1963 Ol' Yaller Mark IX Sports Racer
401ci 'Nailhead' Buick V8 Engine
4 Twin-Choke Weber Carburetors
310bhp at 4,200rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Coil Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Hydraulic Front Disc - Rear Drum Brakes
*The ninth and final Ol' Yaller built by legendary racer and Hot Rodder Max Balchowsky
*A true icon from the Southern California Sports Car Racing Golden Era
*Competitive vintage racer with great potential to win
*Offered from the Petersen Automotive Permanent Collection
MAX BALCHOWSKY AND THE OL' YALLERS
Mention the name Max Balchowsky to a racing enthusiast and most will immediately recognize him as one of the most innovative and successful builders of race car specials during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He served in World War II as a B-24 belly turret gunner and learned his trade racing Hot Rods on the dry lakes of El Mirage, Bonneville, and the streets of Southern California before turning to road racing against sports cars imported from Europe and England.
Max and his wife Ina Balchowsky opened the doors of Hollywood Motors in 1949 to both build their own race cars and to work on the cars of their fellow racers. They quickly became famous for their ability to swap any engine into any car, and for many years, the company letterhead stated: "We can replace anything with anything." Several of his engine swaps were illustrated in Hot Rod Magazine at the time.
Beginning in 1957, Balchowsky and his wife designed, built, and raced a limited number of sports racing cars. His first two were named Old Yeller after the dog in Disney's 1957 film who was yellow, mangy and unwanted. Disney didn't like that, so Balchowsky changed the spelling of his cars to 'Ol' Yaller', due to their pale-yellow paint scheme. His early chassis were literally drawn up on the shop floor, and the cars were assembled from various performance parts, equipped with powerful Buick V8 engines and then driven to and from the races. Balchowsky would race the cars himself or enlist noted drivers including Dan Gurney, Bob Drake, Chuck Daigh, Billy Krause, Carroll Shelby and Ronnie Bucknum. The Ol' Yallers would compete against the best in the world including Ferraris, Maseratis, Aston Martins, Jaguars, Corvettes, and countless others. Each were bested by various iterations of Ol' Yaller sports racers over the years and took wins, podiums, and points positions against many of the best-funded racing teams in the world, while also featuring in various Hollywood movies, including the three Elvis films, Viva Las Vegas, Spinout and Speedway. In all, Balchowsky built nine cars and/or chassis which were simply known as Ol' Yallers Mark I to Mark IX.
Although he's famous for his racing career and race cars, it's likely that the most famous car Max ever turned a wrench on was Steve McQueen's 1968 Ford Mustang used in the film Bullitt of the same year.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
Offered here is Ol' Yaller Mark IX, the final design from the minds of Max and Ina Balchowsky which incorporated many of the lessons they learned over the years and resulted in one of their quickest cars ever. Mark IX was built for Haskell Automotive in 1963, and as with all examples of the Ol' Yaller series, the car featured a tubular steel space frame chassis with a front-mid-mounted American V8 – a powerful 401ci Buick in this case. The output is said to be 310bhp, and the car should do 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds due to its light weight. Those daring enough behind the wheel could achieve a top speed upwards of 150 mph. The car is believed to have appeared during filming of The Love Bug. However, the car later crashed and subsequently underwent a full restoration back to the original condition as it appeared in 1963.
Ol' Yaller Mark IX was successfully raced into the 1990s by Ted Peterson and Peter Shea in historic motorsport competition, including at the Monterey Historics. Peter and Lynda donated the car to the Petersen Automotive Museum after years of successful vintage racing, and Ol' Yaller Mark IX has since been a treasured member of the Petersen Museum's permanent collection, where it has been showcased on various occasions, including the exhibit 'Legends of Los Angeles: Southern California Race Cars and Their Builders'.
As one of only nine Ol' Yallers, the series of cars representing the zenith of American sports car racing specials, built by the legend Max Balchowsky, the chance to acquire Mark IX is a special one indeed.
