Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick's "White Tornado" GTO

[BigBlockLyle]

Hi guys, I heard an interesting story from my shop teacher. He has been around Sterling/Rock Falls, IL his entire life and he has met the famous "Farmer". He told our class that the very first Pontiac GTO went to "The Farmer". It started as a GTO with a tri power and an aluminum front clip, and came with hopped up heads and a hot cam in the trunk. And by what I've read on Beswick's site, this is true. My teacher then said that Beswick converted the car to an AWB with a 421SD in it and while it campaigned as a non-AWB and as an AWB, it was named the "White Tornado". He also said that after Beswick had retired the car, a friend of Beswick's had asked what he was doing with it. He bought the car and reset the wheelbase back to stock and converted it into a dirt track racer and raced it at Speedbowl Park in Sterling/Rock Falls. I guess after he got done with the car, it was scrapped.

Well, here's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to find enough pictures of the "White Tornado", as it campaigned in both classes, to build a replica of it. If any of you guys can help, it'd be great. I already tried Google image search and came up empty. I figured maybe someone here will have some pics of it or remember more about the car. THIA

Thanks

Benjamin.

[Smart-Resins]

Wich year are you looking for, maybe the 64? I think that was his first GTOfor him, wich, was also listed as a tempest, the "Mystery Tornado" wich is what he ran after his 1963 Tempest station wagon wich I thought was cool! Some of the pitures I have I think is a reproduction of it? Not sure. Four total unless I missed some amungst my mayham oth a couple thousand pics. I am sure you already found these though as there was not much online when I researched it thinking I might try ti?LOL. Jody

[BigBlockLyle]

Thanks, that's alot more than what I found when I looked. My teacher couldn't remember the exact name, but it did have Tornado in it. Yes I'm looking for the 64, but the 65 will work too. Does anybody remember the car from back in the day?

[Dan Helferich]

I saw it run in '66 at US 131 Dragway in Martin Mi. It had the stock wheelbase. Arnie had the '63 Tameless Tiger with him too and only ran the white car in one round. (There were 13 Funnies there so no one ran aganst the same car twice.) The '64 got clobbered by Pete Gates in the ex- Dyno Don's '65 Comet. I don't remember it ever having an altered wheelbase. I think the '63, which came after the '64 was Arnie's first AWB car.