(first posted 11/14/2012)
Dr. Niedermeyer’s brief fling with a 1961 Ford Starliner was as amusing as it was confounding. How could one of the world’s leading authorities on electroencephalography be conned by his young son into buying for street use what was essentially a race car? Whatever the answer, I’m glad Paul was able to bamboozle his dad.
The 1961 Ford Starliner two-door hardtop was a clean design for the last year of the both the elegant Starliner roof and fins on full-size Fords. This particular ’61 Starliner is owned by George Poteet, a Mississippi entrepreneur with a collection of more than 120 cars. Poteet doesn’t like trailer queens or non-drivers–all the cars in his collection have keys in the ignition.
Poteet has a particular affinity for Bonneville, and he frequently shows up there with more than one car. His “Speed Demon” streamliner has run as fast as 436 mph (700 kph) on a 404 mph record. His “Blowfish”, a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, has run 291 mph (468 kph). His Camel Toe Racing ’61 Ford doesn’t get much press, having run a mere 206 mph (330 kph) at a 228 mph (367 kph) record. My rule book is packed up for shipping to Utah, so I’m not sure what size engine class “C” is, but I believe it’s a 358 cu in (5.7 liter) Roush NASCAR motor.
Aside from a front air dam and a hood blister, the bodywork is stock. OK, the little gold orbs on the front fender gunsights aren’t there, but otherwise it’s stock.
Hey, why spend a ton of money creating Bonneville “what ifs” when guys like George Poteet might have already done so?
Next Up: Bonneville: 1953 Mabee Special
Hey look, something good coming from Mississippi for a change.
Close, but still sexist.
What a car! Wow, full out for land speed yet all the Starliner trim, incredible.
That’s a real exhaust port ahead of the rear wheel, right? Does the pipe pass through the cabin or what? Also, what’s all that on the rear bumper, some sort of hitch?
Best part is the cross-hatching on the headlights, like the grille only diagonal. Crazy eyes give its face an insane grin!
On the rear: that looks like a combo parachute mount and push bar. The cars have such low gearing that they get a push start from another vehicle at the starting line.
I see by the “Memphis Street Rods” on the front fender that the car probably hails from the Olive Branch area, in other words suburban Memphis. Iirc that’s where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hails from too.
That’s a fine-looking Starliner. I loved that top shape when it showed up on 1956 Lincoln and 1957 Plymouth two-door hardtops.
Finally – one of these can reach a speed where the fins provide the promised directional stability.
Must be some serious power to push that car to over 200 MPH. I have a article on a 1963 Ford Stock car and it ran 155 MPH top speed.
That was Fred Lorenzen’s Holman and Moody #28. It was running a 3.55 rear end gear and pretty much a stock body. In 1987 Car and Driver ran a test with Tim Richmond’s Folgers Pontiac and it ran 243 mph, 2 mph faster than Al Holbert’ Porsche 962. Today’s NASCAR stockers are much slipperier and routinely hit 205 mph on mile and a half tracks.
Hmmm…It’s number is 281…Built late 4.6L???
Did I ever tell you all about the time my father decided to take us on a vacation to Bonneville in his ’61 Starliner….?
Oh please do.
Actually that might make a good film, sort of Mr. Bean meets The World’s Fastest Indian.
Since this is Camel Toe racing I think they’ve got the hood scoop mounted upside down.
It wasn’t a Starliner, but neighbors when I was a kid had a 61 Country Squire. It was that “peanut butter” colored light brown and even though my family had a 60 Country Sedan and then a 64 Country Squire I thought that 61 was the best looking of the 3…..as I’ve said before, the 61 is my fave of the 60-64 Fords. And I prefer the 2 door hardtops to the convertible….be it this “fastback” or the more formal “square-bird” roofline.
I hope they washed that all off
No new Starliners over here but there were a few of these Tank Fairlanes around years ago, this body in fordor but a lower trim level, none that went that quick though.
There was a couple in my neighborhood that bought one of these new in 1961,the color was Fords pale yellow. Very pretty. They then proceeded to paint their house,a small ranch as I recall…..the same pale yellow!! I was only ten years old, but that seemed pretty cool….