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401ci 'Nailhead' Buick V8 Engine
4 Twin-Choke Weber Carburetors
310bhp at 4,200rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Coil Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Hydraulic Front Disc - Rear Drum Brakes
*The ninth and final Ol' Yaller built by legendary racer and Hot Rodder Max Balchowsky
*A true icon from the Southern California Sports Car Racing Golden Era
*Competitive vintage racer with great potential to win
*Offered from the Petersen Automotive Permanent Collection
MAX BALCHOWSKY AND THE OL' YALLERS
Mention the name Max Balchowsky to a racing enthusiast and most will immediately recognize him as one of the most innovative and successful builders of race car specials during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He served in World War II as a B-24 belly turret gunner and learned his trade racing Hot Rods on the dry lakes of El Mirage, Bonneville, and the streets of Southern California before turning to road racing against sports cars imported from Europe and England.
Max and his wife Ina Balchowsky opened the doors of Hollywood Motors in 1949 to both build their own race cars and to work on the cars of their fellow racers. They quickly became famous for their ability to swap any engine into any car, and for many years, the company letterhead stated: "We can replace anything with anything." Several of his engine swaps were illustrated in Hot Rod Magazine at the time.
Beginning in 1957, Balchowsky and his wife designed, built, and raced a limited number of sports racing cars. His first two were named Old Yeller after the dog in Disney's 1957 film who was yellow, mangy and unwanted. Disney didn't like that, so Balchowsky changed the spelling of his cars to 'Ol' Yaller', due to their pale-yellow paint scheme. His early chassis were literally drawn up on the shop floor, and the cars were assembled from various performance parts, equipped with powerful Buick V8 engines and then driven to and from the races. Balchowsky would race the cars himself or enlist noted drivers including Dan Gurney, Bob Drake, Chuck Daigh, Billy Krause, Carroll Shelby and Ronnie Bucknum. The Ol' Yallers would compete against the best in the world including Ferraris, Maseratis, Aston Martins, Jaguars, Corvettes, and countless others. Each were bested by various iterations of Ol' Yaller sports racers over the years and took wins, podiums, and points positions against many of the best-funded racing teams in the world, while also featuring in various Hollywood movies, including the three Elvis films, Viva Las Vegas, Spinout and Speedway. In all, Balchowsky built nine cars and/or chassis which were simply known as Ol' Yallers Mark I to Mark IX.
Although he's famous for his racing career and race cars, it's likely that the most famous car Max ever turned a wrench on was Steve McQueen's 1968 Ford Mustang used in the film Bullitt of the same year.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
Offered here is Ol' Yaller Mark IX, the final design from the minds of Max and Ina Balchowsky which incorporated many of the lessons they learned over the years and resulted in one of their quickest cars ever. Mark IX was built for Haskell Automotive in 1963, and as with all examples of the Ol' Yaller series, the car featured a tubular steel space frame chassis with a front-mid-mounted American V8 – a powerful 401ci Buick in this case. The output is said to be 310bhp, and the car should do 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds due to its light weight. Those daring enough behind the wheel could achieve a top speed upwards of 150 mph. The car is believed to have appeared during filming of The Love Bug. However, the car later crashed and subsequently underwent a full restoration back to the original condition as it appeared in 1963.
Ol' Yaller Mark IX was successfully raced into the 1990s by Ted Peterson and Peter Shea in historic motorsport competition, including at the Monterey Historics. Peter and Lynda donated the car to the Petersen Automotive Museum after years of successful vintage racing, and Ol' Yaller Mark IX has since been a treasured member of the Petersen Museum's permanent collection, where it has been showcased on various occasions, including the exhibit 'Legends of Los Angeles: Southern California Race Cars and Their Builders'.
As one of only nine Ol' Yallers, the series of cars representing the zenith of American sports car racing specials, built by the legend Max Balchowsky, the chance to acquire Mark IX is a special one indeed.
Sold on a Bill of Sale
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
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