Allison 22

[birdsandbees]

Funny how small a world it is, chatting on one of my airplane forums and talking cars and Southern Aero throws out "this is the last one I was working on" !  

[odcics2]

Funny how small a world it is, chatting on one of my airplane forums and talking cars and Southern Aero throws out "this is the last one I was working on" !  

Confirmed many years ago  by George Wallace that it's not a real Rossi car.

Probably a later built car, backdated to a 69.
Notice the rear wheels are forward in the wheelhouse?
1969 had a 117" wheelbase, 1971 was 115" wheelbase.
That could account for the difference you can see.
Or maybe was originally a Plymouth chassis, being a shorter wheelbase than a Dodge?

Nonetheless, a nicely done clone.  

[birdsandbees]

Interesting stuff!

His entry today in our car chat..

"Thats a nice lookin Bird! !I was in the military most of the time when the Hemi car was running. I worked for Mario Rossi as a kid before I went in the Army. After I got out late '70 I worked with Rossi again but it was the Kieth Black 305 CI engine instead of the Hemi as they could run without the restricter plates. Billy Rossi, Mario's son, is restoring the 305 car, was in Hot Rod magazine a few months back. He contacted me a few years ago and I helped him identify the car (roll cage welds) from some old pictures I had. If he gets it done it will surely be at Talladega................. me too. I was in Daytona with the last wing car to ever run Nascar driven by Dick Brooks."

[odcics2]

Roll cage welds? 

[birdsandbees]

Don't know him personally... just relaying the conversation! 

[warmpancakes]

Roll cage welds? 

wonder if there are pictures of the "roll cage welds" 

[sccachallenger]

Of course we aren't holding our breath anymore!

Will we ever see the "proof" of this chassis ancestry?

[birdsandbees]

Well he appears to have said photos from years past. Like I said just sharing a conversation and pictures, but like many posts here they always seems to stir a shit storm.

[odcics2]

Well he appears to have said photos from years past. Like I said just sharing a conversation and pictures, but like many posts here they always seems to stir a shit storm.

I wouldn't call it a "shit storm".

Folks are just curious as to what details make it the original 305, as raced at the 1971 Daytona 500.     

[sccachallenger]

Thanks Birdsandbees!

I'm sure you'll let us know if anything comes to light.

Just a crumb once in a while would be great.

No stirring required!

[birdsandbees]

I'll see what else I can get out of Southern Aero.. 

[birdsandbees]

Todays tidbit. Appears he gave Billy Rossi most of his pictures, hopefully he gets them back.  

I dont remember who took this pic. I was just a gopher. Go fer this.... go fer that........ Mostly ran tires kept the pit clean and stuff ready. Skip McCarthy is pouring gas, he's somewhere in FL now. Jimmy Madison from Hueytown AL is handing the coke to Brooks. I think thats Don also from Hueytown at the right front. Gary Wilson is there some place but not in the pic. I sent most all the pics I had to Billy Rossi. He's suppose to copy them and send them back. Rossi had 2 cars that Allison had driven. One car was sold to "Crawford Brothers???" around Atlanta. The other got converted and I have/had some pics of it with Gary and me working on it. There were 2 hand lettered dash plaques about 5 x 6 that said "CUSTOM BUILT FOR BOBBY ALLISON" .............. Gary got one and I got the other. I also worked with Cotton Owens a little back then too on the Marty Robbins car............. dyno testing trick stuff to get by the restrictor plates!

The verbage in "my signature" used below ................ "It doesn't cost anymore to go first class, you just can't stay as long" is a direct quote from Mario Rossi.

[odcics2]

Todays tidbit. Appears he gave Billy Rossi most of his pictures, hopefully he gets them back.  

I dont remember who took this pic. I was just a gopher. Go fer this.... go fer that........ Mostly ran tires kept the pit clean and stuff ready. Skip McCarthy is pouring gas, he's somewhere in FL now. Jimmy Madison from Hueytown AL is handing the coke to Brooks. I think thats Don also from Hueytown at the right front. Gary Wilson is there some place but not in the pic. I sent most all the pics I had to Billy Rossi. He's suppose to copy them and send them back. Rossi had 2 cars that Allison had driven. One car was sold to "Crawford Brothers???" around Atlanta. The other got converted and I have/had some pics of it with Gary and me working on it. There were 2 hand lettered dash plaques about 5 x 6 that said "CUSTOM BUILT FOR BOBBY ALLISON" .............. Gary got one and I got the other. I also worked with Cotton Owens a little back then too on the Marty Robbins car............. dyno testing trick stuff to get by the restrictor plates!

The verbage in "my signature" used below ................ "It doesn't cost anymore to go first class, you just can't stay as long" is a direct quote from Mario Rossi.

Thanks for the input. 

[RTDaddy]

I suspect the one sold to "the Crawford brothers" might be the Plymouth Dick Brooks won the 73 Talledega 500 with.  If so, that car probably had the wheel-base shortened for the 71/2 Plymouth body that was on that car.