A Slice of So Cal Drag Racing History
In the early 1950’s Southern California was a hub for drag racing. From San Diego to the Central Valley, the air was filled with loud headers and tire smoke. Mike Bamber was one of those young local racers who would drive from the high school parking lot to campaign his 1940 Ford in the quarter mile. Son of a rancher in Escondido, Mike soon transformed his stocker to a full competition drag car. He continued to campaign the car throughout the 1950’s ending it’s reign in 1959. At that time he was also racing his 1941 Willys Gasser truck “Silver Dollar” until he hung up his race suit in 1969.
The Bamber 40 features a bored and stroked 283 SBC with Hillborn injection, LaSalle transmission and Chevy posi rear. The car is maintained as original and still has an old Orange County Drag Strip time slip in the drivers side visor showing a 13.24 quarter mile time in 1959. Take a closer look. The car is on-view at Blacktop Depot and available for purchase at $55,000.00.