Ol Yaller 1959

Ol’ Yaller Mark III was the third in a series of ten racecars built by Southern California hot rod legend Max Balchowsky. Constructed in his garage on Hollywood Boulevard, it has a tube chassis and an aluminum body built from plans drawn in chalk on the shop floor. Ol’ Yaller is powered by a 414 cubic-inch Buick “nailhead” V-8 engine, a popular choice among hot rodders of the day. Balchowsky’s cars were regarded as unrefined junkyard dogs and were therefore compared to the similarly named dog in Disney’s film Old Yeller (1957), hence the name. In reality, the cars were well engineered, as evidenced by their victories over the exotic Jaguars, Ferraris, and Maseratis of the day.