Salty Kiwis
By Dave Wallace

Among the interesting entries at the 50th-annual Bonneville Speed Week were two roadsters campaigned by native New Zealanders. The flathead-powered DownUndertaker XF/BFR is owned by Top Fuel legend Garth Hogan.

Its dual-plug heads are billet copies of aluminum castings created by Hogan's oval-racing father — back in 1948! The twin mags were plucked from Garth's nitro Hemi. Hogan's Bonneville effort was joined by Gary "Grease" Martin and Andrew Rea, who campaign what is believed to be the quickest flathead outside North America (low-nine-second e.t.s), and budding photojournalist Glen Hutchinson, who put down the wrenches just long enough to take these shots.

At Bonneville, Rea clocked 151, 172 and 169 mph before melting a head on Tuesday. (Unfortunately, only one set was carved.) Equally impressive was the Chevy-powered B/STR (background) of transplanted Kiwi Steve Davis. This is one street roadster that really is: Davis drove round-trip to Utah from the Los Angeles area — and repeatedly topped 160 mph on the salt!

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