The Gladiators

 

The Gladiators

Long before TV's "Overhaulin', 20" chrome custom wheels and hydraulic suspension, there was the "lead sled", an early fifties Boulevard Cruiser that weighed in at over two and a half tons and consumed more fuel than real estate. No one had a better array of lead sleds than our local Northport hot rod club, "The Torque Masters".

The year was 1958 and this group of charismatic young adults perfected the whole package. They had their souped up "living room on wheels" and a personal dress-code fashion statement which would later be copied by Fonzi and Sly Stallone. Their cars were fully accessorized with hood louvers, continental kits, spun aluminum hub caps, teardrop spotlights, fender skirts, lakes pipes, lowering blocks, nosed, decked, pin striped, decorative flames, tri-carbs and a distinctive aluminum license plate that hung from the rear bumper proclaiming their allegiance to the "Torque Masters"  Oh, those were the days. The “tri-carb” component was something that my dad thought they took for indigestion. How uncool!

Their personal ensemble included leather club jackets, sunglasses, pointy tip shoes, greasy hair, Garrison belts and a persona that suggested that they had no parents. This group of elitists seemed to be endowed with congenital mechanical skills above and beyond that of mortal men. Bypassing any kind of formal technical training, they seemed to inherently know more about cars than experienced mechanics who actually supported their families in this discipline. Buzz words like the Flathead Merc abounded. I assumed that the flathead must have referred to the shape of their haircut, but they were un-amused by such naive thoughts. They were mechanical royalty without patience for such ineptitude. In actuality, the term flathead referred to the valve configuration of the engine which had little if anything to do with horsepower and speed. The fact remains that the Ford Motor Company had been making flatheads since before Mom and Dad were married but Ford's flathead was a VEE EIGHT, the important distinction.

Not to diminish the overall cool of these guys........they were without a doubt, very cool. All the guys wanted to be a Torque Master and all the girls wanted to be with one. Owning a Boulevard cruiser and having a hot chick sit next to you while cruising Main Street was the ultimate in cool. Having her scarf tied to the rear view mirror brought extra credit.

Now this early day car club was not an outlaw club. They set the local standard for highway safety and provided an example for us budding young "Torque Master wannabees". In concert with Northport's finest and the Northport Fire Department, they forged the way for safe drag racing by establishing sanctioned races in The Steers Sand Pit which was fully supervised by the official powers that be. Competitive time trials started on the north end of Steers Avenue for a marked distance (I assume it was a quarter mile) using the hill at the south end of Steers Avenue for deceleration. I do believe that the races were open to non-club members as well. In actuality, many a family vehicle participated in those speed contests without Dad's knowledge. Nonetheless, the Torque Masters made it happen. People came from near and far to watch those Sunday afternoon drags in the pit, where the word muffler was non-existent. It was a time long before texting, the latte', I-phones, pedophiles, liability waivers, bodily injury attorneys, color television and even residential air conditioning. A time when people faced each other in a social situation, and had actual conversations.

What I couldn't have known in 1958 was that the Torque Masters were forging a place in society that would be the philosophical boiler plate for the rest of our lives. They demonstrated the benefits of working with the establishment and the good that became of their conviction in..."a time and a place for everything". Relatively speaking, those sanctioned auto races were in a controlled and safe environment. Relatively speaking, these young Torque Masters had respect for the law and for their elders.

It seems to me that society today, is backwards. The establishment must first consult with their staff lawyers for advice on liability when considering their positions with respect to petitioners. Special interest groups have to be accorded equal representation to be certain that their “rights” are preserved, exhaustive meetings must be held in advance of such undertakings and referendums abound. A process must be established and a precedence search performed. This process is bulky, expensive and ultimately ridiculous. I liked it better when we just dropped a line off the pier and made a day of it. Call me old school.