Max Balchowsky 1
Nobody is more deserving of a page on
this site than Max & Ina Balchowsky. Together, this
husband and
wife team built the Old Yeller cars that defined this era of California
racing.
The Old Yeller legend began when Max
and partner Eric Hauser acquired a Special built by Dick
Morgensen of Phoenix, Arizona. Max applied his
skills, modifying
and upgrading almost every part of the car, and created a potent threat
for overall wins.
| Max in fast company at Palm Springs
in #70 Old Yeller Mk.1.
Carroll Shelby drives the huge Maserati
450S #98, and Dick Morgenson #46 is in his next project, a Devin-bodied
Special.
(Photo contributed by Mike Larkin)
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Here's Max at Santa Barbara in Old Yeller
I. He shared the driving with his then-partner,
Eric
Hauser.
With this car and other Old Yellers to
follow, Max showed that guile, intelligence, sound engineering and
"Cubic
inches" could often defeat "Cubic money" on the racetrack.
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Photo by Bob Tronolone, contributed
by Mike Larkin) In l959. Max and Hauser parted company.
Max put the Buick engine into his new car, Old Yeller
II.
He claims to have spent only $1456.72 to build this beast.
While still crude-looking, Old Yeller
II was a well-designed, well-developed threat for overall wins against
all comers. Bob
Drake, shown
below at Santa Barbara in 1960, had many memorable drives in the car.
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| Drake finished 2nd to
Bill
Krause's Birdcage and ahead of Augie Pabst's
ultra-potent "Meister
Brauser" Scarab
at the 1960 "L.A.
Times Grand Prix" at Riverside.
Dan
Gurney and Carroll Shelby also drove Old Yeller II.
Gurney declared
it "The best handling car I've ever driven". (This must have
been
before the Arciero Bros. Lotus Mk.19 appeared.)
(Photo contributed by Mike Larkin)
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(2-25-14) Excellent
episode of "Behind the Headlights"
featuring the wonderful story of Max
& Ina Balchowsky
and
the Old Yeller cars (featuring Old Yeller II.)
John
Brophy and Jerry
Entin raced
the car in 1963-64
Dr.
Ernie Nagamatsu is the proud owner of Old Yeller II today!
Mike Larkin
restored Old Yeller I and recently sold the car -- see it as it looks
today!
More
Max Balchowsky/Old Yeller history on the pages below!
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Max
Balchowsky --
2: Old Yeller III
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Max
Balchowsky --
3: Old Yeller IV/V/IX
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Max
Balchowsky --
4: Old Yeller Reunion
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Max
Balchowsky --
5: Old Yeller IV "Camera Car"
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Max
Balchowsky --
6: Old Yeller VI "Godzilla"
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Max
Balchowsky --
7: Old Yeller Updates
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Max
Balchowsky --
8: The Doretti-Buicks
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Max
Balchowsky --
9: Old Yeller VII at Watkins Glen
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Next: Alan
Connell -- Maserati Type 61-Ferrari
Back to: Merle
Brennan
Back to: New
Homepage
All photographs and
text
are the property of Mike Larkin and are protected under United States
and
international copyright laws. All rights are reserved and the
images
and/or text may not be digitized, reproduced, stored, manipulated,
and/or
incorporated into other works without the written permission of the
photographer,
Mike Larkin
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