2011 Rodders Reunion Review
November/27/2011 01:11
Another successful Memphis Rodders Reunion is in the history books. Good friends, good food, cool cars, and lots of memories of days gone by.
This year the Memphis Rodders Reunion honoree was none other than noted camshaft mogul Joe Lunati. As we set about examining his interesting career, we found a lot to take note of. Joe's first jobs were as a service station attendant, and a baker, but he was a Memphis Rodder when he was off the clock. Eventually, Joe began working at Lingua Engine Rebuilding, and this is where he began to learn the ropes as a cam grinder. In 1969, Joe hung out his own shingle and Lunati Cams was born. The rest is, as they say, history. Lunati Cams went on to be one of the largest and most influential players in the performance after-market, and eventually broadened it's scope to include a full range of high performance engine parts.
The 1970 Chevelle SS shown above belongs to Claude McAttee, and was on display as a nod to the long running Chevelle build-up that Lunati Cams did in conjunction with Hot Rod Magazine in 1995.
Ray Godman enjoys an acapella rendition of the National Anthem as performed by Madlen Frans.
Here's Joe with local automotive artist 'Bluefoot'. Blue designed the original Lunati Cams logo, which made Joe one of his first clients.
Lunati Cams was the first company to grind a .600 lift cam for the small block Chevy. Bobby Anderson used the first one in his race car, and brought the vintage bumpstick along for display.
Believe it or not, this beautiful candy red 36 Chevy is a wheelstanding drag racer. It belongs to Dewayne Stewart. Show & go!
More of the slick display cars on hand at this year's reunion. The ultra rare, and now restored 1968 Yenko Camaro was once an early pro stock race car campaigned by Memphis Rodder AJ Lancaster. AJ passed away this past summer, but was an enthusiastic drag racer for many years. This Camaro was his last race car before he hung up his helmet.
Larry Nolan (center) gives thanks to Danny Ford of the Memphis Classic Chevy Club (left), and Mike Lyon of the Memphis Street Rods (right) for their continued support of the reunion, and their contributions to the cause of raising money for the Shriner's Burn Transportation Fund. The MCCC contributed $2,000, and the Memphis Street Rods kicked in a whopping $6,000, which will bring the 2011 total to over $14,000. We'll post an update when the donation is made this week at the Shriner's annual hamburger dinner.
Also on hand was one of George Poteet's Bonneville racers. This one is the 200+ MPH Ford Starliner that helped George gain entry into the exclusive Bonneville 200 MPH club. Click here for a gallery of photos from the 2011 Memphis Rodders Reunion.
So thanks again for another successful reunion, and stay tuned to this website for news of the 2012 festivities. We're already making plans!
LK