Adolf Streets
TEXT: ADOLFO CALLES / PHOTOS: MECUM AUCTIONS (STUDY)
A '64 Ford Galaxie Hardtop, nothing special or exciting for the true lover of the classics, right? Even if we had a soft spot for the American car the image of this black car would not last on our screens for more than 3 seconds. So why is he at La Escudería? Why do I have to read the juicy story that follows? The reason is simple; on rare occasions, the stars of the mechanical universe align themselves. And from there come cars and stories worthy of having a chapter in The Great History of the Automobile.
We have all the ingredients: An engineer with the ideas of a firefighter, an eccentric and talented millionaire and his fearful wife, fed up with picking up her husband from the hospital due to his insatiable thirst for speed. Let us first introduce Zach Reynolds, fundamental piece in this history, owner of the car and other artifacts destined to be the fastest, without compromise. Good old Zach is the grandson of RJ Reynolds, one of the first tycoons in history. Thanks to his innovative ideas about tobacco marketing, Grandpa Reynolds amasses a fortune that makes him pass as one of the richest men in the world, laying the foundation of a prosperous life for his family for generations.
Zack Reynolds, or the problem of speed
We might think that Zach is nothing more than a capricious rich boy but we would be far from reality: despite living on a ranch where the garden is measured in hectares, surrounded by all kinds of luxuries, he is educated at the local Winston high school, in North Carolina. There he shows a knack for motor vehicles and breaking the law with them; already as a teenager They withdraw, at the insistence of his mother, his driver's license, A circumstance that solves preparing a tractor with an infernal engine, a vehicle that can be driven without special permits ...
At that time his parents were already divorced, and despite his father disinheriting him, the family's parallel businesses allow him to continue enjoying a well-off economy that opens the doors for him. to their mechanical delusions. He collects high-performance motorcycles that he modifies to his liking and already has a few muscle cars, which undoubtedly know little to him. His quest for speed takes him to Europe where he participates in no less than the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Isle of Man TT; incidentally he became friends with some young men from Liverpool known as the Beatles or the Who. His overwhelming and flat personality went where not only money takes you, and his days of pleasure and speed reached unimaginable heights.
Ford Galaxie 'Turbonique', laying down its head
This is where his wife enters the scene, sick of so much debauchery, never better said. He makes him promise that he won't buy any more sports cars… and Zach obeys, buying the Galaxie at hand. The car leaves the factory with a 8 cubic inch V390, 6400 cc of American muscle. The engine lasts less than a month and gives way to a 427 (7 liters) with a Latham compressor and four Carter carburettors ... But it is still little. This is where it comes into the picture Eugene Middlebrooks an engineer who has spent a couple of years putting turbines to everything he catches under the trade name of Turbonic. Years before, Mr. Middlebrooks had patented a compressor based on an electric turbine first and solid fuel later, doubling the power of the engines without problem.
His next invention became popular on the dragster tracks: A 1000 hp turbine that delivered its power to the rear differential. It is not very difficult to guess that Zach Reynolds was immediately attracted to the new invention, modifying the Galaxie in 1966 directly at the Turbonique facility in Orlando. Zach was especially picky, and the Ford trim level attests to that. However, he shouldn't be very careful as the car lacks a reinforcement cage, buffers or even decent seat belts. Anyway, it was the only road car that had a turbine axle fitted, so logic didn't have much of a place here. The 1600 horses that the black Galaxie had allowed it to go beyond 300 km per hour, but the truth is that the fun did not last long, it was almost impossible to get the car out.
How to get rid of Tobacco King?
The 70s arrived, new friends (McQueen or Dylan among others) and Zach's hobbies continued to seek the limit. Guns, stunt planes, and the fastest bikes you could buy arrived. Trips, lovers, Ferrari Daytona, Cobra Shelby modified ... But the Galaxie was always in the garage. Maybe it was her favorite or maybe the only one who gave her some respect. In 1979 Zach Reynolds died in a local aviation accident despite the fact that his premonitory dreams had led him to give up acrobatics and flying.
For his part, Mr. Middlebrooks had closed his company due to the demands of clients who saw, or rather felt, their cars explode, literally. His time in prison made him abandon his dream and fall into oblivion, although Turbonique has remained a mythical name, a clear example of the madness of the time.
And the Galaxie? Zach's crowded garage had seen some of his best parts go, but the old Ford was still there. In 1994 his daughter decided to sell the car, which passed into the hands of enthusiasts and friends of the deceased. In 2008 the Mecum auction house included it as a star lot in the auction held in Indianapolis. The engine had been resurrected by an old Nascar mechanic and the car looked like its best days, with a meager 4000 miles on its meter. The shortwave radio and all the special equipment is there, even its original paint ...
U.S. dollar 375.000 is the final price. If I had them, I would pay for them.
