Jack Petty's 1951 Kaiser Club Coupe DeLuxe is a stunningly stylish car for its era, with its sculpted lines accented by deep maroon paint. The car is no "trailer queen," though, as Jack and his brother Jerry recently racked up about a thousand miles winning the "long distance award" at a gathering of Kaisers near Scottsbluff, Neb.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A veteran racing driver himself, Jack Petty chose to build his 1952 Hudson Hornet as a tribute car to the late Tim Flock, one of the earliest stars of the NASCAR circuit. The No. 91 Hornet carries the correct Hudson Twin-H Power flathead engine that dominated race tracks in the 1950s.
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Brothers Jack, left, and Jerry Petty enjoy road trips in classic vintage automobiles. Both also remain involved in auto racing.
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Here's a glimpse of the original upholstery material in the surprisingly spacious rear of the club coupe. Chenille-style seat coverings gave the Kaiser an air of parlor furniture sophistication.
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Even the rear windshield received extra attention from the Kaiser designers who gave it and the front windshield as well a subtle heart-shaped contour.
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The '51 Kaiser was no muscle car, but was powered by an unusual engine, a 226-cubic-inch Continental flathead 6-cylinder. It produced 115 horsepower and was bolted to a GM-supplied Hydramatic transmission.
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A hood emblem that would never be permitted today, this javelin-like point, suspended in clear plastic, remains in remarkable condition considering it is nearly 60 years old.
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The Kaiser was not only one of the first cars to boast a padded dash, but could also claim the instrument panel was covered in genuine leather -- still the original in this car. Note the bison emblem in the middle of the horn button.
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The almost mandatory wide whitewalls blend nicely with the smooth full-wheel discs with a thin ring of maroon paint marking the wheel outlines.
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The Kaiser's interior appointments include a folding-back bench seat, which has been reupholstered in a non-factory fabric. That will be changing soon as Jack Petty plans to return it to the original chenille-style material.
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The Kaiser's dashboard verges on the opulent, with its saddle leather padded dash and brightly polished chrome lower panel.
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A closer look at the Kaiser's dash reveals this car came with a radio-delete panel in place. The quality of craftsmanship is top-notch throughout the coupe.
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"Jocko Flocko" was a spider monkey who rode with Tim Flock in his No. 91 Hudson Hornet during several NASCAR races. Jack Petty displays a Jocko figure against the backdrop of the huge 308-cubic-inch flathead 6 racing engine equipped with Twin-H Power carburetors.
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So where are the roll bars and the racing harnesses? In 1952, roll bars weren't required and it was up to the driver or crew to add a simple lap belt to the factory seat set-up.
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In the early days of NASCAR, race cars were often driven to the track in near showroom-stock form, so this dashboard layout with the big factory steering wheel and Hydramatic column shifter are correct.
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When was the last time you saw a NASCAR car equipped with a hood emblem, let alone a gold-plated hood emblem? That was the way the Hudson Hornets ran back in the early 1950s.
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Jack Petty behind the wheel of his former No. 6 sprint car at a vintage dirt track race. The car was restored by his grandson, Jeremy Petty, a fellow racer who now owns and maintains it.
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/ Courtesy of Jim Petty
Whether it's roaring along an interstate in the Hudson Hornet race car or in the more sedate Kaiser coupe, brothers Jerry and Jack Petty love every moment they can spend in a beautifully turned out vintage automobile.
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