jensenracing77

Just got an email from the nephew of the original owner to our 62 4 speed Jetfire! I have been trying to get in contact with the family for the past year. Turns out that his aunt was the original owner of the car and even rumored to have raced it at a track that was located where the O’Hare International Airport is located today. If I understand, it was circle track racing?

He sent me a picture that was taken of the car when it was NEW!!! The date on the picture of when it was developed is November 62. The leaves are green and this is in Chicago so it had to be the summer before November 62. You can’t see it in the posted picture but if blown up, the license plate appears to be 62. The white walls are wider than I expected but these are the 15 inch wheels also. If you look close you will see a paper in the passenger side windshield, That paper is still there!

timholliday

Very cool!

zeeke

That's nice. Do you still have it and if so what's it look like now?

anthonyP

Sharp looking car. The design looks so much better with the 15" rims/tires and trim rings. What is the paper in the windshield? An automatic & 4-speed Jetfire, a W-30, and a 442 convertible - nice collection. Something different to suit your driving mood.

jensenracing77

Here it is as I got it and after I cleaned it up. It was parked in 1974 and never on the road again till 2015.

After looking at my pictures, I forgot that I pulled that paper off and put it in the glove box when I cleaned it up. Also noticed that the one I pulled off was not in the same position as the one in the 62 picture. It is some kind of parking permit so it must have been changed from the original picture and 74 when it was parked.

jensenracing77

I agree, the 15's are much nicer looking. I hope to have both 442's sold this year

jaunty75

This seems a little unlikely given that the predecessor to what is now O'Hare Airport has been there since 1942, or 20 years before your car was even built.

The site began as an aircraft manufacturing plant for Douglas Aircraft Company in 1942, became Orchard Field Airport (the source of O'Hare's ORD airport code) in 1945, and was renamed O'Hare International Airport in 1949. "O'Hare" comes from Edward O'Hare, the U. S. Navy's first flying of ace of World War II.

MDchanic

Those photos deserve to be posted larger.








- Eric

jensenracing77

Thanks guys. I would not know about the racing stuff. It is just what I was told by two un related people now. Only one of them said where he thought the track was. Some stranger came to me at MCACN and said he knew the car and was after it for years. He also said she raced the car but did not say where.

It is a little scary what you can find out on the net. The paper on the window has an address and I googled it. Then compared it to the video that Ryan Brutt filmed of this car from where it had sit since 1974. Then compared it to the original picture. Also compared all that to the original 07-02-1962 title that I have. All the addresses match up and the street view for google matches the sidewalks from 1962. This car was at this house from July 1962 till July 2015. Driven 44,027 miles and parked in 1974 till 2015

jensenracing77

Compare the sidewalk distance from the road at the end of this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5Zl-hdM40k&t=209s

hurst68olds

"O’Hare Stadium, part of the Chicagoland racing scene for 13 years, was located just southwest of the corner of Mannheim and Irving Park Road in Schiller Park. The speedway, which operated between 1956 through 1968, was initially surrounded by farm fields and was situated just south of Chicago’s famed O’Hare International Airport."

O'HARE STADIUM

jensenracing77

Thank you! Very cool. Now just to find pictures of this car racing would be really cool!

hurst68olds

I doubt it was a circle-track "race" car - she worked there, was the race queen, pace car or something else would be more probable

I'm sure it has some interesting history - now you have to find it & separate fact from fiction!

jensenracing77

In the excitement of reading his email with the picture I did misread the racing part. I had ask him if she had ever drag raced it because that is what the guy said at MCACN. His response to that was... "I don't believe she drag raced the car. Rumor has it, the car did a few laps around the race track that was on O hare airport property"

Troys Toy 70

Man Eric, not only do you find cool cars, but you get the cool stories to go with them! Congrats!!

sammy

Awesome!

jensenracing77

I work hard to find the history of a car. To me the history is a major part of the car and willing to work for it. I was getting frustrated with this car because I could not find out anything about it. I got it from a middle man that would not give me the owners family information. I was to the point that I was considering selling the car after the turbo was done for the lack of history. Now that I am getting somewhere I am getting excited about the car again.

From the picture, I now know that the spare tire is the original also.

Olds442redberet

Man! Great looking car with a great story to go with it. Awesome!

2blu442

Way cool Eric! Congrats on finding so much about its past.

John

1969w3155

Great info and pics. Just a good looking car.

Ancient Iron

That's a real cool car and it's nice to know it's history. I wonder what became of the '57 Chevy 150 in the back round, Not many of them around either

droldsmorland

Such a cool piece of Olds history. And it in great shape.

Olds64

The stories our cars would tell if they could talk. You are actually getting part of that story! Very cool!

jstrits

very cool eric!

70-442-W30

I stared at these pics for about 10 minutes before typing anything. It is always a great thing when history, hard work, and luck combine to make something like this happen. Beautiful machine, then and now.

damaged442

Very cool!~ I would love to be able to find out some more history of my cars...

bw1339

Very cool.

A few years ago, I had the fortune of speaking with the original buyer of my '66 Toronado. He lived at the same address in Colorado that was listed in the POP. He bought the car right after getting out of the air force in 1965. Very nice man, but he didn't remember much about the car and all he wanted to talk about was the BMW he owned afterwards

My car came with a thick folder full of receipts, most of them from a man -also in CO- who spent a lot of money on it back in the 80s and early 90s. I cry when I see what he paid for a repaint and new tires... It took me some digging, but I was able to speak with him.

jensenracing77

Looks like you enjoy searching for the history as much as I do.

car_designer

Cool story, great that you were able to get more of it.