monica as well.


Ronald (Ron) Charles Koontz

Born:  Sept 21st 1935 Santa Monica, CA -Dec 10th 2000 La Quinta, CA 

Bio:

Ron grew up working for his parents Koontz Hardware store in Santa Monica, CA. Ron was the financial backing & promoter for the car. Ron would order all the parts needed, book the hotels, map out the gas stops & book match races for the team. Also Ron used his 1960 white El Camino for the tow rig & his trailer. Ron went on after his racing days to work for Downey Toyota dealership parts dept. were then retired and moved to the desert of La Quinta.

History:

We believe this car started life in 1960.  Mac Jameson spotted a stock 1937 Fiat Topolino in a gentleman's driveway & then brought it home. At the time Dave McClellan & Mac Jamson were racing a 1937 Chevy coupe in D/Gas class. They decide to pull the motor from the chevy coupe which was '56 265 bored & stroke to a 294 cu in. The motor had Engle roller cam, lifters & rockers, Grant piston rings, Howards aluminum rods, stock heads, Weiand intake, Hilborn two port, GMC 4:71 blower, Crager front drive, Vertex mag, Eelco tank & a La Salle trans. Chassis for the Fiat was built by Ed Weddell with stock 1934 front suspension with no brakes & rear was a coil spring suspension with '50 Lincoln drum brakes. The new chassis had a wheel base of 96". 

Painter & Striper:

Notable appearances & ET times:

Special thanks to the McClellan, Jameson & Koontz family's for all the amazing detail story's & photo's shared. Also another thank you to the neighborhood kid at the time Bill Lackey & Mac's best friend Gene Mangrum for all their source of detail information.