Don Kimball Z11

[482STROKER]

I was checking out some mags at the store over the weekend and spotted one called Elapsed Times that has pictures from the Car Craft archives, it has a good story about the Thunderbolts and shows a picture of the Kimball Z11 launching against a Thunderbolt at the 1963 Nationals, its an old black and white photo thats very cool, the mag has the Snake and Mongoose funny cars on the cover and has a ton of great drag cars inside, if your into drag racing from that era "and who isn't" ? do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy, Steve

 

[Z-11Guy]

'63 Indy nats. Not sure how long Kimball lasted after this round, may have fell to Sox or Strickler.

 

[63 dream'n]

Cool,thanks for sharing.......

 

[Z-11Guy]

 

[Z-11Guy]

Speaking to the last owner of the Don Kimball car tomorrow. I have been trying to track him down for 20+ years. He reached out to me yesterday and I will give the exact details on what exactly happened to it. He still lives in. The Las Vegas area where the car disappeared in 1977.

 

[Iowa 409 Guy]

Cool

 

[DaveN]

Excited to hear what you find out.

 

[427John]

While that Fairlane the Kimball car is racing isn't technically a Thunderbolt it is the Tasca Ford commissioned Zimmy which was a 63 Fairlane drag car that could be considered the prototype for the Thunderbolts Ford had built for 1964.They built a 62 Fairlane 406 powered car and followed up with a 63 that was initially 406 then 427 after it came out,Ford saw the potential of the car and green lighted the TBolt program for 64.

 

[Z-11Guy]

I spoke to the last known owner of the of the ex Don Kimball car a few months. Nice guy though different. He owned the Grey Ghost Z-11 (Clippinger Chevrolet in Covina CA) he bought in late 1963 and pictured above at Henderson Dragway. The engine blew and it sat idle. He then parted out the Butch Leal car when it didn’t sell as a complete car in 1965. He pulled the 427 engine and dropped it in the Grey Ghost car. Then pulled all the aluminum off the Leal car. The car then was converted to a steel 327 4-speed car and sold to a serviceman who took it back to Minnesota never to be seen again. In 1970 George bought the Don Kimball Z-11 body aluminum and all and was absolutely pin straight. He kept it in outside storage in North Las Vegas and the Grey Ghost and a ‘69 Ford 428 SCJ Talledega inside. Something happened to the Talledega and George was furious and threw chi’s hands up of all car stuff and packed up and left for Colorado for three years. When he returned the Don Kimball car was gone though amazingly the Grey Ghost and the Talledega were unscathed inside the warehouse. George asked the manager where the Kimball car is. The manager being belligerent person he was said he had it hauled off the one of the larger junkyards in the North Las Vegas area. That was that. The car never resurfaced again. George didn’t want to relive losing the Kimball car again and quickly shut off when I spoke to him. I told him he has my number when he is ready to talk again.

 

[benchseat4speed]

Thanks for posting Raj. Reading history is probably my favorite thing to do, but man these Z11 stories almost always end in tragedy. Makes me so sad.

At least one of those three survives, I gotta look at it that way.

 

[Z-11Guy]

Just got off the phone with Don Kimball tonight, what a great guy to talk to. We spoke for awhile on the 409 and Z-11 days. I will be talking to him again tomorrow night.

 

[La Hot Rods]

Nice that had to have been an honor, care to share any history

 

[Z-11Guy]

 

[Z-11Guy]

Been on the phone weekly with Don Kimball jogging his memory of the Z-11. There were so many speed secrets he had up his sleeves the list goes on. One of his big secrets was the ignition system. He had a guy at GE in Syracuse rework the distributor. Don could floor the Z-11 out of the hole and the Z-11 would delay for a split second and then take off like a bullet. At Indy ‘63 he recalls beating Dyno Z-11, Gas Ronda and Tasca Fairlane back to back. Strickler took down Brennan and Sox mopped the Bob Ford. Don then put down the dependables 426 Dodge and his clutch started to let go. NHRA made them line up right after every elimination not able to make any repairs etc. He drew Sox and Martin Z-11 next round and held Ronnie off through third and the clutch gave up the ghost. Jenkins cane up to young Don Kimball impressed with his skills. I was hold off on telling Don the fate of his Z-11. According to him he thought it was rolled and wrecked at Dover dragway in the late ‘60’s. I told him it ended up in Las Vegas and impounded in 1978 never seen again in meticulous shape. Don was heartbroken. He told me he was in Vegas on business monthly in Vegas in the late 1970’s. Had he known his car was there he would of paid anything for it and kept it to this day. It was his favorite car and didn’t want to sell it end of ‘63. He said Al Staunch was literally right there when the car was advertised and sold within hours. Don was disappointed though the dealer owned the car and Don had to support his siblings after his parents both passed on when Don was 23. Don got a Z-16 Chevelle in ‘65 though it wasn’t the same as the Z-11. More to come.

 

[327]

 

[409Kid]

You are so fortunate to be able to talk to an original owner.

 

[409envy]

Raj, I know this is a big endeavor but you really ought to think about compiling all your z11 stories and photos into some sort of a book or database for future generations. The amount of knowledge you have is something that should not be lost to time. I know it’s a huge investment in time but it would be well worth it. Just a thought.