Dale Lambrose/”Ike” Iacono

From 1952 to 1957, this 1929 nitro/methane-burning Ford Model A was one of the most successful drag-racing roadsters on the Southern California drag racing scene. Built and owned by Dale Lambrose of San Pedro, it followed convention in its basic configuration, meaning the ‘29 body was channeled over a ’32 Ford frame, with a dropped front axle and a ’39 Ford rear with a Halibrand quick-change center section. What separated this car from most other hot rods of the era was its powerplant. Instead of the usual hopped-up Ford flathead V8, this car ran a (bored) 302 cubic-inch inline-six-cylinder GMC truck engine with a very rare 12-port Horning-Fisher cylinder head and an equally rare Hillborn fuel-injection system. In an interview many years later, Dale recalled that the car, always driven by fellow hot-rodder Frank “Ike” Iacono, won every race it ran, winning Top Eliminator at Lions drag strip in 1955. Lambrose sold the car in 1957 with the imminent banning of nitro/methane, and it soon disappeared from the scene. It was found in the 1980s, somewhat the worse for wear and missing the intake manifold and fuel injection unit. Restored in the early 2000s, its engine now wearing both rare items , the car became part of the 3 Dog Garage collection in 2023.