I'm going to Midland this weekend

Look at the 2E with the big wing, the 2H, the 2J sucker car and the 2K Indy Car. Watch the 2D run around the parking lot. Have dinner with Jim Hall and get a book signed. Should be a great weekend.

Sorta related, check out the back corner of Jim Hall II’s Porsche from Pikes Peak. 

Are yougoing?  When you're there, notice how small the venturis are on the Yellow Submarine by today's standards.  Enjoy the museum, it's heaven for those of us who were there to see these cars run in anger. Also notice how small the 2C is compared to today's huge F1 and Indy cars, and how the cars morphed from one to another over the years.  I'll be interested to hear how Jim Hall is doing, haven't heard much about him the last few years, I'm in the running for his biggest fan!  back in the day we fans waited anxiously to see what new ideas he'd come up with each year.  I was at Las Vegas when he had his accident, and my parents were at the Glen when Jackie Stewart drove the 2J sucker (I was in Arizona).  Saw Roger Penske sub for Hap Sharp at a Glen USRRC race mid-60s - maybe 63?  Still have my Chaparral hat and shirt from the time I visited the museum.

The running of the Chaparrals...

And a few more inside the museum...

There was a giant jack rabbit in front of the hotel in Odessa. I think it is the official city critter.

They were everywhere ...

I took my kids and father to COTA for an IMSA/WEC race and Mr Hall was there with the above car.  We were sitting eating lunch and he and a mechanic started/warmed up the car and drove off right by us, so cool.

Excellent!  What a great experience for Chaparral fans.  If anyone is interested in the Chaparrals, or the Can-Am series, this museum is a must.  It's not big, but it is a treasure.  You can literally get inches from the cars.

Jim Pettengill said:

Are yougoing?  When you're there, notice how small the venturis are on the Yellow Submarine by today's standards.  Enjoy the museum, it's heaven for those of us who were there to see these cars run in anger. Also notice how small the 2C is compared to today's huge F1 and Indy cars, and how the cars morphed from one to another over the years.  I'll be interested to hear how Jim Hall is doing, haven't heard much about him the last few years, I'm in the running for his biggest fan!  back in the day we fans waited anxiously to see what new ideas he'd come up with each year.  I was at Las Vegas when he had his accident, and my parents were at the Glen when Jackie Stewart drove the 2J sucker (I was in Arizona).  Saw Roger Penske sub for Hap Sharp at a Glen USRRC race mid-60s - maybe 63?  Still have my Chaparral hat and shirt from the time I visited the museum.

You would have a lot of competition for biggest fan on Saturday. There were at least 100 people in line to get their book signed. And Jim sat there and signed every single one of them. We didn't just get to get up next to them, we got to eat next to them. The banquet was right there in the museum. And we got to go into the shop and watch them prepare the 2D for its run.

Here is Jim Hall along with author George Levy signing books during the event. Yeah. I got one.

And speaking of autographs, Johnny Rutherford was in the audience that day too.

fantastic, I'm ordering the book tomorrow to go with my copy of the falconer/Nye book.  Hall looks pretty good for his age, very glad to see that.

That might be the only cool thing in Midland-Odessa. I'm surprised those cars survived the roads there. 

DirtyBird222 said:

That might be the only cool thing in Midland-Odessa. I'm surprised those cars survived the roads there. 

I doubt if these cars ever leave the parking lot at the Petroleum Museum unless they are getting on a trailer to Goodwood or the Monterey Historics. In the old days there was Rattlesnake Raceway but that has now deteriorated to the point of being a huge lot with a couple of oil derricks operating on it. It's out in the boonies South of town. There is still a shop there and the sign says "Chaparral Cars". I think this is were all the cars were built. There are still trucks and trailers parked around it and it still looks like it is being used.

I actually thought of retiring out to Midland. Mrs. Snowdoggie has relatives out there and I actually think they owned some oil wells at one time. Surprisingly enough, the houses out there are not much cheaper than the ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area and those prices are stupid expensive. The cheaper houses are out in places like Pecos and Van Horn. Sometimes I think it would be nice to live out in the middle of nowhere and away from the insanity.

Rattlesnake Raceway is right behind the Chaparral facility.  You can't really see anything of it from the road.   They ran some races there, but primarily used it for testing the Chaparrals.  

When the Chaparral wing of the Petroleum Museum opened, they DROVE the cars to the museum.

I've been to a couple of the Chaparral events, and got to meet Jim Hall.  Neat place, a couple of hours from where I live in Lubbock.

Snowdoggie, the Permian Basin has its own brands of insanity.

I think San Angelo or Abilene are much nicer than Odessa/Midland these days. Pricing is crazy in both of those places too. The only thing that sticks out from any trip through the Permian basin is how bad the roads are and how a lot of the people are not pleasant. 

I've got something cool to check out next time I'm there now. Never knew about that museum! 

slantvaliant (Forum Supporter) said:

Rattlesnake Raceway is right behind the Chaparral facility.  You can't really see anything of it from the road.   They ran some races there, but primarily used it for testing the Chaparrals.  

When the Chaparral wing of the Petroleum Museum opened, they DROVE the cars to the museum.

I've been to a couple of the Chaparral events, and got to meet Jim Hall.  Neat place, a couple of hours from where I live in Lubbock.

Snowdoggie, the Permian Basin has its own brands of insanity.

 

I have lived in Colorado Ski Towns like Edwards and Vail. I'm not sure small towns get any more insane than that.