Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Larry Bell's donation in 1947 of the Bell Model 47 helicopter (registration NC-3H, serial number 5) to the Burgard Vocational High School Aviation Department in Buffalo, New York to train future helicopter mechanics.. The 5th Bell Model 47 ever built, one of the oldest surviving Bell helicopters in the world.
the 'Bangert Manta Ray'
The 1955 Bangert Manta Ray was the second car that Noel Bangert built and offered to the public. It's styling was inspired by the 1954 Buick Wildcat II show car.
The purpose of the open wheel wells was to create a larger cooling area for the front brakes.
Three race cars were built and two of these exist today. One on a Kurtis Kraft chassis and one built on a custom tube chassis
Noel Bangert was a man of many talents, from car designer, automotive styling critic and later, Hollywood producer.
His marriage to Tippi Hedren (1964 – ’84) and growing career in the movie business certainly did.
Following his car design days, Bangert changed his last name to Marshall, and is perhaps best known as the executive producer of the 1973 horror blockbuster The Exorcist.
https://www.undiscoveredclassics.com/forgotten-fiberglass/lost-car-bill-freedmans-bangert-manta-ray-race-car
https://silodrome.com/bangert-manta-ray/
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/restored-1956-bangert-manta-ray-the-embodiment-of-forgotten-fiberglass-to-debut-at-amelia-island/
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
it's easy to spot the people who are native to So Cal, and those that moved here... the natives feel cold at anything under 80 degrees. Those of us that moved here are shirtless over 65 degrees - Both are facing the camera in this photo
Bill Freedman's Bangert Manta Ray Special at the Riverside Raceway Half Mile Drags
1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow Sedan, borrowed from Graham the fish scales in the paint innovation, to create the iridescent Pearl Essence paint finish
His rakish design evolved into a sporty sedan with a low roofline, envelope front and skirted rear fenders, and faired-in headlamp nacelles.
With its 175-brake horsepower V-12, a Silver Arrow could top 115 mph. In a sea of boxy sedans, the sleek Pierce-Arrow show car was the height of modernity. Five hand-built Silver Arrows toured 1933 auto shows, where they caused a sensation.
At the Chicago Century of Progress, the Silver Arrow upstaged Cadillac’s Aero-Dynamic coupe, Duesenberg’s “Twenty Grand,” and Packard’s “Car of the Dome,” with its audacious, aircraft-like shape.
Priced at a then-expensive $10,000, the Silver Arrow was one of thirty-eight different 1933 Pierce-Arrow models.
Priced at a then-expensive $10,000, the Silver Arrow was one of thirty-eight different 1933 Pierce-Arrow models.
After succumbing in mid-1938, Pierce-Arrow is best remembered for its magnificent Silver Arrow. This is one of three survivors.
I photographed it in person in 2014 at the Phoenix Concours, the gallery is at https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-1933-pierce-arrow-silver-arrow-it.html the spare tire is hidden in the passenger side front fender... you can barely see the break in the body work
I recommend looking at the details in the design, like the door handles.
Tomorrow is Veterans Day... and there are some companies extending some appreciation with offers to vets and active duty
Fill out the form on their site to get a voucher (a bit ridiculous that only people with email addresses can get one!) (Grrr!)
you can refuse to click the boxes
you will get this "huh... something went wrong when you didn't sign up for our nonsense spam" BUT the voucher and code still arrived in my email
and if they don't like the free publicity, they can fix their website
Monday, November 09, 2026
this post will lead you into the next one! IT's a Billy Gibbons hot rod 42 Ford with a bar/hotel hunting/fishing camp logo of a place that Billy co-owns since 2023
I see a couple ZZ Top things in the above image
The exact year that the original Wise River Hotel was established is as hard to nail down as the perfect fishing spot on the Big Hole River, but the earliest available records indicate that the property was owned by C. M. Pyle in 1900.
State and county records prior to 1900 are lacking, but Pyle’s family reported in his obituary that he established the hotel in 1896, only a few years after Montana became a state in 1889. The first known advertisement for the hotel appeared in The Butte Daily Post (Butte, Montana) on Thursday, November 12, 1914.
In the advertisement, C. M. Pyle stated that interested parties wanting to stay at the hotel could write or phone and he would have a stage sent to meet them in Divide, Montana, some 12 miles away.
In 2023, the Wise River Club, which has long since been expanded to include a bar, restaurant, cabin, rentals, and nightly RV rental spots, was purchased by Montana-native and Top 40 rock and roller Tim Montana (raised in Elk Park, MT) and Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top (Tim’s friend and mentor) along with a group of financial partners with connections and history in the valley.
In 2023, the Wise River Club, which has long since been expanded to include a bar, restaurant, cabin, rentals, and nightly RV rental spots, was purchased by Montana-native and Top 40 rock and roller Tim Montana (raised in Elk Park, MT) and Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top (Tim’s friend and mentor) along with a group of financial partners with connections and history in the valley.
The new owners strive to maintain the integrity and legacy of the Wise River Club by providing the same authentic Montana experience when you stop by, with a few updates to entice your taste buds and musical inclinations.
So, whether you are a movie star stopping by on the way to a wild west movie set (there have been several over the years), a star-crazed Yellowstone fan who moved to Montana to experience the “cowboy way”, or a local hunter looking to “shoot the bull” and share your hunting stories, Tim and the Wise River Club invite you to come on in and experience the charm of a small-town Montana past and see the great collection of horns, artifacts, and stories (some are actually true) that the club has collected over the years.
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