1959 Balchowski Ol Yaller Mark III news, pictures, and information

Ol' Yaller Mark III was the third car in a series of ten racecars built by Southern California hot Rod legend Max Balchowski. Constructed in his garage on Hollywood Boulevard, it has a tube chassis and an aluminum body built from plans drawn in chalk on the shop floor. Ol' Yaller is powered by a 414-cubic inch Buick 'nailhead' v-8 engine, a popular choice among hot rodders of the day. Balchowski's cars were regarded as refined junkyard dogs and were therefore compared to the similarly named dog in Disney's film Old Yeller (1957), hence the name. In reality, the cars were well engineered, as evidenced by their victories over the exotic Jaguars, Ferraris, and Maseratis of the day.

Awards / Races:

Cal Club Regional - Pomona 1961

Riverside Grand Prix October 15, 1961. Ron Bucknum - Qualified 12th, Finished 5th.

Riverside Divisional Races June 22, 1963. Ron Bucknum - Won the race.

Riverside Pacific Coast Championship February 2, 1963. Bob Drake - Won the race.

Pomona Grand Prix April 20, 1963. Ron Bucknum - Won the race.

Track Record - Pomana 1961 - Bob Drake.
Track Record - Pomona 1962 - Ron Bucknum.

Collection of Petersen Automotive Museum. Gift of Dr. Bruce Jacobs

Source - Petersen Museum

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Ol' Yeller Mark III was the third car in a series of nine Ol' Yeller race cars built by Southern California hot rod legend Max Balchowski. Constructed in his garage on Hollywood Boulevard, this car has a tubular chassis and aluminum bodywork, and it is powered by the hot-rodders engine of choice, the 414 cubic-inch Buick V8. All of Balchowski's cars were regarded as refined junkyard dogs and were therefore named after the dog in Disney's 1957 film Old Yeller. Despite this tag, the cars were very well engineered and proved equal to competition from the likes of Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati.

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1959 Balchowski models
Balchowski Ol Yaller MKII

Balchowski: 1951-1960

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