George Valerio of Lincoln, California, has been hunting cars for as long as he can remember. Yes, it’s the way he earns his living, but it is more of an obsession than a vocation. After a few minutes on the telephone, it’s obvious that Valerio finds great joy in unearthing interesting cars. It’s as if he’s resuscitating them, giving life and motion where there was darkness and stagnation.
One of Valerio’s more interesting finds happened in October 2003 during a trip to Minneapolis to look at a gaggle of Porsches for sale from a private collection. Valerio wound up buying the entire lot which included a ’59 Cabriolet, a ’59 D Convertible, a ’64 C Coupe, and a Devin D (Porsche). But there was a fifth car sitting in the corner, the one Valerio knew nothing about. And it was this car that stirred his excitement. According to Valerio, “When I spotted what I later learned was the Wright Special I thought, wow, a vintage V-8 racecar, all-aluminum body, unrestored, so original…these things are hard to find.” Valerio added the Wright Special to the invoice, brought it back home and began researching the car’s history.
Beginning in 1954, the car was built for Johnny Wright of San Diego, California, by a team that he assembled. Wright was the manager of the Palisade Roller Skating Rink and had a pension for speed. He hired Culbert Automotive Engineering (CAE) to fabricate a tubular frame. The main members were of 3-inch Shelby tubing and the cross-members and kickups were from 2-inch tubes. Wright also specified a Halibrand quick change rear end. For motivation, Wright chose a 276-c.i. Mercury flathead with Edelbrock heads snorting through three Stromberg 97s on an Edelbrock intake manifold. J&E racing pistons gave 9.5:1 compression. Harman & Collins provided the camshaft as well as the dual ignition. The unique aluminum body was hand-formed by midget-racer Dean Meltzer who took a full year to finish the job. Total build time for the car was 2 ½ years.
According to Valerio, “The car’s first drag race was in August of ’56 when it went 96.21 mph in the quarter. After the first short season, Wright wanted more power and swapped in a ’56 265 Corvette engine. In June of ’57 the car went 107.46 mph with this power plant.”
The Wright Special was featured in the August 1960 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. By this time the car had garnered more than 30 trophies for drags, time trials, hillclimbs, road races, and shows. It also had received its third and biggest engine, a 328-c.i. ’57 Corvette six-carbed monster built by Jim Nelson. The engine was bored and stroked and valves were 1/8” over stock. Pistons were 11:1 strokers from Jahns, the camshaft and lifters were from Racer Brown, and the dual ignition was Jackson Roto-Faze. Pumping out 350 ponies, Wright turned 117.23 mph in the quarter mile with this engine.
Valerio kept searching for information on the car and then one day he hit the automotive mother-load. Valerio recalls, “I started working on a list of names of everyone who had been involved in building the car. I called all of the people on the list and mostly found wives and relatives of guys who had passed away. And the more folks I called the more phone numbers I got for more people to call. The list became enormous, but I kept dialing.
“One day I called Wally Edwards and found out that he had passed away. Whoever I spoke with told me that Edwards’s family had moved to Havasu City and that his son was still around. So I got a hold of a Havasu City phone book and found Edwards’s kid. To my delight, he said he had a whole bunch of stuff for the car. So I had my friend Ray Lark pay Edwards a visit. I couldn’t believe it when Ray called to tell me that Edwards’s son had 14 trophies.”
According to Valerio the trophies indicate that the Wright Special won the SCCA Julian Hill Climb in 1956. He also says the car held the quarter mile drag record at the Paradise Mesa Drag Strip in 1957. Among the trophies is one for the fastest time at Hour Glass Field in August of ’58. Valerio also reports that he’s documented a run of 143.76 mph at El Mirage.
The car was sold to a collector in 2006 and is being readied for competition once again. Valerio remains at work on his 60-acre ranch where his wife raises Jack Russell terriers and zebras. And every day Valerio ventures out to hunt unicorns.
George loves to talk cars and can be reached at [email protected].
