In terms of Bonneville history, the 1964 land speed battle on the salt waged between Art Arfons, Craig Breedlove, and to some degree by Walt Arfons will stand in history as a crowning moment. This was the year that Breedlove and Arfons traded high speed blows and also the record back and forth multiple times over the span of little more than a month on the salt. This film called “Art Arfons and His Green Monster” is spectacular as it follows the saga from the Arfons side as Art ultimately left the salt with the record that year. The part we love most about it, outside of the period footage, awesome narration, and history oozing from its pores is the manner in which it approaches the story.
See, Arfons was (in our opinion) every bit the hot rodder that Mickey Thompson was in many respect but he came at it from a completely different direction. Both men are legends and both men are rightfully seen as giants of all-time, but Arfons was the more BangShifty of the two guys. Outside of tires from Firestone, the entire car was built on Pickle Road in Akron, Ohio by a gang of farmers, tinkerers, and mechanics that had no big backing or fancy stuff. The narrator takes us through the car and goes over stuff like the parachute launcher that Arfons made out of a 12-gauge shotgun or how he made a forming machine for $32.00 to help make the body. The film claims that the car was built on a budget of $10,000, which is about 5% of what the next cheapest competitor’s car was built for. We’d also be comfortable arguing that the Green Monster is the ultimate hot rod ever built. It is basically a J-79 turbine with wheels, a seat, and a fancy engine cover. The car was the engine and the engine was the car.
If you are already getting cranked up for SCTA Speed Week 2018 let this video amp you up even more. The history is amazing, the people are great, and the footage is beyond spectacular. This is Art Arfons (RIP) and his Green Monster.
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE THIS AWESOME 1960S FILM LIONIZING ART ARFONS’ CAPTURE OF THE LAND SPEED RECORD AT BONNEVILLE –
